Rauner says budget could take until April
Friday, Dec 4, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Is there even any point to doing a budget in April?…
…Adding… From a pal at the event…
“He (the mayor) is saying positive things in private.” - Rauner
Rauner also claims he has had lots of productive one on one meetings with MJM in recent weeks.
And Rauner just said any tax hike should be temporary.
…Adding More… Emily Miller in comments…
Yes, there is a point of doing a budget, even if it is in April.
Providers are continuing to offer services based on contracts that say they will get paid when there is a budget. They need a budget to get paid for services already provided.
It’s only because providers have been able to figure out how to tap into reserves and borrow money that the fall out from the budget impasse hasn’t been worse.
And in that regard, I hope no one is under the impression that lawmakers and the administration are opposed to borrowing– that’s exactly how this state has continued to function for the past 6 months.
- Abe the Babe - Friday, Dec 4, 15 @ 12:45 pm:
Can cash flow be managed until April?
- illini - Friday, Dec 4, 15 @ 12:49 pm:
So doesn’t he have to give a budget address to the GA in January? What is the point as long as he is still in campaign mode with his Turn Around Agenda and his going nowhere points?
I forgot, he can always blame Mike Madigan rather than accepting some personal responsibility.
We are in even more trouble than what I would earlier care to admit!
- wordslinger - Friday, Dec 4, 15 @ 12:50 pm:
Is that a gag?
What it does reveal, however, is that the governor is not, and has not been, negotiating on a budget in good faith.
But we already knew that. No budget until the he gets the union-busting agenda. He’s said that time after time.
- 360 Degree TurnAround - Friday, Dec 4, 15 @ 12:51 pm:
February 17th will be a great day. The Governor is going to present a balanced budget to the General Assembly.
- Homer J. Quinn - Friday, Dec 4, 15 @ 12:54 pm:
so they’ll agree on a budget in april, take two months off, and begin the stalling again in june?
- Anonymous - Friday, Dec 4, 15 @ 12:54 pm:
For sale, two or three used public universities. Fixer uppers in every sense of the phrase.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Dec 4, 15 @ 12:55 pm:
The first people who need to realize this “thought process” are those attending state universities.
Gov. Rauner will be a governor known to not only “zero balance” higher education, but the governor who sent tens of thousands of students home due to a governor seeing NO need for a budget.
At winter break, those with students at state universities, might want to take a bit more home than dirty laundry… you know, to get ahead of the curve.
Imagine “March Madness”…
“Number ten seed UMass will play …. Number seven seed… Illinois… if the University of Illinois is still open… ”
What an embarrassment, crossing academic, athletic, and everything in between, I mean think about it… “Illinois is invited to play in the NCAA Tournament, but can’t go until the Turnaround Agenda is passed.”
Wow. That could happen(?)
- Anonymous - Friday, Dec 4, 15 @ 12:59 pm:
April fool,will tax refund checks be cut?
- Lucky Pierre - Friday, Dec 4, 15 @ 1:00 pm:
Term limits, redistricting, workers comp and tort reform are not “union busting”
Local control of collective bargaining is practiced in Chicago but not elsewhere in the State.
Last time I checked the unions weren’t “busted” in Chicagp but some of the taxpayers are
- Michelle Flaherty - Friday, Dec 4, 15 @ 1:01 pm:
Did he specify a year?
- Arsenal - Friday, Dec 4, 15 @ 1:08 pm:
How strange it must be to think that going through all of this just to cut some construction workers’ paychecks is a good idea.
- Arsenal - Friday, Dec 4, 15 @ 1:10 pm:
Also:
“He (the mayor) is saying positive things in private.”
Wow, right now, RIGHT NOW, you’re going to talk about what Rahm is hiding from the public like it’s a good thing? THAT is your selling point?
- Ghost - Friday, Dec 4, 15 @ 1:11 pm:
sometiing just froze over and the faa is cautioning pilots to look out for low flying pigs when landing and taking off….
- Toffee - Friday, Dec 4, 15 @ 1:17 pm:
Well sure, what’s the rush?
- Anon221 - Friday, Dec 4, 15 @ 1:18 pm:
Which budget! FY 16 or 17?!!
- Jack Stephens - Friday, Dec 4, 15 @ 1:22 pm:
@Arsenal:
Too funny.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Dec 4, 15 @ 1:24 pm:
- Lucky Pierre -
You “Hang In There”, especially when Mormal, Macomb, Carbondale, DeKalb… Champaign… when those towns see thousands of students leaving in March…
“Well, we need to bust Unions, you students and parents understand…”.
