The rest of the story
Tuesday, Mar 14, 2017 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Reuters…
Illinois’ state comptroller has suspended $27 million in payments for a computer technology initiative launched by Republican Governor Bruce Rauner, according to a letter seen by Reuters, opening a new front in an ongoing feud over finances.
The move by Democratic Comptroller Susana Mendoza targets one of the governor’s priorities and comes as Illinois faces a record $12.3 billion backlog of unpaid bills that has more than tripled in the 21 months the state has gone without a full operating budget.
In a letter to the Rauner administration, Mendoza’s office said halting payments, including $21.6 million owed to consultants working on Rauner’s $250 million technology upgrade, is warranted because of uncertainty over how the program will produce long-term savings for the state.
The letter asked why those consulting firms should be paid before services like senior centers, hospice care and universities.
“The comptroller wants assurances that resources are being allocated toward our most critical needs and not toward discretionary initiatives,” Mendoza’s senior policy adviser, Patrick Corcoran, wrote.
* The Rauner administration sent out a response at 5 this morning…
Following a report from Reuters, Illinois Deputy Governor Trey Childress today called on Comptroller Susana Mendoza to continue payments for critical technology upgrades supported by both political parties that facilitates transparency within government, protects sensitive data, and modernizes Illinois technology to a centralized system that will save taxpayer money.
“It is fiscally irresponsible to continue to operate government using our current financial reporting systems in the State of Illinois,” said Deputy Governor Trey Childress. “If Comptroller Mendoza disrupts this process, she will be putting our state, residents and sensitive data at risk by forcing us to function under the current outdated systems and the state will soon be unable to make necessary updates that operate key services.”
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) centralizes Illinois’ financial reporting and human resources functions and is one of the few initiatives in Illinois where both political parties recognize its value and importance. The Quinn and Topinka Administrations launched ERP in Illinois. The State of Illinois currently operates a patchwork of more than 260 individual financial reporting systems, most of which are not connected and are costly to operate. For example, buying something as simple as a paperclip in Illinois takes four different programs, including a manual input between the third and fourth step.
Most private sector organizations and states have already streamlined their financial reporting systems, but Illinois is one of the few states still operating in the technological Stone Age. Seventy percent of the state’s systems operate under an outdated technology platform, with the majority of the programmers reaching or past retirement age. An updated and integrated system will increase transparency, protect sensitive data, and provide more accountability in government.
“Illinois’ current financial systems pose a significant threat to our state and residents,” said Hardik Bhatt, Secretary-designate of the Department of Innovation and Technology. “After two failed attempts to implement ERP in the past 20 years, Illinois is finally making progress in record time. In the past 15 months, we developed the ERP plan, designed a statewide system, and launched it within three agencies, which is an unprecedented timeline compared to other states. We are now on target to implement ERP in 16 additional agencies within the next 10 months, bringing more than 60 percent of the state’s financial data into one system and retiring over 100 older systems.”
As Illinois modernizes and streamlines technology systems, the state’s cyber-security team has been able to identify and fix weaknesses. This has led the state to secure more than 5 billion records of sensitive information. As an integrated and modern platform, ERP will help the state establish state-of-the-art control mechanisms and improve the audit process, which currently does not exist in any of the existing financial reporting systems.
“Continued progress in the ERP program is crucial to allow Illinois to provide important services and improve its ability to provide transparency and required financial reporting requirements,” Deputy Governor Childress added.
* But that’s not the whole story. If you click here and read the comptroller’s original letter to DOIT, she points out that the comptroller’s office has been involved with the ERP program since the Judy Baar Topinka days. However, according to her letter, the governor’s people gave her the option of stopping her participation.
And then she wrote this…
In his proposed FY2018 budget, Governor Rauner requested appropriations of $900 million for your agency, including $94 million in additional ERP spending. Last year, the Governor’s staffers put the total rollout cost at $250 million. We would like a description of the evolution of program cost estimates. As an example, according to information shared with the ERP program oversight group, one consultant has requested an additional $5 million in fees per year through 2020, or an additional $20 million.
