* Yet again, it’s somewhat amazing to me that vendors and landlords have agreed to hold out this long…
September 24, 2015
The Honorable Bruce Rauner
Governor of Illinois
207 State House
Springfield, IL 62706
Dear Governor Rauner:
I am writing to highlight how the lack of a Fiscal Year 2016 budget is adversely impacting the Office of the Illinois Secretary of State, and could soon jeopardize the services we provide to the people of Illinois.
As you may know, the Illinois Office of the Secretary of State is the largest of its kind in the nation. Our responsibilities range from issuing over nine million driver’s licenses and 11 million license plates, to registering annually nearly 470,000 corporations and 175,000 securities salespersons, to entering approximately 500,000 convictions onto driving records, to providing maintenance and security for the Capitol Complex, to serving as the State Librarian and the State Archivist. My mission has always been and remains to provide the highest level of customer service to the people of Illinois, and to make sure our roads are as safe as possible.
Because of our wide ranging functions and responsibilities, my office collects approximately $9 million a day in revenue for the State Treasury. Among but not limited to the services we offer each day include: issuing approximately 16,000 driver’s licenses and ID cards, 14,000 vehicle titles and 45,000 vehicle registrations; entering onto driving records more than 2,000 convictions for driving offenses; delivering nearly 13,000 inter-library loan books and talking book and Braille materials.
Unfortunately, my office is getting to the point where our bills are no longer being paid, and this will directly impact office services to the people. This situation has grown critical, and we are seeking a solution to this problem.
I am particularly concerned about the following four areas:
1. Computer and software contract vendors discontinuing service
Multiple vendors have threatened to discontinue software licensing agreements as well as providing critical maintenance efforts needed for my office to function properly. Thus far we have been successful at persuading them to continue working with us. However, this won’t last much longer. Software cancellations and network maintenance disruptions would negatively impact our ability to conduct routine office transactions. They could lead to a system wide shutdown, and could make us vulnerable to data breaches considering that our firewall system blocks millions of illicit attempts each week to get into our network and breach our data. Personal information of nearly every Illinoisan could be jeopardized, which cannot be allowed to happen.
2. The inability to process lease and utility payments
My office has 138 facilities throughout the state that interact with approximately six million residents each year. The State Comptroller is unable to process the monthly lease and utility payments. Some landlords are pursuing notices of default, which could ultimately lead to the termination of certain facility leases. And if utility companies shut off power, our facilities will be unable to open and serve customers.
3. Security shortfalls
Driver and Vehicle Services facilities collect the majority of the revenue my office provides to the State Treasury – upwards of $9 million per day. The armored truck service company that safely moves cash from my facilities to banks is threatening to discontinue this important service. Some of my facilities accumulate more than $100,000 cash for the armored truck service to pick up and safely deliver to the local bank.
In addition, we have concerns that the entity that provides the electronic security at all of our facilities during non-business hours may soon discontinue this service. Our 138 Driver and Vehicle Services facilities, which contain important laminate and DL/ID card stock, would then be unsecure, which cannot be permitted to happen.
4. Capitol Complex
My office helps oversee and provide maintenance of the Capitol Complex. This includes lighting, heating and cooling the more than 20 buildings on the complex. We are concerned the local utility companies will discontinue providing electricity, gas and coal. In addition, the entity that performs daily garbage pickup and removal has threatened to discontinue this service. Thus far we have successfully convinced them to hold on a while longer.
In the short term, we will continue to manage as much as or wherever possible so that we may serve the people of Illinois. However, we have difficult decisions to make – decisions that call for cutting in one area in order to prolong for a few months a service in another area. For example, we will soon discontinue mailing vehicle registration renewal notices to customers, a service we have long provided and one which many of our citizens have grown to rely on as the reminder of their impending license plate sticker expirations. By discontinuing this service, we should be able to prolong the ability to mail actual vehicle registration renewal stickers for a month or two longer before our postage account runs out.
I will keep you updated regularly on where my office stands, and what services are in jeopardy of discontinuing due to the lack of a state budget. This is a fluid situation, with the status of some services changing in a matter of weeks or even days.
In closing, I am urging everyone to work together to solve this budget crisis so that the Secretary of State’s office, and all state government, can continue providing services the people of Illinois richly deserve. If I or my staff may be of any assistance to you, please do not hesitate to contact us.
