Capitol Fax.com - Your Illinois News Radar

Lights out? Not yet, but Springfield’s struggling because of state’s past due utility bills

Posted in:

Illinois

* The SJ-R reports that the Springfield City Council is set to vote on a resolution to urge the state to pay $9 million in utility bills owed to City Water Light and Power, including $6 million that is past due…

The resolution notes that having millions of dollars in overdue bills “is causing a hardship to the operation of the city of Springfield.”

In a Monday memo to Mayor Jim Langfelder, CWLP chief utilities engineer Doug Brown wrote that the city-owned utility has sent out late notices to all of its state accounts, and that a disconnection would be possible in the future if the state continues to be in arrears.

But that doesn’t mean shutting off power to the Capitol and other state facilities is imminent. Langfelder has said that would be a last resort.

“We’re still at the point where we’re working with the state to find out what they can do,” Brown said this week, noting that the state’s nonpayment of its utility bills “is starting to be more of a struggle” for CWLP.

posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Jan 7, 16 @ 10:43 am

Comments

Will they be sending union employees from CWLP to disconnect the power on the 2nd floor of the Capitol?

Comment by Not Rich Thursday, Jan 7, 16 @ 10:48 am
I’d like to see the roll call on a vote like that, for the entertainment purposes.

To the reality?

“@RonSandack: I’m frustrated 2, but taking steps towards reforming IL more important than short term budget stalemate.”

Hang in there, Springfield… I mean, the state of Illinois facilities… I mean…

Ugh.

Very little about how Rauner sees his role as governor, when it comes to paying what is owed for services to the state, can be seen as responsible.

Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, Jan 7, 16 @ 10:48 am
Think of all the noise pollution from all those emergency power generators!

Comment by VanillaMan Thursday, Jan 7, 16 @ 10:49 am
To keep the heat and water on there is a LIHEAP program they could …oh, wait. Nevermind.

Comment by Touré's Latte Thursday, Jan 7, 16 @ 10:50 am
Perhaps the City is waiting until Rauner gives his State of the State address, so they can kill the lights and mic mid-speech.

Comment by Bogey Golfer Thursday, Jan 7, 16 @ 10:50 am
Might as well just turn off the juice. Nothing much is happening in the Capitol these days anyway.

Comment by Stones Thursday, Jan 7, 16 @ 10:53 am
“The Madigan-controlled CWLP…”

Comment by Nick Name Thursday, Jan 7, 16 @ 10:53 am
“But that doesn’t mean shutting off power to the Capitol and other state facilities is imminent. Langfelder has said that would be a last resort.”

Don’t worry.

It’s not as if anyone in our budget-less state has been forced to utilize last resort measures, right?

– MrJM

Comment by @MisterJayEm Thursday, Jan 7, 16 @ 10:55 am
==- Bogey Golfer - Thursday, Jan 7, 16 @ 10:50 am:==
Better yet, CWLP should cut the power at the beginning of Rauner’s laughable budget speech. Budget? Oops.. lights out!

Comment by Mama Thursday, Jan 7, 16 @ 10:58 am
Touré’s Latte +1!

I guess if you’re going to make employees show up to a cold, dark, powerless office, you should give them an attendance bonus.

Comment by Century Club Thursday, Jan 7, 16 @ 10:58 am
Who’s payin’ for the lights, heat, sewer, and garbarge at the Mansion??? SOS started paying their share with the $10 M they recently received. But the Mansion, where’s that approp comin’ from??

Comment by Anon221 Thursday, Jan 7, 16 @ 10:58 am
Cut ‘em off!

Comment by Precinct Captain Thursday, Jan 7, 16 @ 11:03 am
While on vacation Nero learned to play his violin louder than before.

Comment by Union Man Thursday, Jan 7, 16 @ 11:04 am
Run an extension cord to the Chamber’s office. They want this.

Hang in there.

Comment by LizPhairTax Thursday, Jan 7, 16 @ 11:08 am
==- Touré’s Latte - Thursday, Jan 7, 16 @ 10:50 am:==
Best post of the day!

Comment by Mama Thursday, Jan 7, 16 @ 11:11 am
Disconnect! Business is business

Mr. Langefelder needs to be very wise about sacrificing the city of Springfield’s financial health. To get caught up in the family feuds at the Capitol is bad for business.

Extending additional credit to a debtor is always a tough call, even if you are “sure” they will repay. Ask Eastern University how that strategy is going for them.

