Capitol Fax.com - Your Illinois News Radar

The check is not in the mail

Posted in:

Illinois

* The BGA has a sampling of what the state owes its vendors…

• The city of Springfield is owed $12.6 million in unpaid electric and water bills. Springfield operates City Water Light and Power and has more than 200 accounts related to the state government.

• Memorial Health System, which operates hospitals in Springfield, Lincoln, Jacksonville, and Taylorville as well as other medical offices statewide, is owed more than $83.6 million. Memorial Medical Center in Springfield has delayed plans to build an $80 million medical office building, a spokesman said.

• Stepping Stones Inc., a drug addiction treatment center in Joliet, has burned through $100,000 in reserves to maintain services and had to stop treating non-Medicaid patients in mid-February. By June 30, the end of its fiscal budget year, the state will owe the nonprofit about $300,000.

• Illinois owes about $125 million to dentists, says Greg Johnson, a spokesman for the Illinois State Dental Society, which represents dentists and dental hygienists.

• Groups that administer the Community Care Program, which helps seniors stay in their homes rather than nursing homes, are owed $212 million from the Department of Aging. More than 83,800 people participated in the program last year.

posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, May 11, 16 @ 8:53 am

Comments

Is that what you call a better “business environment?”

Comment by wordslinger Wednesday, May 11, 16 @ 8:57 am
“Hang in there!” - Todd Maisch…

I’m sure those vendors are frustrated, Representative, what say you?

@RonSandack: I’m frustrated 2, but taking steps towards reforming IL more important than short term budget stalemate. - Ron Sandack, 9/28/15

Right? Exactly right.

Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, May 11, 16 @ 9:02 am
But it will all be worth it when we are done lowering most workers’ wages and standard of living.

Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, May 11, 16 @ 9:02 am
Don’t worry, we have a “business Governor”. If anyone can solve this mess, he can.

Hope we don’t get a “business POTUS”, I don’t think the country can afford it.

Comment by Ice Man Wednesday, May 11, 16 @ 9:06 am
What started out as a minor scrape, has now started turning into MRSA, and we’re running out of antibiotics that will work. But, ya know, pain for gain! /s

Comment by Anon221 Wednesday, May 11, 16 @ 9:07 am
Ah yes, growin’ the economy!

Comment by JS Mill Wednesday, May 11, 16 @ 9:08 am
How is the City of Springfield and/or utilities functioning with $12M less in revenue?

Comment by Bogey Golfer Wednesday, May 11, 16 @ 9:08 am
Reminds me of the person who continues to pay bills with credit cards until the balance due becomes so overwhelming the person is left with one option the state doesn’t have: bankruptcy. This is sickening. Good people doing services for the people of this state getting shafted. But go ahead state legislators, go to parties, drink and eat for free and carry on your normal lives. But it’s not normal and that’s what will be your undoing.

Comment by Westward Wednesday, May 11, 16 @ 9:09 am
It is 180 days till election day. Rauner will be repudiated, and then we can get back to doing business in Illinois.

Comment by Saluki Wednesday, May 11, 16 @ 9:11 am
Has the City of Springfield considered turning off the lights and putting a cap on the tap until the past due bills have been paid?

Comment by Hit or Miss Wednesday, May 11, 16 @ 9:11 am
I just wish the media would have done a better job of insisting that candidate Rauner explain what he planned on doing, and the public would have done a better job of filtering the responses.

Actually, it would have been nice had there been a candidate who wasn’t so radioactive running on the other side.

It sure would be nice to have to choose between two really good candidates.

Comment by Delimma Wednesday, May 11, 16 @ 9:13 am
–How is the City of Springfield and/or utilities functioning with $12M less in revenue?–

Why are they doing it?

The little old lady who doesn’t pay her utility bills gets shut off.

It’s outrageous that a regulated entity like ComEd, which has its hand out for a huge state payday, can enable this mess by not treating the state like any other customer.

Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, May 11, 16 @ 9:13 am
Vendors who extend credit are part of the problem. Instead….be part of the solution. March into the Governors office and tell him you are shutting off the power at every state facility and the budget stalemate is OVER before the next sunrise!

Comment by Bushwacker Wednesday, May 11, 16 @ 9:14 am
Springfield’s City, Water, Light, and Power is not ComEd. It is a city owned utility. http://www.cwlp.com/

The mayor of Springfield answered the whys here:

http://www.sj-r.com/article/20160508/NEWS/160509601

Comment by Anon221 Wednesday, May 11, 16 @ 9:22 am
Langfelder: “I’m trying to work with the governor. I don’t think me turning off the lights is going to matter at all. I turn off the lights, and then they’ll have to adjourn (the legislature). They’ll blame the mayor that the budget didn’t get settled.” (from the SJ-R article cited above)

Comment by Anon221 Wednesday, May 11, 16 @ 9:24 am
== Has the City of Springfield considered turning off the lights and putting a cap on the tap until the past due bills have been paid? ==

The short of it is CWLP would just be putting a lot of its own citizens out of work, which would then affect other city businesses. Better to keep the paychecks coming and those employees / families shopping in Springfield.

