State owes $32 million for prison utilities
Thursday, Jun 23, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller
* It’s not as dire as the million Illinoisans who have lost social services during the impasse (which, for whatever reason, the media has mostly ignored), but it’s not good, either…
Numbers provided to the Sun-Times show the state owes more than $32.3 million to providers for all 43 of the state’s prisons, centers and work camp centers for water and sewer services, gas and electricity. […]
That backlog doesn’t include food vendors, some of which are mom and pop vendors struggling to produce food for the prisons. Those vendors haven’t been paid in months. […]
Illinois House Republican Leader Jim Durkin has been sounding the alarm about the prison backlog for months. He said he’s concerned vendors will drop their services.
“Those that are supplying food at some point, if they’re not going to get paid, and they continue to supply the state a product but aren’t getting paid for it, it is a concern. It is a legitimate concern,” Durkin said, adding no stopgap budget by July could cause some dangerous conditions in the state’s prisons.
* Again, that’s bad news. This United Way survey of social service providers is far worse…
• 54% of survey respondents anticipate they will have to cease serving clients in six months if the impasse continues
• Almost two-thirds of survey respondents reported making program and/or operational cuts, up from 48% in January 2016
• Of those agencies, 91% have cut the number of clients they serve, leaving nearly 1 million clients in Illinois without critical support, most significantly in the areas of mental health, substance abuse services and childhood education
• More than 50% of safety net and mental health providers indicated they could not meet the needs of their clients for the past year due to the impasse
• 45% of respondents have been forced to lay off staff, up from 24% in January 2016
• 59% of respondents have utilized their cash reserves
• 33% of respondents have utilized lines of credit
• Respondents have taken on a combined $38 million in debt
• 36% of agencies anticipate they will have to close their doors in six months if the impasse continues
And yet, all we hear is crickets.
- anon - Thursday, Jun 23, 16 @ 10:42 am:
=== Illinois House Republican Leader Jim Durkin has been sounding the alarm about the prison backlog for months. ===
When Leader Durkin provides his share of votes to pass a balanced budget, then his concern will go beyond talk.
- Joe M - Thursday, Jun 23, 16 @ 10:43 am:
=Illinois House Republican Leader Jim Durkin has been sounding the alarm about the prison backlog for months. He said he’s concerned vendors will drop their services.==
If he’s that alarmed and concerned about it maybe he and Rauner should quit holding the budget hostage for their non-budgetary, anti-union agenda.
- Groundhog Day - Thursday, Jun 23, 16 @ 10:43 am:
And when we do hear something, it is about how “both sides are to blame”.
B.S.
- LizPhairTax - Thursday, Jun 23, 16 @ 10:45 am:
Heroic way to prevent Andy Dufresne situations
- Formerly Known As... - Thursday, Jun 23, 16 @ 10:47 am:
Whatever resolution they come up with will clearly have to address prisons as well as social service providers.
Those prisoners may not get much sympathy, but the state is the custodian of their lives right now.
- Thoughts Matter - Thursday, Jun 23, 16 @ 10:47 am:
Worse than crickets… We hear the chest-beating campaign yells for 2018, and see millions of dollars being thrown into ads. I’d have some respect for people who took that money and gave a directed donation to the comptroller to pay vendors. If that is not allowed, then donate directly to the non-profits.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Jun 23, 16 @ 10:47 am:
Dear utilities and prisons…
RonSandack: I’m frustrated 2, but taking steps towards reforming IL more important than short term budget stalemate. - Ron Sandack, 9/28/15
Reform is more important than electricity… or water… or the safety of inmates…
I’m just “glad” Ron Sandack is frustrated “2″…
- Qui Tam - Thursday, Jun 23, 16 @ 10:48 am:
Raunerites in 5,4,3,2,1… Blame Madigan because this has been happening for each of the past 35 years in MadeUpville.
- Norseman - Thursday, Jun 23, 16 @ 10:50 am:
Does it really take heroes to run up IOUs?
This is the cost of leverage.
This is the results of Rauner’s pre-planned effort to wedge the Dems.
The sad thing is that Rauner and his caucuses are more concerned about operations and not so much the 1 million.