There is a time for grace and mercy. This isn’t it.

Comment by cdog Thursday, Jan 7, 16 @ 11:13 am
Does the cutoff include the Executive Mansion?

Comment by Name Withheld Thursday, Jan 7, 16 @ 11:20 am
The City of Springfield cuts of power to “other” customers everyday.
Why is the State being given preferential treatment?
Why are residents of Springfield cut off and the State is not?

Comment by Are Ya Kiddin' Me? Thursday, Jan 7, 16 @ 11:28 am
Those emergency generators will only run until the fuel tanks have to be refilled, anywhere from a few hours to a couple of weeks depending on the site … unless the state can find some vendor to take ‘trust me’ as payment.

Comment by RNUG Thursday, Jan 7, 16 @ 11:33 am
Vendors need to start cutting off the state. Until that happens, no one is going to budge.

Comment by burbanite Thursday, Jan 7, 16 @ 11:44 am
=== Why are residents of Springfield cut off and the State is not? ===

Because thousand Springfield residents work in State offices and provide a multitude of economic benefits to the city. You tread lightly when talking about biting one of the hands that feed you.

Comment by Norseman Thursday, Jan 7, 16 @ 11:48 am
By what authority does any utility give preferential treatment to support a partisan political agenda?

The state should be treated like any other ratepayer. If they run through the established options and still haven’t paid, cut them down, just like you would the little old lady down the street.

Comment by wordslinger Thursday, Jan 7, 16 @ 11:55 am
Vendors need to start playing hardball. This whole shutdown that isn’t a shutdown puts no pressure on the responsible (irresponsible) parties to negotiate in good faith. I don’t want state employees to be harmed but things moved quicker when failing to pass a budget meant an immediate halt to a majority of functions.

Comment by Relocated Thursday, Jan 7, 16 @ 12:08 pm
===But that doesn’t mean shutting off power to the Capitol and other state facilities is imminent===

I would give serious consideration to disconnection of the utilities.

Comment by Hit or Miss Thursday, Jan 7, 16 @ 12:17 pm
Shameful on so many levels.
But RAUNER is shameless, so it doesn’t matter.

Comment by Langhorne Thursday, Jan 7, 16 @ 1:04 pm
=”By what authority does any utility give preferential treatment to support a partisan political agenda?”=

Springfield is extremely supportive of CWLP, no matter how obviously improper CWLP’s actions, there is never anyone held accountable.

CWLP is a largely unregulated utility that happens to “own” a city.

In other words, “We don’t nee know stinking authority”!

Comment by Qui Tam Thursday, Jan 7, 16 @ 1:34 pm
See what happens when the state is forced to live by the same rules as everyone else and gets utilities shut off for non-payment:

http://www.sj-r.com/news/20160107/glen-carbon-temporarily-shuts-off-water-at-state-building-due-to-non-payment

The state pays up. Immediately. That’s what happens. Springfield officials are either really stupid or in bed with someone. No one pays attention to a resolution asking them to settle up. Who is kidding whom?

Comment by In Lieu Of Backbone Thursday, Jan 7, 16 @ 2:53 pm
I would think CWLP and the City of Springfield can hold out on this right up until the time some legal beagle puts the last touches to the class action suit.

Comment by Bemused Thursday, Jan 7, 16 @ 3:00 pm
I sat we pass approps to pay utilities and bldg rents.
And i used to work for CWLP way back in the day, then moved into regulation of public utilities. Springfield is very fortunate to own their own utility in todays world. An oasis in a harsh utility world.
Thank god for your blessings and pay the bill.

Comment by princess buttercup Thursday, Jan 7, 16 @ 3:42 pm
Everybody jam back into the Old State House, fire up the oil lamps and fireplaces, and exchange bills and vote by paper.

Maybe we’ll deal with 200 legit bills a session rather than 8000 nonsense ones, and no eardrums will be busted by shouting into microphones.

Comment by walker Thursday, Jan 7, 16 @ 4:14 pm
Excellent idea from Walker. At the very least, it would eliminate the electronic vote tote board, which might, at least, encourage hand signals instead of simply letting them look at a screen to know which way the wind is blowing.

Comment by In Lieu Of Backbone Thursday, Jan 7, 16 @ 4:26 pm
I’m waiting for Ameren or ComEd to shut off all the facilities across their territories, that would get people’s attention very quickly.

Comment by MyTwoCents Thursday, Jan 7, 16 @ 5:25 pm