The state universities will have a hard time recovering if they send students home. That reputation would make our Higher Education programs seem more like Prof. Harold Hill teaching until the money runs dry…
But, you hang in there…
- Norseman - Friday, Dec 4, 15 @ 1:26 pm:
=== And Rauner just said any tax hike should be temporary. ===
So structural change (reform is a bogus term for most of Rauner agenda) should be temporary too.
- Toffee - Friday, Dec 4, 15 @ 1:28 pm:
Leaving the merits aside, I don’t get the strategic benefit of telegraphing that you’re comfortable with slow-walking toward a resolution. Maybe it’s a negotiating tactic but he’s awfully confident that any unexpected disaster that crops up in the next few months won’t get laid at his feet.
- L.A. - Friday, Dec 4, 15 @ 1:28 pm:
The Illini aren’t going to have enough players left to field a team in two months, much less come anywhere near close to making the NCAA tourney. Be real lucky to get to NIT, real lucky. (snark!)
- Name/Nickname/Anon - Friday, Dec 4, 15 @ 1:29 pm:
===Number seven seed… Illinois==
Funniest thing posted today
- internal angel - Friday, Dec 4, 15 @ 1:29 pm:
Abe the Babe - no. Currently we are using up all the colored paper in the computer printers - imagine voucher folders with official state accounting records in all the resplendent colors of the rainbow. We do not have paper towels in the bldg except if you bring your own to work. We still have toilet paper. As of today. Auto parts places no longer sell us replacement parts for vehicles nor does anyone else sell us anything else we might need. I bring my own pens. Im not sure what world they live in but its not in my office cubicle, its completely different im sure.
- hisgirlfriday - Friday, Dec 4, 15 @ 1:30 pm:
That’s gonna be some state of the state address.
- illinoised - Friday, Dec 4, 15 @ 1:35 pm:
Based on information I’ve read on this blog and in other media, it appears his gubernatorial campaign comments did not reflect the reality of his true intentions upon attaining office. Given that reality, I don’t trust the man. Therefore, his comments above might have been made in order to push the opposing party’s buttons, or . . .
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Dec 4, 15 @ 1:35 pm:
To the Fightin’ Illini,
I have seen their… play… as of late, and the reasons why their record is… lacking…
But, there’s alwsys the B1G Championship Tourney…
I’d hate to think the thinking is,
“Well, no Illinois public university is making the NCAA Tourney, so, it’s only the schools that will close. Thank. Goodness. Whew!”
- AC - Friday, Dec 4, 15 @ 1:38 pm:
Rod was able to cut a deal with AFSCME, despite a contentious relationship with the legislature he managed to get a budget passed, and I don’t think state vendors waited as long for payment as they do now. The universities even received some state funding. Not once did Rod suggest that a budget deal couldn’t be reached until nearly the end of the fiscal year. With this April pronouncement, I think it’s safe to say that the willful destruction of the state by Rauner is far worse than the widespread corruption conducted by America’s most Elvis impersonator. Cardinals fans have lower expectations of the Cubs than Rauner has of how own ability to govern. Governing is the job he was elected to do.
- East Central Illinois - Friday, Dec 4, 15 @ 1:38 pm:
Dear Santa: All I want for Christmas is a budget. Oh, and a new governor if you don’t mind.
- AC - Friday, Dec 4, 15 @ 1:45 pm:
Meant to say “America’s most corrupt Elvis impersonator” but ” America’s worst Elvis impersonator” would’ve worked as well.
- Anon. - Friday, Dec 4, 15 @ 1:51 pm:
Anonymous @ 12:59 ==April fool, will tax refund checks be cut?==
A portion of all income tax receipts goes into a special fund for paying refunds, and the statute says the funds are continually appropriated for that purpose, so no budget is needed. So, unless the comptroller runs out of checks, refunds will be paid.
- Emily Miller - Friday, Dec 4, 15 @ 1:52 pm:
Yes, there is a point of doing a budget, even if it is in April.
Providers are continuing to offer services based on contracts that say they will get paid when there is a budget. They need a budget to get paid for services already provided.
It’s only because providers have been able to figure out how to tap into reserves and borrow money that the fall out from the budget impasse hasn’t been worse.
And in that regard, I hope no one is under the impression that lawmakers and the administration are opposed to borrowing– that’s exactly how this state has continued to function for the past 6 months.
- Casual observer - Friday, Dec 4, 15 @ 1:57 pm:
I must say this may be the first time this Governor has said something and I believe him.
Also, if any tax increase must be temporary then any turn around agenda item he may get passed should expire at the same time.