- Almost the Weekend - Thursday, Jun 23, 16 @ 10:52 am:
I don’t feel any sympathy for the prison system. These towns for decades have received more than their fair share of tax dollars by being fortunate enough to have prisons. Majority of them are the largest employer in the area and have the best salaries. They keep these towns afloat. Especially with Rauner wanting to reduce the prison population, these towns better be careful or the lights will stay off for good.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Jun 23, 16 @ 10:54 am:
===these towns better be careful or the lights will stay off for good.===
“This is a very nice prison. Would be a shame if something happened to it”
That’s… the “Rauner Way”
- Formerly Known As... - Thursday, Jun 23, 16 @ 10:55 am:
=When Leader Durkin provides his share of votes to pass a balanced budget, then his concern will go beyond talk.=
He could provide every vote he has and it won’t make a difference until the Speaker comes around. Democrats in the GA have not voted for a balanced budget in 4 years, and Republicans don’t have enough members to pass one without Democrats.
Democratic or Republican governor, full tax increase or reduced tax increase, it makes no difference. The GA either can’t or won’t pass a balanced budget.
- cdog - Thursday, Jun 23, 16 @ 10:56 am:
Come on folks, those non-budget reform issues are just as important as feeding prisoners and caring for the weak of our state. /s
Good thing FOIA can track a big number like that. It would be interesting to know how the queries were written.
How would the FOIA request be written to determine the contracted, but un-vouchered, services and goods that have been provided to the Rauner administration’s agencies?
Bet you a dollar it is even higher than $32b.
Rauner is some business man and his superstars are sure heroic. /s
- cdog - Thursday, Jun 23, 16 @ 10:57 am:
$32m
oops
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Jun 23, 16 @ 10:59 am:
Now that I’m aware Madeupville has a prison, I can see why “ck” keeps using Madeupville as a key town supporting Gov. Rauner and the Turnaround Agenda.
===The sad thing is that Rauner and his caucuses are more concerned about operations and not so much the 1 million.===
Well said, - Norseman -
- Almost the Weekend - Thursday, Jun 23, 16 @ 10:59 am:
OW
How do you think these prisons were built in these locations in the first place? That’s the “Jim Thompson and Jim Edgar Way.”
- Mr. Smith - Thursday, Jun 23, 16 @ 11:02 am:
And don’t forget education - education has been shown as an important tool in the fight to reduce recidivism [RAND study here: http://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR266.html]. Is that being paid for? Um, probably not…
DOC operates on a contractual basis, I believe, so just how many contracts is the state of Illinois in breach of at present?
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Jun 23, 16 @ 11:03 am:
- Almost the Weekend -
I guess you could say putting your “name on buildings” as a governor… promoting growth… was a Thompson-Edgar way while…
…Rauner extorting… or threatening to board up buildings and prisons… and universities… and state vendors… for an agenda that can’t get 60 and 30 will be Rauner’s Way?
I can live with that…
- Huh? - Thursday, Jun 23, 16 @ 11:07 am:
What a way to run a railroad.
- Get a Job!! - Thursday, Jun 23, 16 @ 11:07 am:
$32 million? All this press over $32 million? Meanwhile the state owes 2 Springfield hospitals double that amount. It owes social service providers & university 10 times that amount. Yet everyone is screaming about $32M in power/water bills?
- Almost the Weekend - Thursday, Jun 23, 16 @ 11:11 am:
Agree with you on universities and state vendors, especially social services.
With the exception of maximum security prisons where the worst of the worst are housed. I find it immoral to depend on incarceration to keep the local economic engine afloat.
- Ducky LaMoore - Thursday, Jun 23, 16 @ 11:14 am:
Incarcerated inmates in Illinois get electricity?! Not in my Illinois. Those cushy union-run prisons… grr…. I wish it were the 1800s, we’d show them! /s
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Jun 23, 16 @ 11:15 am:
===I find it immoral to depend on incarceration to keep the local economic engine afloat.===
So…
Building and maintaining prisons should only be considered when the prison itself isn’t the economic engine for the region?
This makes no sense.
if your criteria of prisons not assisting regions as an economics engine actually was a policy why assist any region with a state facility that does the same?
