45 Comments - 47th Ward - Friday, Oct 30, 15 @ 11:15 am: ===For now, though, state workers will carry that cash to the bank.=== Please don’t tell me John “Quarters” Boyle is employed at the Secretary of State’s office. Because I’m pretty sure he’d be one of the first to volunteer for this assignment. - Not quite a majority - Friday, Oct 30, 15 @ 11:16 am: I hope someone is writing this down. This will make someone a ton of money as an HBO original feature (can’t wait to see who gets cast as the SOS cop) but few people will believe it actually happened. - Lincoln Lad - Friday, Oct 30, 15 @ 11:16 am: Not sure this info should be publicized. - Bogey Golfer - Friday, Oct 30, 15 @ 11:17 am: 47th - you won. No need to post anything else. - Relocated - Friday, Oct 30, 15 @ 11:18 am: The silly part of not having a budget is beginning to show through. The cash is still being collected, its there, but it can’t be used. Things like this and the lottery non payment are easier for the public to understand. - AlabamaShake - Friday, Oct 30, 15 @ 11:19 am: Its cute when the State advertises that they will now be using significantly less secure vehicles to transfer cash. - Roamin' Numeral - Friday, Oct 30, 15 @ 11:19 am: Can we get a court order to get these armored car company’s paid? This is a recipe for disaster. - Stones - Friday, Oct 30, 15 @ 11:20 am: I agree with Jessie, you would be a fool to transact business with the State of IL right now. - Dance Band on the Titanic - Friday, Oct 30, 15 @ 11:20 am: The press shop really needs to update their spiel: Rauner’s spokeswoman gave the following statement: “The Governor’s Office was unaware of the discontinuation of service at the Secretay of State. We have dealt with similar issues at state agencies, and we would be happy to provide Secretary White with assistance. Governor Rauner has proposed a series of reforms to free up resources within state government, which will help balance the budget, but the super majority in the legislature continues to block those reforms. We urge the legislature to work with the governor on passing meaningful reform or pass a truly balanced budget.” - Anon - Friday, Oct 30, 15 @ 11:22 am: Buyer’s remorse? Rauner just doesn’t care and is willing to speed up that race to the bottom, no mater who or what suffers in the interim. Ego run amok with the GOP backing him all the way. - Langhorne - Friday, Oct 30, 15 @ 11:23 am: Shouldnt take long for a local tv station to film a pickup. And more ridicule on national outlets. - Sticky Hands Johnson - Friday, Oct 30, 15 @ 11:23 am: Just applied for a job with SOS to transfer the money for the state. Yes, I too was surprised to learn there was money to cart around - I thought we was broke too. Don’t worry everyone, I got this! - 360 Degree TurnAround - Friday, Oct 30, 15 @ 11:24 am: Fake Governor - “Grass bowl, we need a proclamation. Right after lead poisoning prevention week, let’s declare a week to honor armored vehicles. Where are we on that bill to cut secretary of state police pay?” - Wordslinger - Friday, Oct 30, 15 @ 11:25 am: Yo, Todd, the chamber man: Is this the “fiscal sanity” or the “basic competency” you said were being restored? Funny, though, it appears businesses don’t think much of “partnership” with the state when they’re not getting paid. - Norseman - Friday, Oct 30, 15 @ 11:32 am: The Rauner economic plan - force companies quit serving the state. - Just Me - Friday, Oct 30, 15 @ 11:41 am: Carrying cash to the bank? Can I volunteer for that job? - Timmeh - Friday, Oct 30, 15 @ 11:42 am: Didn’t we get some nice armored vehicles from the Pentagon? I suppose they’re not the armored trucks that private companies use to haul around cash, but if our police are going to have them, then shouldn’t we at least use them when they might be necessary? - AC - Friday, Oct 30, 15 @ 11:44 am: It’s all the fault of Speaker Madigan and the state vendors providing valuable services he controls. /s - Ducky LaMoore - Friday, Oct 30, 15 @ 11:45 am: ===Not sure this info should be publicized.=== Yep. Too late, though. Maybe the state could hire George Ryan to deliver money in shoeboxes? Not funny… LOL - Empty Suit - Friday, Oct 30, 15 @ 11:49 am: Yes always signal to the bad guys what your next move is. Next they’ll give out times, locations and vehicle descriptions. - anon - Friday, Oct 30, 15 @ 11:49 am: I nominate Willy, there has to be a SoS office by him. He can do his part for the turnaround agenda. - Streator Curmudgeon - Friday, Oct 30, 15 @ 11:50 am: Sounds like an episode of “Chicago P.D.” just waiting to be written. - Judgment Day - Friday, Oct 30, 15 @ 11:56 am: Maybe the state could take some of the money (est. $7.3 mil) they are spending on the new White Sox video board and pay the folks….. Nah, can’t do that. That’s vitally important corporate welfare….. http://espn.go.com/blog/chicago/white-sox/post/_/id/26194/u-s-cellular-field-to-get-new-hd-center-field-video-board-by-opening-day /s - Ghost - Friday, Oct 30, 15 @ 12:02 pm: i notice the armored car company owner is not quoted as being willing to work without pay so long as Rauner sticks by his guns to crush unions….. - Oswego Willy - Friday, Oct 30, 15 @ 12:03 pm: Remember “Groundhog Day” and the robbing of the Armor Car? Yeah, me too. lol - Formerly Known As... - Friday, Oct 30, 15 @ 12:13 pm: ==It’s now fallen to Secretary of State Police to get all that cash to the bank== Would it be better in the future to just train them rather than outsourcing it? Does anyone know the $ on that contract? - olddog - Friday, Oct 30, 15 @ 12:13 pm: === Not sure this info should be publicized. === I understand your concern, but the news media have an obligation to report it. When public safety and core functions of government are threatened by partisan political wrangling, the public has a right — I would say it’s an obligation — to know. - How Ironic - Friday, Oct 30, 15 @ 12:20 pm: @FKA, “Would it be better in the future to just train them rather than outsourcing it?” The answer is NO. To properly transfer hundreds of thousands or millions of $$ you need armored cars. Are you suggesting the State start buying those now? - Newsclown - Friday, Oct 30, 15 @ 12:21 pm: You would think armored car companies hauling cash around, and needing to be paid, was a problem that would solve itself - but I guess that’s too easy. Rauner is making this state a national laughing stock. Maybe Uncle Billy can take the day’s receipts over to the bank for deposit… just be sure he ties a string on his finger to remind him. - Skeptic - Friday, Oct 30, 15 @ 12:26 pm: “you need armored cars” Maybe they can borrow some of those military surplus vehicles that all the little bitty towns use now? (I mean, a town of 500 with a Hummvee? Really?) /snark - DuPage Bard - Friday, Oct 30, 15 @ 12:37 pm: This will be a problem and not end well as the post states. We can make jokes but with that much cash travelling unsecured, and having SoS cops drive it places is not secure, it is a true recipe for someone to get hurt badly or worse. - Mason born - Friday, Oct 30, 15 @ 1:02 pm: A suggestion for Willy and the writers of the Rauner family. Scene: the Rauner family is inside the Winnebago Bruce purchased for his family. Cruising down a rural IL road. BR “No Dianna I am not lost. I know precisely where we aregoing and it will be amazing.” DR “Bruce you said that 6 hours ago. The kids haven’t eaten since before we left. They are tired, bored, and starving.” Br “Dianna I’m telling you it is a minor price to pay for how awesome this will be. Say isn’t that a wheel rolling past us?” DR “Dear I think thats the one put on at DOC garage and there goes the one from SoS garage on the other side. Bruce!!” BR “No worries Diana we have duals back there see we are winning. What could go wrong?” - Anonymousse - Friday, Oct 30, 15 @ 1:11 pm: Golly….a wholly new definition of…… Brinks-manship! :) Snark aside…..the CTA (and possibly other agencies…the Tollway Authority, perhaps?) have their own armored trucks. Under the circumstances….might SoS be able to borrow a couple? Article VII, Section 10 of the state constitution, and 5 ILCS 220/1 et.seq, provide rather expansively for intergovernmental cooperation. - Dome Gnome - Friday, Oct 30, 15 @ 1:15 pm: We can solve several problems by arranging for lottery winners to just drop by and collect their winnings. - Sue - Friday, Oct 30, 15 @ 1:35 pm: People still use money? - dogbreath - Friday, Oct 30, 15 @ 1:41 pm: This is part of the phenom called the disaster cascade. During a disaster, escalating crisises crescendo. One thing after the other. Such as, the state vehicles wont soon have fuel (since fuel accts have ended) but they repoed the prison food semis. Maybe Wronger should be sending dead fish to the prisons instead of Rahm? - RNUG - Friday, Oct 30, 15 @ 1:47 pm: Maybe local municipalities owed state money can pull the transport vehicles over for minor traffic violations and sieze the cash on suspicion of illegal activity and file for forfeiture? Be an easy way to get a municipality back in the green … - RNUG - Friday, Oct 30, 15 @ 1:48 pm: I’ll volunteer … I’ve got a SUV and some shoe boxes - Bulldog58 - Friday, Oct 30, 15 @ 2:35 pm: ===The armored car company hired by the state demanded to be paid, or it would stop moving money for Illinois.=== I guess more than one can play this hostage game…who knew… - Formerly Known As... - Friday, Oct 30, 15 @ 2:39 pm: ==Are you suggesting the State start buying those now?== @How Ironic - Just spit-balling with the group brain. Lots of expertise here. Comptroller’s Ledger has Garda contracts with small $ still owed from 2014, fully paid 2015 and no info 2016. Expense below $200K year. - Oswego Willy - Friday, Oct 30, 15 @ 2:49 pm: - Mason born - That’s a good start. - Truthfully - Friday, Oct 30, 15 @ 3:02 pm: I see no problems with this. Why such a big deal all drivers facilities have a safe and there are many secretary of state police who can handle the job.. Many buissness owners send employees to the bank who are unarmed to make cash deposits all the time. It’s actually somthing that could have been done to save the state money all the time… I mean come on people they are armed officers of law enforcement trained to a much higher degree than any armored car driver… And really you guys want to worry about cash hoards and theft. Well with medical marijuana about to take root. Here’s somthing to take into consideration all the taxes paid will be in cash as no banks will accept money from any of thoose entities nor is the state going to be able to deposit it into banks has to deal with the Federal law and banking policies.. So the Illinois Department of Revenue Is going to be swimming in actual cash… - jerry 101 - Friday, Oct 30, 15 @ 4:09 pm: This is why I got out when i had the chance. Rauner was destined to be a disaster for the State. And it’s come true. Just as Rahm is a disaster for Chicago. I hope someone gets through to Bruce before the state just…fails. - In_The_Middle - Friday, Oct 30, 15 @ 4:34 pm: These must be the same businesses telling the governor to stick to his guns. - MyTwoCents - Friday, Oct 30, 15 @ 5:01 pm: Less than $200K a year for armored car transports seems like a really good deal. How many new SOS officers could that get? Maybe 3 or 4 when salary and benefits are calculated? How many would be required to take over the duty? That’s also not taking into consideration the fuel and maintenance costs for any armored cars. @Truthfully, it boils down to how much cash is being transported from SOS facilities vs. from businesses. Most large businesses with large amounts of cash utilize armored car services as well. And how many new officers would have to be hired to handle those tasks and their traditional duties? Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.