- Foster brooks - Friday, Dec 4, 15 @ 2:00 pm:
Wex shuts off the state’s fuel cards in January
- Moby - Friday, Dec 4, 15 @ 2:02 pm:
Question: Was the unbalanced budget that the Governor proposed for the current fiscal year the official one that he presented at last year’s budget address? Or was it just an unofficial one he proposed via press release or something? Isn’t it supposed to be balanced?
- Carhartt Representative - Friday, Dec 4, 15 @ 2:13 pm:
Rauner believes that he can get this turnaround agenda through, now that Rahm has his back.
- VanillaMan - Friday, Dec 4, 15 @ 2:13 pm:
It is simple logic.
The voters of Illinois sent a message last November that they are unhappy with their government. What they failed to do is send a leader with any ability to make their government better. They fired Pat Quinn, but they replaced him with an even more incompetent man whose only claim to the Office is the wealth he got feasting off of businesses made by real business leaders.
Rauner runs Illinois like he runs the Pittsburg Steelers, as a distant owner who imagines that all he needs to do is open and close a wallet to make things better. Knowing how the game is played doesn’t interest him. Being the owner is all he really wanted to be, in order to impress himself.
Voters sent a message last year, but they sent it with the wrong messenger. There simply is no way that a Governor Brady, or a Governor Dillard would have made our state into such a complete disaster. Bill Brady and Kirk Dillard wanted to lead a government they spent years within, learning and respecting. It takes a venture capitalist with a Napoleon Complex to really make a hash of our state.
The most important year of this man’s administration has just passed and he hasn’t shown us anything more than a smile and an embarrassing quip that could have come from the other owners of any other professional football team.
We deserved better.
- Loop Lady - Friday, Dec 4, 15 @ 2:20 pm:
After he has jacked up the primaries with his millions…
- Bemused - Friday, Dec 4, 15 @ 2:20 pm:
Rich
Did anyone have April of 2016 in your budget poll earlier this year? Just wondering who may win the pool.
This is really beyond belief, Some Union Boys must have really tinkled in this guys Cheerios somewhere in the past. Probably slowed one of his big deals down a couple of months. To spend 20 mil of your own cash and be willing let the state dangle in the wind for the better part of a year is some serious hate.
And to those who don’t accept that Union Busting is his make or break issue I think the record shows a different reality. I am pretty sure Term Limits, Property Tax Relief, and Workman’s Comp have been offered up without anti-union poison pills and been rejected as sham’s.
Thru all of this, those that support Rauner think it is quite reasonable to ask the Democrats to throw labor under the bus and take the heat for the Gov’s needed Tax Hike.
Unreal!
- sal-says - Friday, Dec 4, 15 @ 2:21 pm:
== * Is there even any point to doing a budget in April? ==
* Is there even any point to having raunner as govenor now?
Better question.
- sal-says - Friday, Dec 4, 15 @ 2:27 pm:
== Which budget! FY 16 or 17?!! ==
Probably FY 14 in hopes nobody notices.
- Ghost - Friday, Dec 4, 15 @ 2:33 pm:
maybe it would be faster if they just started on the 2017 budget and skip the 2016…..
- sal-says - Friday, Dec 4, 15 @ 2:35 pm:
== Voters sent a message last year, ==
Isn’t it past time for Lucky Lisa to send raunner a message? He’s still in violation of his oath, the IL Constitution and IL Compiled Statutes.
- burbanite - Friday, Dec 4, 15 @ 2:37 pm:
Well I sure hope the Court of Claims is full funded b/c they might be pretty busy next year. As Emily said service providers are providing services based on either a contract that says it or based on a belief they will get paid once a budget is passed. I don’t care if the contracts have some kind of disqualification language with respect to an appropriation in the budget. If the state doesn’t pay the bills for services rendered, facilities or supplies used it is theft of services plain and simple and the Court of Claims is going to be jammed with people arguing just that. It is shocking that the Governor is willing to spend millions on attorneys while avoiding paying the state’s bills. Who appropriated all the legal fees?
- Formerly Known As... - Friday, Dec 4, 15 @ 2:44 pm:
St Bruce may be able to perform miracles.
But St Bruce cannot force the Child-Emperor Mike to budge, or vice versa.
Either they both compromise on moderate reforms like the sort Rich has mentioned and accept that they need each other, or the ==war== will be prolonged for ==as long as it takes== as the ==victims== multiply.
- wordslinger - Friday, Dec 4, 15 @ 2:58 pm:
FKA, why, for the first time in nearly 200 years, is a state budget optional?