As you know, the fund designated to pay ERP consultant fees was placed under cash management in late-December. This determination was made after it was discovered that in the final days of her administration, the prior Comptroller expedited $71 million in accelerated fund transfers from the General Revenue Fund to various special funds including $31 million to the specific fund referenced. We have suspended payments from that fund, including over $27 million to five consulting firms, pending review of the ERP program.
The Comptroller wants assurances that resources are being allocated toward our most critical needs and not toward discretionary initiatives. She would like to see a complete justification of this investment in terms of future cost savings and benefits, and wants to know why these consulting firms appear to be prioritized for payment ahead of critical services like senior centers, hospice care facilities and educational institutions.
Our research on ERP initiatives indicates that these concerns may be warranted as the experience of other governmental entities engaging in similar initiatives faced chronic cost overruns, delays, significant audit findings and failure to meet program goals.
Accordingly, we would like to request from you a comprehensive progress report and update on the ERP program.
We are interested in a number of areas including the following: The breakdown of fees already paid and/or committed to consulting firms involved in the ERP; additional fees owed to consulting firms; program expenses to date; an updated program budget estimate; an itemized list of legacy accounting systems, if any, that have been decommissioned and replaced to date; a schedule for the replacement of additional legacy accounting systems; the number of staff (FTEs) and the name, title and salary of staff assigned to the ERP program; the names of the pilot agencies involved in the ERP and an updated timeline for the addition of other State agencies; and a program timeline including an estimated completion date. Importantly we would also request the most current program cost savings analysis.
- Bobby Catalpa - Tuesday, Mar 14, 17 @ 8:30 am:
Mendoza = superstar.
- flippy - Tuesday, Mar 14, 17 @ 8:31 am:
Mendoza: keep your foot on the gas!
- wordslinger - Tuesday, Mar 14, 17 @ 8:35 am:
Lectures on fiscal responsibility from the Frat Boys? That is tres hilarious, Trey.
We can’t have computers if we’re not compassionate.
Honoring contracts for Meals on Wheels and such is a bit more important than upgrades for Trey and the Superstars to play Call of Duty.
- Almost the Weekend - Tuesday, Mar 14, 17 @ 8:38 am:
I agree 100% with Mendoza but if you don’t think the Speaker is giving any direction you are very naive.
- jimk849 - Tuesday, Mar 14, 17 @ 8:42 am:
Poor Brubru. Mommy make the mean lady go away.
- Dupage Bard - Tuesday, Mar 14, 17 @ 8:47 am:
You should probably realize by now Mendoza isn’t there to make your life easier and not have to explain things like your last Comptroller. She has a team that’s paying attention and done this before.
- Sir Reel - Tuesday, Mar 14, 17 @ 8:49 am:
She just doesn’t get it. $250 million to a consultant is how you save money. It’ll be repaid many times over in a few years. How do we know that? The consultant told us so.
- scott aster - Tuesday, Mar 14, 17 @ 8:49 am:
Rich….Where can I find out more about this “ERP” project that she is stoppong payment etc Thanks
- ILPundit - Tuesday, Mar 14, 17 @ 8:51 am:
Raise your hand if you think Rauner would happily give Madigan his 4 house seats back in exchange for having Munger back as Comptroller?
Mendoza is clearly being partisan here. But she’s also very deftly using the powers of her office in ways that the Rauner people still have yet to master.
- New Slang - Tuesday, Mar 14, 17 @ 8:52 am:
I’m sorry. The Governor’s logic is lost ok my common sensibilities.
“If Comptroller Mendoza disrupts this process, she will be putting our state, residents and sensitive data at risk by forcing us to function under the current outdated systems and the state will soon be unable to make necessary updates that operate key services.”
Yo. And the current non-payment to social service agencies, forcing cutbacks and closure to critical services which directly affect risk factors to citizens of the state is ok??
