In a time when the State of Illinois has reached an all time financial low, it is pushing out state grants to build train/bus stations where they aren’t needed. The state is dangling a $6 million grant in front of my hometown, Quincy, IL to build a new station. Coincidentally, the state owes almost that exact amount of money to our local school system. Building multi-million dollar train stations while school districts, hospitals, and non-profits are threatened to the point of closing their doors is, well, insane.
But, I digress. A ll politics is local and the ‘leaders’ of the City of Quincy would rather take the $6 million grant than see someone else get it. That’s nuts! The high road doesn’t seem to play a role in this conversation. Just over a month ago I went to the Quincy City Council and asked them to return the money to the state and to send a message that this kind of spending in tough economic times was preposterous. I further explained that this was an ethical issue, not a political one.
It seems the concern of our local government is more about the disposition of the “free money”, than the ethical dilemma that such a project represents in dire economic times.
Logical people would see this as an opportunity to let the State of Illinois know that grants (free money) should positively affect the communities it is trying to reach by ending up where the existing needs lie, like paying delinquent payments to our schools, for example.
Carol Knowles, State Comptroller Dan Hyne’s Spokewoman was recently quoted as follows:
“Illinois ended the year in the worst fiscal position in it’s history,”
In fact, things are so bad, the state can’t even afford to replenish it’s “rainy day” fund.
“Given the size of the state’s bill backlog, the office believes it was more important to try and (reduce) unpaid bills”, said Hynes’s spokeswoman Carol Knowles. “It’s more than rainy, it’s a monsoon.”
The Quincy project requires a feasibility study at a cost of $30,000, which I assume is related to the site and construction. Is there a plan to study the economic impact of this project as it relates to Amtrak, Trailways Bus Service, Quincy Transit Lines, local taxi services, and hotel shuttles specifically? The answer I received from the Quincy City Council…silence.
What message does a project like this send to the public about local and statewide organizations like our local school district, and the multitude of other organizations that are currently experiencing the wrath of the $4.7 billion payment backlog that the State of Illinois is experiencing? The answer is more of the same.
I asked the Quincy City Council if there was a guarantee that the State will refund the $30,000 fee for the site study should they find themselves unable to come through with $6 million in funding for the project. I don’t believe it is a stretch to believe that Illinois could find it’s coffers unable to deliver the funds. After all, the Quincy School District was probably confident that they would receive their $5.8 million without a hitch, as well.
Illinois is experiencing a record breaking year financially.
- Illinois ended the fiscal year with a General Revenue Fund balance of negative $4.69 billion. (A record)
- Illinois mounted a backlog of unpaid bills that as of June 30 was $4.7 billion. (A record)
- Because of the state’s financial condition, the amount of time it takes the comptrollers office to pay bills once they arrive in the office is 153 working days per record.
In order to pay all of its bills by the end of the year the state has included borrowing 1.3 billion against money it is scheduled to receive in the future from the national tobacco settlement and borrowing from other restricted state accounts intended for other bills.
By all means, let’s spend $6,000,000.00 on a train station.
The construction of this facility in the current economy is at best a financial reach and at worst a vivid reminder that we cannot spend our way to prosperity. This is an ethical dilemma. Do we take the funds, or do we take the high road? Quincy News recently conducted a poll on this question. 63% of city residents opposed taking the grant. Only about a quarter of the populace want to accept the money. The public does get it! We will never get our nation’s fiscal house in order if we don’t start rejecting the “free money” from government.
Now, the decision is up to the Quincy City Council. Tonight they are scheduled to meet and the Quincy Tea Party will be there. We will learn whether or not they listen to their constituents.
The State of Illinois is currently beyond repair. The only way to make the states represent the people again is to first make local government represent the people. What say you?
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