Why is it acceptable to sabotage state functions and the state’s fiscal position for unrelated legislation that, all these many months later, for which no one has articulated any tangible benefits?
- Macbeth - Friday, Dec 4, 15 @ 3:03 pm:
The fact that a so-called “successful business guy” can’t successfully negotiate a budget should give everything pause.
But Rauner manages to get a pass on this — from every media outlet. This makes absolutely no sense to me.
This is all very weird to me. Rauner obviously had this planned out way before the actual election. What’s weirder is that he seems to think it’s all going according to plan.
Why is this?
- walker - Friday, Dec 4, 15 @ 3:11 pm:
When we said Rauner should have at least a two-year budget plan, we didn’t mean for this year and last year.
- ArchPundit - Friday, Dec 4, 15 @ 3:13 pm:
=== They fired Pat Quinn, but they replaced him with an even more incompetent man
Not even named Blagojevich either. Seriously, when Pat Quinn is the sober responsible one of three governors you are doing it wrong.
- CharlieKratos - Friday, Dec 4, 15 @ 3:14 pm:
OW, even (some might say) worse than students going home in droves, what about the communities that depend on those students? What about the businesses, both big and small that depend on college students, faculty, and visitors to sporting events that keep these businesses going? The Domino effect is going to be horrific.
- PublicServant - Friday, Dec 4, 15 @ 3:17 pm:
@Vanillaman - Rauner has shown us one thing. That being how easy, and cheap, it is to buy off the republicans in the GA. They finally started giving him some flak on one of his many cuts, and he folded immediately. They’re enabling the Guv to get away with his refusal to negotiate.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Dec 4, 15 @ 3:18 pm:
- CharlieKratos -
Yep. That’s why specifically named towns, not schools.
The economic impact, yikes. You’re On It.
- Dilemma - Friday, Dec 4, 15 @ 3:26 pm:
@FKA -But St Bruce cannot force the Child-Emperor Mike to budge, or vice versa.-
If you agree that Madigan won’t budge on the non-budget items, why are we waiting to do a budget? Seems like a waste of time and energy if the only thing that will result from the delay is damage to the state.
- Huh? - Friday, Dec 4, 15 @ 3:30 pm:
So now it will be April before budget is settled. A few months ago the governor was saying that it would be January for the budget.
I am sure glad that something as critical as the budget has such a high priority for the governor that it can wait until April.
- walker - Friday, Dec 4, 15 @ 3:32 pm:
My first thought: this is some kind of sad joke.
It is shocking to step back and summarize what has happened this first year.
Even on the best or worst of days, I did not expect “Shake-up Springfield” to actually mean we would sacrifice the operations, benefits, and responsibilities of state government overall, to try to force wider political goals.
- Anon - Friday, Dec 4, 15 @ 3:40 pm:
==And Rauner just said any tax hike should be temporary.==
Apparently they’re making progress in widening the gulf.
- Loop Lady - Friday, Dec 4, 15 @ 3:43 pm:
Sal: Lisa is very busy doing something she should have done ages ago..
- burbanite - Friday, Dec 4, 15 @ 3:53 pm:
Yea shame on Madigan for not caving to the extortion, or to put it another way, for not negotiating with the hostage taker. Why would he think that is a good idea? /s
- Cassandra - Friday, Dec 4, 15 @ 4:00 pm:
Hasn’t there been speculation for some time that a final budget would be put in place after the March primaries. So I guess no great surprise here.
- Stones - Friday, Dec 4, 15 @ 4:02 pm:
Dear Illinois,
As a responsible citizen and diligent taxpayer, I’d like my money back.
Sincerely,
Stones
- Wensicia - Friday, Dec 4, 15 @ 4:07 pm:
I wonder what the topic of the next State-of-the-State address will be:
“How I took the hammer to Illinois and devastated the lives of thousands, sank our credit ranking and caused the debt to soar further, all in one year!”
- walker - Friday, Dec 4, 15 @ 4:07 pm:
Governor Rauner has been on strike since January. A government union unto himself.
- DuPage - Friday, Dec 4, 15 @ 4:31 pm:
This is absurd.
- Motambe - Friday, Dec 4, 15 @ 4:31 pm:
Another impact - don’t think the border state universities won’t seize this opportunity to further raid the best and brightest in our graduating high school school class of 2016! And those students and their parents will happily take advantage of those out-of-state scholarship offers for the stability not available in Illinois higher education!
- No Sense - Monday, Dec 7, 15 @ 11:16 am:
1,823,627 votes for Gov.Rauner to do the job