I look forward to your timely response.
Sincerely,
Jesse White
Illinois Secretary of State
cc. House Speaker Michael Madigan
Senate President John Cullerton
Senate Republican Leader Christine Radogno
House Republican Leader Jim Durkin
Lieutenant Governor Evelyn Sanguinetti
Attorney General Lisa Madigan
Comptroller Leslie Geissler Munger
Treasurer Michael Frerichs
Auditor General William Holland
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Sep 25, 15 @ 10:02 am:
“Hi Secretary White-
The Governor will work meeting and discussing solutions with the General Assembly once the Turnaround Agenda is passed.
Thanks!
ck”
(Snark)
- Meh - Friday, Sep 25, 15 @ 10:03 am:
how are resolving any of these potential issues making illinois more competitive?
- Just Me - Friday, Sep 25, 15 @ 10:03 am:
Instead of CC’ing the legislative leaders, the letter should also be addressed to them, and every Members of the General Assembly too for that matter.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Sep 25, 15 @ 10:06 am:
===how are resolving any of these potential issues making illinois more competitive?===
These are the functions of the Office of the Secretary of State.
Please, keep up, or learn what each Constituional Office is required to do Constitutionally or by statute.
Thanks.
- The unknown poster - Friday, Sep 25, 15 @ 10:08 am:
Governor Rauner to his Superstars….”who is this Jesse White guy?”
- Apocalypse Now - Friday, Sep 25, 15 @ 10:12 am:
The likelihood of the vendors breaking contracts or utilities getting shut off is farfetched and unrealistic. Nice attempt at spin Secretary White, but nothing more than political grand standing. Maybe, he could have put in some porta potties in case the water is shut off.
- Meh - Friday, Sep 25, 15 @ 10:15 am:
Sorry Willy, that was a poor attempt at humor on my end. I’ll get better at this..
- Secret Square - Friday, Sep 25, 15 @ 10:17 am:
“We are concerned the local utility companies will discontinue providing electricity, gas and coal.”
Coal?!? Did we just time warp back to 1920 or something?
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Sep 25, 15 @ 10:17 am:
- Meh -,
No worries at all, you may just want to label as snark if it might be taken as actual.
All good.
Respectfully,
OW
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Sep 25, 15 @ 10:28 am:
===The likelihood of the vendors breaking contracts or utilities getting shut off is farfetched and unrealistic.===
What do you base that on? We’ve, so far, as a state, are in uncharted waters. State facilities, rented facilities, we just don’t know. That’s probably the most true.
===Nice attempt at spin Secretary White, but nothing more than political grand standing.===
Example please? Are you reading the same letter?
===Maybe, he could have put in some porta potties in case the water is shut off.===
See opening day at Wrigley. I was there that night. Not too many happy people.
- walker - Friday, Sep 25, 15 @ 10:31 am:
AN: Sec’y of State White doesn’t “spin” as you described it.
These are real and imminent risks — though of course it depends on the vendor, and how much they rely on the state’s business. For some the state is just another late-paying customer.
- sal-says - Friday, Sep 25, 15 @ 10:38 am:
What is The Governot thinking. This ain’t WI where the gov & GA were of the same party. This destruction of IL ain’t pretty. Suspect some vendors that stop service won’t be satisfied with the dribble of a partial token payment to restart service again. Governot Do Your Job.
- Apocalypse Now - Friday, Sep 25, 15 @ 10:39 am:
It’s 10:37am in Southern Illinois and the sun is shining and not a cloud in the sky. OW will be questioning that just for the sake of argument. Never seen a guy who has to be right about every comment, but rarely is right himself.
- PolPal56 - Friday, Sep 25, 15 @ 10:41 am:
It was only in 2011 that the University I work for began the final move from coal to natural gas.
- sal-says - Friday, Sep 25, 15 @ 10:42 am:
And a ‘catastrophe waiting to happen’ is if software vendors & support quit & then have personal info for several millions of Illinoians get hacked. Thanks, Brucie.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Sep 25, 15 @ 10:45 am:
- AN -,
If you can’t back up your drive-bys, you can’t.
That’s on you, not me.