My god. Who are you and why do ignore the realities?
Rich has been saying this for a while now, this is spinning out of control.
- John Rawl - Tuesday, Mar 14, 17 @ 8:54 am:
This is ridiculous. IT infrastructure is CRUCIAL for any modern organization. Mendoza doesn’t care about making government work, she only cares about a headline. CLASSIC career politician.
- Sherrie50 - Tuesday, Mar 14, 17 @ 8:55 am:
First Chance The Rapper, then Susana Mendoza. Who’s next to point out the real needs of Illinois?
- Han's Solo Cup - Tuesday, Mar 14, 17 @ 8:58 am:
I understand the need to upgrade systems and security but $900 million in FY 2018? That’s 50% more than the State Police budget. I think it would be completely unreasonable for DOIT to not provide the requested info and analysis to the Comptroller. Maybe someone with a little more knowledge of the tech upgrades they are attempting can provide some insight as to whether this is reasonable but at first glance, $900,000,000 seems shocking.
- P. - Tuesday, Mar 14, 17 @ 9:02 am:
FY2018 DOIT ask is $900 million PLUS $400 million in capital funding for a grand total of $1.3 billion, not $900 million.
- State IT - Tuesday, Mar 14, 17 @ 9:07 am:
I would love to see a breakdown of how the money is being spent on the ERP. Watching their consultants fly in and out WEEKLY from other states has to be coasting the state a pretty penny.
- Anonymous - Tuesday, Mar 14, 17 @ 9:07 am:
Mr. Rawl…IT upgrades are important, but if you are not paying your basic bills and meeting your critical mission, you don’t get to spend $1.3 billion on non-essential items. I am delighted that someone is finally, clearly making that point.
- OpenYourEyes - Tuesday, Mar 14, 17 @ 9:08 am:
The ERP program at its current state is a complete failure and doesn’t appear that it will improve anytime soon.
And why would it? Contracted employment of this nature for a specific job should be based on an established amount for completion of the project. When you allow a contracted agreement to continue to submit for more cost even beyond a deadline then it will always cost you more and will always take longer to complete.
This is like paying my son by the minute to mow the lawn. Why wouldn’t he use the push mower and walk slower to get paid more money, versus using the riding mower to finish in 1/4 of the time.
- Honeybear - Tuesday, Mar 14, 17 @ 9:10 am:
Rauner is so busted. Mendoza found another honeypot. It now seems apparent how Rauner tripled his investment income after taking office.
Sure I think it’s super important that we have upgrades. We are still waiting on our IES phase 2. I get it. But mcKenzie and a lot of these consulting firms have screwed up a ton of stuff in this deal and are wanting more.
Backdoor privatization folks.
DoIT is a privatization scam
- Get a Job!! - Tuesday, Mar 14, 17 @ 9:11 am:
Ultimately the Comptroller is the one who has to listen to phone call after phone call from vendors & service providers about the lack of state payments, so if her predecessor expedited payments/transfers for certain items at the behest of the Governor I don’t blame Mendoza for outing Munger/Rauner. Taxpayers deserve to know what the Governor & Munger did in her final days in office & if this is the way for Mendoza to get that information into the news, I can live with it.
That being said, ERP is a valuable program & sorely needed so I hope the Comptroller is only temporarily holding it hostage in order to shine a spotlight on Munger/Rauner for their doings in her final days. My hope is that Mendoza will release payment for these services as soon as the Governor has jumped through her hoop & provided solid justification for the program to continue (it really isn’t difficult for a program this necessary).
- Honeybear - Tuesday, Mar 14, 17 @ 9:11 am:
Can I just say I want to be like Comptroller Mendoza when I grow up.
- Anonymous - Tuesday, Mar 14, 17 @ 9:17 am:
If the governor thinks ERP is so vital, he should get a budget that appropriates funding for it.