- illini - Thursday, Jun 23, 16 @ 11:20 am:
Mr Smith - exactly right. Point in fact - my local Community College had a contract with the State to provide education classes at a medium security prison.
Needless to say, this program, in addition to many others, have been eliminated because of the State has not met even its meager contribution for the services contracted for. Staff have been released, tuition raised and they have gone to a 4 day week among other austerity moves necessitated by the impasse.
- Thoughts Matter - Thursday, Jun 23, 16 @ 11:26 am:
Almost the weekend-
Where the prisons were built has not one thing to do with the fact that the state isn’t paying the providers for contracted services. Punishment of prisoners shouldn’t include no water, electricity, or food. They certainly didn’t have any say where the prisons were built.
- Shake - Thursday, Jun 23, 16 @ 11:37 am:
Rauner Get’s His Way? Prison’s Will Be Privatized. Everything Will Be So Much Better.. NOT..
- Almost the Weekend - Thursday, Jun 23, 16 @ 11:43 am:
My point is these prisons were built in Republican areas to supply jobs for Edgar and Thompson’s supporters. Why else would 10 prison facilities be built from 1989 to 2001 in traditional Republican strong holds?
My point is prisons in areas that are the lone economic engine of the area have no reason to complain about not receiving payments and floating the bill until a budget is passed. It’s a drop in the bucket compared to the millions of dollars in salaries these areas have received from jobs and building and maintaining the prisons.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Jun 23, 16 @ 11:52 am:
===My point is these prisons were built in Republican areas to supply jobs for Edgar and Thompson’s supporters. Why else would 10 prison facilities be built from 1989 to 2001 in traditional Republican strong holds?===
Where should tgey have been built?
Who got slighted?
Your argument sounds more like cynicism and less about the fact that they were built and are being used.
- Thoughts Matter - Thursday, Jun 23, 16 @ 12:09 pm:
Your point is basically saying that current vendors should go under because a vendor that may not even be in business now profited from increased business decades ago? Yet another person that thinks anyone that does business with the state should accept pennies on the dollar because they couldn’t possibly deserve the dollar? And they couldn’t possibly be honest people providing an honest service? Tell you what - you provide a service to someone, don’t get paid…. Bet you think you should even if you got the business’s thru friends of friends.
There are many reasons for building prisons where they are built. Proximity to interstates, labor force, while Boeing out of residential or congested population areas for safety.
- Dr X - Thursday, Jun 23, 16 @ 12:24 pm:
Any one else here hoardin’ cash? Anyone else here fixin’ their house up in case of a quick sale? Any one else puttin’ together a Plan B and C?
- Huh? - Thursday, Jun 23, 16 @ 12:31 pm:
===I find it immoral to depend on incarceration to keep the local economic engine afloat.===
I know the perfect building in downtown Chicago, close to transportation and restaurants that could be repurposed into a prison. Unfortunately, 1.4% wants to sell it off.
- Mama - Thursday, Jun 23, 16 @ 1:06 pm:
Rich, Can you find out how many contracts is the state of Illinois in breach of at present? (Not only contracts with prison - but all contracts.) Would the State Departments hold some contracts and the Comptrollers office hold other contracts?
- wordslinger - Thursday, Jun 23, 16 @ 1:23 pm:
–Whatever resolution they come up with will clearly have to address prisons as well as social service providers. –
What are you talking about? The GA passed without a dissenting vote an emergency appropriation for social service providers.
One person, the governor, after the fact, decided to hold it hostage for operations; 169 legislators, Democrats and Republicans, did not make that linkage when they passed the bill.
I don’t recall the governor linking operations to the K-12 approp.; or the non-GRF approps for local governments and the lottery; or the emergency approp. for higher ed.
Why does social services get held hostage, again, while those areas of government did not?
You say there “clearly” needs to be a linkage. Make your case. Not a single legislator agreed with you or the governor on that.
- Wensicia - Thursday, Jun 23, 16 @ 5:07 pm:
Well, Zorn noticed the United Way survey, though his editorial board will never mention it or the great article by their reporters on how thousands women are hurt the most by this standoff:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/zorn/ct-bruce-rauner-budget-demands-zorn-perspec-zorn-0624-jm-20160623-column.html