- Demise - Friday, Sep 25, 15 @ 10:49 am:
I worked for an agency that had its Internet shut off when the State “forgot” to pay the bill for a few months. Yeah, it can happen. Resolved quickly then because it was easily rectified. Not here.
- Norseman - Friday, Sep 25, 15 @ 10:50 am:
I love the way these pro-business types are advocating that state vendors keep operating without pay. They must think that business in Illinois is so good these businesses have tons of financial reserves to keep providing non-paid goods and services.
- onfire - Friday, Sep 25, 15 @ 10:52 am:
System shutdown means no drivers license, no stickers, no new cars can be processed (titled etc) no license plates issued no corporation business. The situation is becoming dire and as time passes if nothing is done this will happen.
- Bluefish - Friday, Sep 25, 15 @ 10:53 am:
“Maybe, he could have put in some porta potties in case the water is shut off.”
Porta potties - the solution to our state’s budget crisis.
- titan - Friday, Sep 25, 15 @ 10:53 am:
AN
I am aware of some services/supplies already having been cut off to other agencies, and that some vendors have advised that services won’t continue beyond set dates if payments do not resume before then. So far those agencies are continuing to function, but without resolution of the budget issue, there will come a time when operations come to a halt in those agencies in the manner that the SOS is warning of.
- HangingOn - Friday, Sep 25, 15 @ 10:57 am:
About 6 years ago when I was a temp we ended up not having toilet paper in the state regional building for over a week because the vendor cut us off. Vendors can and will stop sending supplies. It’s not considered breaking contract when they haven’t been paid.
- HangingOn - Friday, Sep 25, 15 @ 10:59 am:
==Porta potties - the solution to our state’s budget crisis.==
Sounds more like a metaphor for it.
- Blue dog dem - Friday, Sep 25, 15 @ 11:00 am:
I think if we just raise the cost of a license plate sticker to say, a measly $10,001, I can single handily pull the state out of this mess—J.White.
- Say It Ain't So!! - Friday, Sep 25, 15 @ 11:03 am:
Dear Springfield City Water, Light & Power:
Could you please turn off all utilities to the Governor’s mansion on the day that Governor Rauner is entertaining Ken Griffin and friends?
Thank you
- onfire - Friday, Sep 25, 15 @ 11:06 am:
I think we have to have money or credit to get Porta potties of which we have neither. Just sayin.
- My New Handle - Friday, Sep 25, 15 @ 11:11 am:
Instead of porta potties, maybe rauner can supply some grass bowls.
- VanillaMan - Friday, Sep 25, 15 @ 11:16 am:
To: General Rauner, Governor
From: General White, Fort SOS
General Rauner - it appears that we are being besieged by angry vendors on top of the other angry mobs which have been proliferating since the Siege of Springfield began July 1st.
We are nearly out of supplies, General. Our ability to maintain morale and order within SOS is being severely hampered. We are trying to make every day and every dollar count, but we have reached a point where my men and women will need to begin shooting and eating our horses.
Please be advised General that unless you relieve us from these issues, we will be unable to continue defending SOS from these mobs.
General White, Fort SOS
______________________________________________
My dear General White,
I am stunned and surprised by the level of corruption I am witnessing at Fort SOS. I have made it perfectly clear that you and your Democrat comrades are completely to blame for the situation you find yourself in. You and your men and women harbor enemies identified as unionized employees. Until you take command of your position and strip these lazy corpulent tax-eaters from your midst, I feel it necessary to not supply you at this time.
I have been recently elected while you have represented the foul-smelling rot of corruption and Democrat policies for decades. The people love me. Wherever I go I hear them chanting their support for my Turnaround Agenda. My assistants repeatedly tell me that you and your fellow Democrats ignore all calls for cheap government.
Consequently, you have nothing to fear. There is no emergency. These mobs you speak of are only there to bring me praise and honor. If you cannot acknowledge my superior ability to read our public’s mood, then step aside and resign your post immediately.
General Rauner
- Captain Illini - Friday, Sep 25, 15 @ 11:26 am:
In homage to Vanilla Man…
Dear General Rauner
In response to your letter of chastisement, I’ve attached a video of my men reciting your pledge of fealty and showing them doing the Hokey-Pokey. As you can see for yourself, they’ve all turned around at the end of the dance…can you please pay my bills now???