- Mr. K. - Tuesday, Mar 14, 17 @ 9:19 am:
What no one is saying about DoIT (in general) is that it’s the biggest bureaucratic boondoggle this state has seen in recent times. IT is complicated, so people figure — yeah, whatever, so it costs money, okay?
Well, DoIT is crammed — and I mean crammed — thick with managers and consultants. People actually *doing* the code — like, um, state employees — I’ve yet to meet one. I’ve met managers. Managers of managers. Managers who manage the managers managing managers.
It’s thick with paper pushers who repeatedly call themselves “IT” — yet don’t anything about IT (”Don’t bother me with details. I’ve not coded since college.”)
Yep. DoIT is where failed county (and private sector) managers go to fail some more.
- Passive Aggressive - Tuesday, Mar 14, 17 @ 9:25 am:
Someone should also look into the huge pay raises that were handed out by the Rauner administration for the staff that moved into DoIT positions.
- Chicago_Downstater - Tuesday, Mar 14, 17 @ 9:28 am:
Yes, the ERP is much needed. I believe IDHS is using a database system older than me and it does create problems for delivering services. I assume the issue is similar in other branches of Illinois government.
Yet, in crisis you have to triage. The fact of the matter is that while the ERP is a long term need, we have very real short term obligations to citizens that we need to address immediately.
Maybe now the Governor will start to realize that this crisis isn’t an opportunity. It’s just a painful failure with severe consequences.
- RNUG - Tuesday, Mar 14, 17 @ 9:29 am:
== What no one is saying about DoIT (in general) is that it’s the biggest bureaucratic boondoggle this state has seen in recent times. … ==
You forgot to mention these kind of large scale projects are where big consulting firms assign their rookies to learn their jobs … at someone else’s expense.
- CornCob - Tuesday, Mar 14, 17 @ 9:33 am:
IT is just like any other area of the business - whether its a snowplow or a computer, both require maintenance/replacement over time. Non-IT people seem to think you can buy a million dollar IT conmponent, and it should last for 20 years without intervention and specialized employees to support it. Not so. While some of the social service spending should be prioritized over IT upgrades, good luck identifying, tracking, and assisting the recipients of these services if a critical system evperiences a hardware failure or is destroyed by a virus. Switching back to paper records is all but impossible at this point.
- A Jack - Tuesday, Mar 14, 17 @ 9:38 am:
The state’s ERP systems do need to be updated. Some parts are 50-60 or more years old. A big reason that all state employees had to be paid at the start of the impasse is that the payroll part of the system is ancient.
But Mendoza is 100% correct in questioning these expenditures. New ERP’s have historically been money pits and don’t meet the needs of the enterprise. That is why it has failed twice before.
And generally bringing in outside consultants who don’t understand your organization is a recipe for failure. Bhatt probably disagrees being a former consultant himself, but my experience has been that consultants leave a mess for state employees to clean up.
- A Jack - Tuesday, Mar 14, 17 @ 9:43 am:
And while the state’s current systems are old, no one has missed a paycheck because of the system. The state can limp along for a few more years on what it has until the budget impasse is resolved.
- Skeptic - Tuesday, Mar 14, 17 @ 9:45 am:
“People actually *doing* the code” They’re out there, they’re just hunkered down in their cubicles rolling their eyes at the decisions being made and hoping it will all blow over.
- JS Mill - Tuesday, Mar 14, 17 @ 9:55 am:
This sounds a little like the infamous “bridge to now where”. A bottomless pit of spending.
- Anonymous - Tuesday, Mar 14, 17 @ 10:05 am:
Where was Mendoza’s “courage” when she was in City Hall?
- State IT - Tuesday, Mar 14, 17 @ 10:06 am:
I would disagree that DoIT is a boondoggle. There was no reason to have an IT dept in every agency doing the same thing 15 times over. Get everyone on the same page. Shut down the pet projects that some middle manager decided was important that was already build by IT staff at another agency. Just use that one! Why do we multiple help desks? I’m not talking specialized I mean first call “my PC is broke, send help!” Combine them, cut the fluff. That said ERP is an out of control spending monster and they want more.
