Something big finally shuts down
Wednesday, Jul 5, 2017 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Not-for-profit human service groups have done their very best to continue providing services without state money. Countless private companies that provide goods and services to state facilities like prisons haven’t stopped doing their jobs. But all of a sudden road work stops? This seems a bit odd…
Road construction workers across the state were sent home Monday — or not called in at all — with the budget-related shutdown of approximately 900 transportation projects totaling $3.3 billion, according to one of the state’s largest contractor associations.
The Illinois Department of Transportation estimates 20,000 workers are affected.
“By-in-large, it’s a statewide construction shutdown. One member told me he asked people to come in, just in case there was a (budget) settlement, but he sent them home. Most asked them to stay home until there’s a resolution,” said Mike Sturino, president and CEO of the Illinois Road and Builders Association. […]
An email alert on Monday to road-association members advised the shutdown would continue, even though state lawmakers reported some progress toward a budget. Illinois entered its third fiscal year without a full-year budget on Saturday. […]
IDOT notified contractors days ahead of the start of the new fiscal year the department could no longer pay its bills as of midnight June 30 without a budget. Contractors were instructed to secure construction sites, including advisories to motorists.
- Huh? - Wednesday, Jul 5, 17 @ 2:37 pm:
20,000 people just went on unemployment. Contractors are preparing claims for the delays. All because 1.4% couldn’t get his personal agenda passed. So sad.
- Honeybear - Wednesday, Jul 5, 17 @ 2:41 pm:
Just cresting the top of the roller coaster.
20000 workers idled is just the start of the downhill.
Just the start.
- A Jack - Wednesday, Jul 5, 17 @ 2:41 pm:
At least Rauner didn’t close the beaches…..
- Blue Bayou - Wednesday, Jul 5, 17 @ 2:42 pm:
This is what progress looks like to a Republican billionaire.
- Anonymous - Wednesday, Jul 5, 17 @ 2:45 pm:
i thought this was about jobs. But apparently not construction jobs. Gotcha
- Norseman - Wednesday, Jul 5, 17 @ 2:46 pm:
The source of this problem will be solved tomorrow.
- Now What? - Wednesday, Jul 5, 17 @ 2:47 pm:
New political ad that should come from the Democrats and the Brave 15: Our override of the governor’s veto put 20,000 people back to work. This, while the governor’s interview is rolling in the background of “what people want in Illinois are jobs.” Writes itself.
- Anonymous - Wednesday, Jul 5, 17 @ 2:47 pm:
Why wasn’t this notice posted anywhere? I know it was talked about that it could happen but an actual posting of the letter to the newspapers could have helped support for the bill?
Would the Trib advocate for this to actually happen?
- Northern IL - Wednesday, Jul 5, 17 @ 2:50 pm:
I know a lot of people who work for IDOT and the ones up by me are even more affected. This is their biggest time of the year to get pay and overtime, unless we get massive snow. Without summer pay, the winter months are going to be tough.
Now What? is right about a good way to spin this. The override puts those people back to work. And really it’s not spin. It’s the truth.
The key thing some people don’t get is that if the override fails, there are K-12 schools that will not open in the fall. The everything will hit the fan. Construction affects lots of people but K-12 is whole other level.
- Silver Dollar Bill - Wednesday, Jul 5, 17 @ 2:52 pm:
Doesn’t seem odd at all. They have generally always had an appropriation until now, and their payment schedule is much quicker than social service providers because of the separate road fund account (and the federal bucks). Some of the big guys probably could float a project for a while, but the industry isn’t built around long reimbursement time frames. Sadly, our social service infrastructure is.