General White
- Casual observer - Friday, Sep 25, 15 @ 11:26 am:
I’ve been waiting for this. $9 million a day revenue is a pretty big hammer. DOR and SOS bring in revenue. Cut off the internet for these 2 and you essentially shut the state Down. Just, wow.
- walker - Friday, Sep 25, 15 @ 11:29 am:
VMan: priceless
- RNUG - Friday, Sep 25, 15 @ 11:33 am:
I, too, have been expecting this point to be reached shortly. FWIW, I made sure to renew my driver’s license several months early and to get current stickers for all of my vehicles … so I’m good until January.
- the q - Friday, Sep 25, 15 @ 11:33 am:
“Coal?!? Did we just time warp back to 1920 or something”
the developmental centers have their own power sources operated by coal. having that shut off would leave some of the states most vulnerable without power.
- Ducky LaMoore - Friday, Sep 25, 15 @ 11:42 am:
Ah, feels like we’re reliving the Blago years… just replace the word incompetence with the word malice.
- DuPage - Friday, Sep 25, 15 @ 11:44 am:
Mr. White, I would suggest you have to make some urgent emergency decisions, as your governor seems to not be able to do.
Temporarily re-assign SOS police to transport the money to the bank. A lot of them are doing routine inspections at car dealers and such. While this is an important function, it is not really critical.
Secure the license blanks in an on premises safe. Assign SOS police to guard facilities at night if the alarm companies pull the plug.
Disable public internet access to your computer systems if your firewall provider pulls the plug. You should put up a web page that explains what happened so when the public goes to use your online services, they will know who to call. Include the governor’s phone number as well as all members of the legislature.
Cut hours of service and library book deliveries and other non-critical services until funding becomes available. Keep the critical services running, the non-critical stuff can wait.
- Mason born - Friday, Sep 25, 15 @ 11:47 am:
Frankly I can’t see it going much longer before vendors and landlords start to stop service or attempt to evict. In many of the less populated counties the driver facilities are owned by individuals without a large portfolio of other properties if you only have a few rental spaces and the state decides to stop paying all together but wants to continue to occupy it’s going to make for a very lean period. Let alone if you have another potential tennant willing to move in who will pay on time.
- Blue dog dem - Friday, Sep 25, 15 @ 11:48 am:
This just in from a courthouse in St. Clair County. Due to the inability of the SOS offices to process anything, all drivers licenses, stickers, title transfers, will be not needed until Gov Bruce gets his Turnaround Agenda passed.
- A guy - Friday, Sep 25, 15 @ 11:52 am:
====”so I’m good until January”.====
Might wanna get that one renewed too. lol
- Norseman - Friday, Sep 25, 15 @ 11:57 am:
RNUG, A Guy’s jovial suggestion may be more accurate than humorous. I think you October prediction is not going to happen. I’m now thinking late January at the earliest.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Sep 25, 15 @ 12:02 pm:
===I think you ( - RNUG - ) October prediction is not going to happen.===
I never would’ve have thought;
* Predicting October in June seemed too far out to be unlikely.
* Seeing October in September seemed too close to save the state.
It’s profoundly sad - Norseman -, that at the 4 month windo of no budget seems “too soon”.
- Honey Badger - Friday, Sep 25, 15 @ 12:04 pm:
Like the Honey Badger, Rauner don’t care.
- RNUG - Friday, Sep 25, 15 @ 12:10 pm:
– Might wanna get that one renewed too. lol –
I think I’m good til next summer. That one’s just a small camping trailer; I didn’t even have time to pull it out of the garage this year so who knows about next year.
- Mason born - Friday, Sep 25, 15 @ 12:15 pm:
DuPage 11:44
I think you hit the nail with your suggestion. However might I add White will need to close a lot of the smaller offices. There just isnt enough SOS police to secure a facility in every county +. Might be time to set a radius of travel time say an hour and close (hopefully temporarily) all but one in that radius.
- Decatur gal - Friday, Sep 25, 15 @ 12:25 pm:
Gov - do your job and pass a budget. Realize you are not omnipotent. Until you can buy enough representatives and senators that agree with you, you don’t hold enough cards to dominate as you would like. So stop it and be an adult and do the job you were elected to do. We all know it’s a mess - but you can’t dictate all moves to fix just because you are the Gov. This is not right. Thank you.