- Ghost - Tuesday, Mar 14, 17 @ 10:09 am:
Rauner response summary - Oh, Its on like Donkey Kong!
- Henry Francis - Tuesday, Mar 14, 17 @ 10:09 am:
5am sure is early. Is Trey still living in Georgia?
And people, the mission of DOIT is more critical than any of us knew. The Guv is tweetin about his Instagram account.
- DuPage - Tuesday, Mar 14, 17 @ 10:20 am:
===The Quinn and Topinka Administrations launched ERP in Illinois.===
The Quinn and Topinka Administrations also had a budget.
Mendoza: Hey Governor, No budget=No ERP!
- CornCob - Tuesday, Mar 14, 17 @ 10:21 am:
** my experience has been that consultants leave a mess for state employees to clean up. **
And everyone else knows that without consultants, state IT would be an even bigger disaster. ERP probably failed in the past because the consultant in charge wasn’t allowed to make decisions.
- Flynn's mom - Tuesday, Mar 14, 17 @ 10:30 am:
Mendoza for governor!!
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Mar 14, 17 @ 10:33 am:
===Mendoza for governor===
Slow down, please. Standing up to Rauner is one thing. Showing an ability to run a constitutional office, especially during these times is yet to be seen.
With respect.
- Annonin' - Tuesday, Mar 14, 17 @ 10:33 am:
Hmmm DoIT seems to have cause a stir. No one is against IT infrastructure overhaul but how many zillion dollars are needed? What happened to the zillions coming from the feds?
- Biscuit Head - Tuesday, Mar 14, 17 @ 10:43 am:
Honeybear is right. ERP will result in more privatization because even if ERP is successful (and that’s a big if) the cost of operating and maintaining it will be much more than we’re used to.
If you don’t like paying your IT state-employees $75-100K a year in Springfield Illinois how do you think are you going to keep/attract State Employees who with ERP experience can make triple or quadruple that? And can live/work anywhere in the world?
Answer: You don’t. You won’t. So you’ll hire consultants at $275+/hr
Which is probably what Rauner wants.
But will it be what the taxpayers really want?
- VanillaMan - Tuesday, Mar 14, 17 @ 11:03 am:
No one expects to justify the purchase of an entirely new in-home communications system while they are 12.8 Billion in debt, forcing hardships upon everyone.
Rauner is flat-out nuttier than Mr. Peanut.
Also, ever since he took office, Rauner’s team has been decrying the costs of Illinois’ IT overhead. He is interested in spinning this entire project into the laps of for-profit corporations through outsourcing.
You want public data from your government? Check with the private corporations controlling it.
- Just Me - Tuesday, Mar 14, 17 @ 11:21 am:
Over reach here. The Comptroller can argue over how to pay bills, she shouldn’t be arguing whether or not over which bills are appropriate to pay unless it is in the context of who to pay first.
- JTF - Tuesday, Mar 14, 17 @ 11:31 am:
DoIT, beginning with its spinoff from CMS last year, has focused more on PR and an attitude of “give me results, not problems”. This originates with senior management. These people are plowing ahead with many initiatives that have limited practical value (”innovation hubs”, anyone?). Nice if you have time and resources, but State of IL has neither. ERP is certainly a needed solution, but not being able to upgrade and modernize IT is a consequence of not having a budget, Governor (and Mr. Bhatt)! They are paying top dollar to top name consulting firms while human service providers don’t get paid.
- Tfh12 - Tuesday, Mar 14, 17 @ 11:39 am:
@ Mr. K.
I actually work for the agency. Your talking about upgrades to critical infrastructure from emergency management to state services. You do know this is money that was bonded by the CDB to complete the project right? And it was planned before this current governor took office
“thick with managers and consultants.” Your wrong there also. You have actually more people retiring than they are bringing on. Contractors are needed to upgrade systems. Your comment about state employees, you just met one. IT engineers do more than code and maintain databases.