- VanillaMan - Wednesday, Jul 5, 17 @ 3:11 pm:
Losing…
- PublicServant - Wednesday, Jul 5, 17 @ 3:15 pm:
Pffffttt, We’ll just man the sites with non-prevailing wage, right-to-work, non-union, sustainable, non-fleeing National Guard members. /s
- 13th - Wednesday, Jul 5, 17 @ 3:18 pm:
Next headline “Madigan and the IDOT officials he controls goes against the governor and send 20,000 to the unemployment line” lol
- IllinoisBoi - Wednesday, Jul 5, 17 @ 3:36 pm:
== PublicServant - Wednesday, Jul 5, 17 @ 3:15 pm:
Pffffttt, We’ll just man the sites with non-prevailing wage, right-to-work, non-union, sustainable, non-fleeing National Guard members. /s ==
Good ‘un, that.
- Dog - Wednesday, Jul 5, 17 @ 3:41 pm:
IDOT has no money for contractors but is paying their people overtime on holidays to make sure there is toilet Paper at the rest areas…….
- doggonit - Wednesday, Jul 5, 17 @ 3:52 pm:
A preview of what might come. Take a look house members.
- JS Mill - Wednesday, Jul 5, 17 @ 3:53 pm:
I guess Lucky and crew see no need to comment on the beginnings of the real Raunerite Utopia.
As Honeybear stated, we are just cresting the top of the roller coaster.
So much for job creatin’ and growin’ the economy. Now, if we actually paid our bills…
- Anonymous - Wednesday, Jul 5, 17 @ 4:32 pm:
Thanks Madigan for decades of fiscal insanity.
- Decaf Coffee Party - Wednesday, Jul 5, 17 @ 4:57 pm:
==Thanks Madigan for decades of fiscal insanity.==
Well, for all of those decades of “mismanagement,” this state has never, ever been this badly mismanaged by any governor. Ever. In fact, no state in the country has ever gone this long without a budget. And for what? Some untested job growth magic beans theory?
- VanillaMan - Wednesday, Jul 5, 17 @ 5:09 pm:
There has been no decade of fiscal sanity. Just since 2015.
- Prairie Dog - Wednesday, Jul 5, 17 @ 5:10 pm:
Both parties got us in this mess. Now, everyone needs to become objective and altruistic.
BTW: The first new factory in this state should be a Hummer factory. That’s the only vehicle with a strong enough suspension to handle our rough roads.
- Ron - Wednesday, Jul 5, 17 @ 5:23 pm:
Keep your head buried deep in the sand. Madigan, Edgar, Blags, Cullerton, etc are all to blame for Illinois fiscal nightmare. Illinois hasn’t had a real budget in decades.
- Anonymous - Wednesday, Jul 5, 17 @ 5:31 pm:
The state immediately halt any NEW road construction. We need to means test road repairs. The state is losing population faster than any state with the exception of West Virginia. We don’t need more roads.
- Huh? - Wednesday, Jul 5, 17 @ 5:45 pm:
Depending on the claims submitted by the contractors for this delay, the additional cost will be on the State to come up with the cash. The FHWA will most likely refuse to pay any portion of the claims on the grounds that the delays were self inflicted and avoidable.
- West Side the Best Side - Wednesday, Jul 5, 17 @ 7:20 pm:
Maybe, like Christie showing up at the beach in NJ, Rauner can show up at a construction site in a hardhat and safety vest. He does like his costumes.
- Mama - Wednesday, Jul 5, 17 @ 7:55 pm:
After 3 years
Before Rauner: with Gov. Rauner:
State backlog:
under 4B & dropping 15B & raising
State’s bills pd within:
30 days 6 months to 2years
State Credit Rating:
A-/A3 Junk status pending
- Mama - Wednesday, Jul 5, 17 @ 7:57 pm:
Sorry the format for that post didn’t work out.
- Anonymous - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 8:12 am:
The future of Illinois is already written. The bankruptcy hole we’ve been spiraling around has increased in strength and this state is half-way down the tube to complete shut-down. The only thing left is a federal bail-out package.
- Anonymous - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 8:19 am:
Our politicians, as all other do, do not worry about the common man as long as their political futures and pocket books are maintained and/or improved. There is NO regard for anything that does not enhance their lives.. period.