Comment by RNUG Wednesday, May 11, 16 @ 9:31 am
The amount owed dentists doesn’t surprise me. The State has always been extremely slow to pay them.

Comment by RNUG Wednesday, May 11, 16 @ 9:33 am
Anecdotally, I’ve heard that a lot of the smaller businesses / vendors have cut the State off and about the only companies still supplying the State are a few of the big national chains.

Comment by RNUG Wednesday, May 11, 16 @ 9:35 am
Any comment from the BGA on the amount of interest on these bills?

Comment by Dr X Wednesday, May 11, 16 @ 9:35 am
From the Civic Federation (interest due on backlog bills):

https://www.civicfed.org/iifs/blog/penalties-overdue-bills-add-state-illinois

Comment by Anon221 Wednesday, May 11, 16 @ 9:54 am
–How is the City of Springfield and/or utilities functioning with $12M less in revenue?–

Maybe they are overcharging if a $12m receivable isn’t bothering them too much. Just saying.

Comment by cdog Wednesday, May 11, 16 @ 10:16 am
I honestly believe these municipalities could be the key to forcing a compromise if they just started turning off the utilities for nonpayment.

Comment by Stones Wednesday, May 11, 16 @ 10:24 am
== –How is the City of Springfield and/or utilities functioning with $12M less in revenue?– ==

CWLP is supposed to carry quite a large amount of funds in reserve. I suspect the reserves may be fairly low at the moment …

Comment by RNUG Wednesday, May 11, 16 @ 10:24 am
>Anecdotally, I’ve heard that a lot of the smaller businesses / vendors have cut the State off and about the only companies still supplying the State are a few of the big national chains.

Eliminating the smaller and weaker agencies/businesses: it’s not just for social services anymore.

Comment by Earnest Wednesday, May 11, 16 @ 10:30 am
Wonderin’ when HandoutANdy will run the list of the “winners” in the Vendor Services Initiative….bet that is comin’ any day

Comment by Annonin' Wednesday, May 11, 16 @ 10:41 am
Do you really think there are no consequences for shutting the state down for non-payment? Those who cut the state off will be harmed, their municipality harmed, their businesses harmed, their stock owners harmed. Not in a physical way, but in closures and forbidden business in the future. Think Ramsey and Horseshoe Bend State Parks. They showed the state who was boss.

Comment by Never again Wednesday, May 11, 16 @ 10:44 am
-Anecdotally, I’ve heard that a lot of the smaller businesses / vendors have cut the State off and about the only companies still supplying the State are a few of the big national chains.-

At our state office, we could not get someone to fix a plumbing problem. All the people who were called refused because they were still owed from previous jobs or were afraid they would not get paid. A person in the office called in a favor with a relative in order to get it done.

Comment by Anon Wednesday, May 11, 16 @ 10:47 am
==How is the City of Springfield and/or utilities functioning with $12M less in revenue?==

Answer: Not very well. The utility, CWLP, is viewed by the City as a ‘crown jewel’. Accordingly, the City of Springfield is prepared to ignore any shortcomings or misrepresentations made by utility “management” and cover for them. In short, CWLP has its own City at its disposal.

Comment by Qui Tam Wednesday, May 11, 16 @ 10:50 am
==The city of Springfield is owed $12.6 million in unpaid electric and water bills==
==How is the City of Springfield and/or utilities functioning with $12M less in revenue?==

A financial report released Jan 2015 found that City Water & Light and Power’s (CWLP) operation of Units 31 & 32 at its Dallman coal-fired power plant has drained at least $41 million from Springfield’s city budget between 2008 and 2013. If (big IF) the State ponies up the $12M, maybe CWLP should use that $$ to close down 31 and 32, thus saving $$ in the longer run.

Comment by X-Stater Wednesday, May 11, 16 @ 2:07 pm
Could somebody please add the 30k I’m still owed, in back pay, to the list!

Comment by Property of IDOC Wednesday, May 11, 16 @ 8:59 pm
Could somebody please add the 30k I’m still owed, in back pay, to the list!

Comment by Property of IDOC Wednesday, May 11, 16 @ 8:59 pm
Would somebody please add the 30k I’m still owed, in back pay, to the list!

Comment by Property of IDOC Wednesday, May 11, 16 @ 9:01 pm