- Politix - Tuesday, Mar 14, 17 @ 11:48 am:
DoIT staff management is baffling. We have 7 DoIT staff on our payroll-5 work here in-house and one has disappeared to “work on something else” but no one knows what or where, despite that he keeps an office here.
For services from in-house DoIT staff, we actually have to make a special request through that department. This versus asking them directly, since, you know, they already work here.
Re: the post
Looks like Rauner has FINALLY met his match. His press team is failing, too. Someone earlier said it best - delightful.
- wordslinger - Tuesday, Mar 14, 17 @ 11:51 am:
Tfh12, if the costs for the project were bonded, then why was Munger transferring funds out of GRF to pay consultants?
- Cubs in '16 - Tuesday, Mar 14, 17 @ 11:53 am:
“… in the final days of her administration, the prior Comptroller expedited $71 million in accelerated fund transfers from the General Revenue Fund to various special funds including $31 million to the specific fund referenced.”
Any comment from Deputy Governor Munger?
- PublicServant - Tuesday, Mar 14, 17 @ 11:53 am:
Another problem with consultants is they’re ostensibly brought in to do a project that permanent IT staff can’t take on because they’re busy maintaining the current system and upgrade requests. Thing is, much of the staff time is spent handholding the consultants through the data migration phase as well as information gathering from the staff business analysts. Lastly, when consultants declare the project done, they leave. Following that is the discovery phase when the endusers state that the new system can’t do X, but the old one handled it fine. This is when the remaining state staff come in and spend time writing reports that are needed, generating automated updates that save time, and writing interfaces to the numerous other state systems that were, and still are, dependent on feeds from the old system. Just sayin.
- Last Bull Moose - Tuesday, Mar 14, 17 @ 12:05 pm:
The Senate should hold hearings on the ERP upgrade. I strongly suspect that payments were made without proper authorization.
Whether the upgrade is being properly managed is hard to tell from the outside. But the GA needs to investigate.
- JS Mill - Tuesday, Mar 14, 17 @ 12:05 pm:
=You do know this is money that was bonded by the CDB to complete the project right?=
That sounds dubious since the money was in a revolving fund that does not take in bond related revenue.
Sounds like a member of the whiz kid squad trying to cover their tracks.
- Flynn's mom - Tuesday, Mar 14, 17 @ 12:12 pm:
@Cubs in “16…I doubt we will hear anything from Munger on this issue.
- JTF - Tuesday, Mar 14, 17 @ 12:25 pm:
Was just looking at DoIT on accountability IL website. Last year they paid a contractual worker roughly $185K and another $257K! That seems like a lot of expenditure for a broke State. Seems DoIT has no problem burning through money it doesn’t have.
- A Jack - Tuesday, Mar 14, 17 @ 12:27 pm:
@PublicServant. My experience exactly. And I can name many more epic failures in the part of outsourcing than epic successes.
I think it stems from consultants not knowing how state government works. Kind of like a private equity CEO doesn’t understand how state government works.
- Rufus - Tuesday, Mar 14, 17 @ 12:31 pm:
“…wants to know why these consulting firms appear to be prioritized for payment ahead of critical services like senior centers, hospice care facilities and educational institutions.”
Because Deloitte demands Profits on its investments (Political Contributions).
- wordslinger - Tuesday, Mar 14, 17 @ 12:36 pm:
Why exactly did Comptroller Munger rush to pay these contractors from GRF at the expense of social service provider contractors?
Were they about to go out of business? Lay off staff? Have to cut back on Meals on Wheels to seniors? Because there’s been plenty of that going on for local Illinois contractors.
Who’s the clout for the ERP contractors? Why do they rate over contracted providers of services to Illinois citizens?
Seriously, those questions need to be answered.
Illinois General Assembly, do your oversight job.