- Mama - Friday, Sep 25, 15 @ 12:33 pm:
“Instead of CC’ing the legislative leaders, the letter should also be addressed to them, and every Members of the General Assembly too for that matter.”
I agree 100%.
- Honeybear - Friday, Sep 25, 15 @ 12:35 pm:
I guess my previous post was too long. I’m trying. Anyway the upshot was “the ship is sinking and we’re losing helm control”. What was wrong with it Rich? Hyperbolic? Too long? Off topic? All of the above? Well, I try.
- blue dog dem - Friday, Sep 25, 15 @ 12:48 pm:
Did they shut that SOS office in Lincoln County yet?
- Mama - Friday, Sep 25, 15 @ 12:52 pm:
++- VanillaMan - Friday, Sep 25, 15 @ 11:16 am:
and
- Captain Illini - Friday, Sep 25, 15 @ 11:26 am:++
VM & CI, thank you for the laughs.
- Thoughts Matter - Friday, Sep 25, 15 @ 12:57 pm:
Paid
- Pelonski - Friday, Sep 25, 15 @ 12:59 pm:
The vendor’s reaction to the request to carry the state largely depends on their particular circumstances. For small companies that do a lot of business with the state, they may not be able to do it simply due to a lack of resources without state payments. For large companies with only a small portion of their business done with the state, they may be willing to carry the state for a long time since they will eventually get not only what they are owed, but also a big interest payment. For vendors like the post office and public utilities which have a lot of rules by which they operate, however, they may not be able to carry the state for very long regardless of the financial impact.
For landlords, the issue largely comes down to whether they believe they could rent the facility to someone else. If they can, they will likely kick the state out fairly quickly. If not, they will likely carry the state until foreclosure.
My guess is that the first major impacts will be with software and postage. Losing both of those could easily happen and would severely impact the state’s ability to function.
- Demoralized - Friday, Sep 25, 15 @ 1:03 pm:
==Gov - do your job and pass a budget==
Umm, he can’t do that all by himself.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Sep 25, 15 @ 1:05 pm:
===Gov - do your job and pass a budget===
Governors sign budgets, legislators pass budgets.
- pool boy - Friday, Sep 25, 15 @ 1:13 pm:
How about we start with turning off the lights, heat/ac in the Capital. I also volunteer to deliver money to the local banks, for a modest 10 percent.
- MyTwoCents - Friday, Sep 25, 15 @ 1:24 pm:
1) are there even enough SOS cops to handle cash deliveries (if it came to that)?
2) let’s say the worst case scenerio happened and there were some IT security lapses and a breach did occur. Now that incurs the notification and credit monitoring requirements. How much would a breach affecting millions cost the State in the long run? Could Secretary White just send that bill to Rauner, Madigan and Cullerton and let them pay it themselves? /s (mostly)
- Casual observer - Friday, Sep 25, 15 @ 1:31 pm:
Mytwocents- you don’t wait for a breach, then act. If safeguards aren’t in place you shut it down.
- Ottawa Otter - Friday, Sep 25, 15 @ 1:39 pm:
Well, we have predictions of catastrophe and we have claims of crying wolf. We also have suggestions for a fall back position. Wouldn’t put any money on the outcome, but I would be willing to bet we will find out who is correct. The immovable object is in a contest with the unstoppable force. So, I guess the only thing to do is sit back, relax, and watch it happen.
- burbanite - Friday, Sep 25, 15 @ 2:03 pm:
Notices have begun to be served by landlords on SOS facilities. In a twist, I think the letter may actually lead to more notices. Landlords are used to getting their payments very late, but now they know they aren’t coming, even late….
- Joe M - Friday, Sep 25, 15 @ 3:15 pm:
==1. Computer and software contract vendors discontinuing service==
Back in the Paul Powell days as Secretary of State we didn’t have computers taking care of any of that. Paul got by fine with actual “paper” paperwork - and all-cash transactions.
- filmmaker Professor - Friday, Sep 25, 15 @ 3:23 pm:
Last week, I became pension eligible. Just in time.