- Yeah - Tuesday, Mar 14, 17 @ 2:24 pm:
Cognisant inc
- Puddintaine - Tuesday, Mar 14, 17 @ 3:00 pm:
Hey, you can still get some chic polos and hoodies with the DoIt brand if you look really, really hard on their sharepoint site.
- What the? - Tuesday, Mar 14, 17 @ 3:28 pm:
So, a week ago Mendoza tells CMS to use authorized appropriations with sufficient cash balances to pay payroll. Even goes to court to have that opinion confirmed.
Now an agency with authorized appropriations an sufficient cash submits some bills for payment and is told they will not get their bills paid?
To those who will jump on the “unpaid bills for providers” tbandwagon, the funds to pay those ERP costs are not appropriated to agencies with backlogs of bills to providers.
Mendoza has overstepped her authority in refusing to pay a valid bill drawn from a valid appropriation that has sufficient cash to cover the bill.
- Union Man - Tuesday, Mar 14, 17 @ 3:31 pm:
Good to see someone asking the questions the PRESS should have been asking for the last 18 months!
- Last Bull Moose - Tuesday, Mar 14, 17 @ 3:43 pm:
I would like to see the authorized appropriation. Rumor has it that Agencies are paying directly instead of through The CMS.
- Nikolas Name - Tuesday, Mar 14, 17 @ 3:50 pm:
“I understand I haven’t paid my power bill and it’s 2 months late,and they are threatening to shut off my power, but our household needs this Playstation 4. Our PS3 is way outdated. Purchasing this PS4 is a common sense approach. It’s what’s right for our household and am hoping the family will see the importance of this.
- exspsa - Tuesday, Mar 14, 17 @ 5:03 pm:
The cost at ides should be reviewed along with the additional contractual labor cost on top of this cost and future cost for your own reports.
- Arthur Andersen - Tuesday, Mar 14, 17 @ 6:21 pm:
Hearings? Yeah, let’s have a couple, starting with Madame Comptroller, no mouthpieces, clearly stating the statutory authority under which the Comptroller may withhold payment for invoices the agencies have signed under penalty of perjury that the billed services have been provided. “One will not find Mr. Corcoran’s “critical..discretionary initiatives” language anywhere in the ILCS, and with good reason. Did the framers of the Constitution intend the Comptroller to have veto power over the legislative branch and the Governor because she disagreed with spending priorities? I don’t think so.
- DHSBob - Tuesday, Mar 14, 17 @ 7:28 pm:
Mendoza needs to research this more because the actual billing for the ERP Project has already reached over 1 billion. The ERP Project isn’t even close to being finished yet either. The 250k mentioned in the article is only the beginning contract amount for this project.
- Demoralized - Wednesday, Mar 15, 17 @ 6:27 am:
AA is right. Show me anywhere in statute where the Comptroller has the authority to ask an agency to justify their expenditures? If there is a valid appropriation and the money is being spent in accordance with that appropriation the Comptroller that is the end of the review for the Comptroller. If we are now going to allow a Comptroller to ask agencies to provide justification any time they spend funds on something the Comptroller may have a problem with then we are in trouble. This action should be condemned by all.
- Last Bull Moose - Wednesday, Mar 15, 17 @ 6:57 am:
AA and Demoralized,
Does the Comptroller’s duty to provide a chart of accounts give her added authority here?
I think (can’t prove) that there has been an effort to cobble together a rationale for paying the ERP bills despite not having a budget and clear authorization to pay. That is why I think there should be hearings by the GA.
If the Comptroller thinks that proper authorization does not exist, she can hold the bill until that issue is resolved.
- Honeybear - Wednesday, Mar 15, 17 @ 8:12 am:
Demo- I really appreciate Mendoza doing this. She just outed Rauner and Munger. She can demand anything. Will she get it? No. But it pulls the curtain back on the perfidy.
I don’t like hitting media since the journalist purge but this is the kind of stuff that they should be reporting. Another example madigan foing another committee to investigate intersect Illinois. That hardly got a mention. I found it by accident.