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What’s in the capital bill?

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Illinois

By Hannah Meisel

* Capital project spending is included in the overall budget bill, HB109. As noted yesterday, $53,775,000 will go to the Quincy Veterans’ Home for capital improvements like piping replacement, and “water quality improvement projects.” It’s not the $245 million the Rauner administration asked for earlier this month, but until a new home can be built, the pipes need replacing at the very least.

We hear Quincy money was a bit of a trade for the $172 million included in the budget for improvements necessary to build the Obama Presidential Library in Jackson Park. Some of that money will go to various improvements, but a bulk will go toward building a new Metra station at 59th Street.

* What else?

- $400 million in deferred maintenance. Sen. Heather Steans (D-Chicago) told me last night that there had to be an increase in deferred maintenance “…because we’ve had no capital for so long in a budget impasse,” she said. “There’s a lot of built-up emergency needs.”

- Speaking of emergencies, there’s also $100 million for statewide emergency spending.

- $75 million for higher education facilities and emergency projects.

- $30 million for improvements on the coliseum on the State Fairgrounds in Springfield. You may recall that a few years ago it closed because some of the beams inside were threatening to fall.

- HB109 also reinstates appropriation authority for all DCEO community grants, which have not had any appropriation authority since 2015.

- $29 million increase in OSLAD grant funding.

IDOT:

- The bill also contains $8.8 billion in IDOT capital re-appropriations for projects put on hold during the budget impasse.

- $2.9 billion in IDOT pay-as-you-go capital, including $2.2 billion for IDOT’s FY2019 road program.

- $50 million for high-speed rail projects and maintenance.

* Oh, and the Thompson Center? The budget does rely on $270 million in savings from a potential sale of the building. The $270 million figure comes from an early estimation of the land’s worth. Other estimations have been lower, but the budgeteers say it’s actually a conservative estimate, given recent upticks in value of real estate around that area.

Sen. Steans couldn’t tell reporters when Gov. Rauner would receive the bill for selling the Thompson Center, but did say Rauner probably won’t be waiting all the way until November.

Of course, there are still major snags that would need to be worked out, like the Blue Line stop underneath the Thompson Center and other zoning. When reporter Brian Mackey pointed that out a few days ago, Steans and other Democrats said that savings which won’t actually be realized wouldn’t be included in the budget. “That’s why I think it will be [real] because we’re going to send him the bill.”

As for the issues that need to be resolved: “We believe it needs to go through the regular city of Chicago process,” Steans said.

Guess we’ll see what happens there.

posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, May 31, 18 @ 11:25 am

Comments

If that is a “capital bill”, I will eat this iPad. IDOT who is usually the benefactor of a capital bill is seeing ZERO increase in their spending. Have fun fixing your cars at an average rate of $365/year because of substandard pavement. This legislature especially this Governor could care less about your commute or goods and services arriving where there they should be. Why would Amazon want to go to a state that does not give a dam (PUN INTENTED) about all kinds of intermodal transportation.

Comment by Taxedoutwest Thursday, May 31, 18 @ 11:38 am
I suspect the IDOT reapprops are ongoing projects, not ones that were mothballed. CDB, on the other hand, would have projects put on hold that are reappropriated (verifying…)

Comment by Hyperbolic Chamber Thursday, May 31, 18 @ 11:47 am
It makes sense to over- estimate the Thompson Center sale in the budget from a game theory perspective. If they go conservative and protect, say, $150 million, it would be difficult to convince a buyer to pay 1 cent more than that.

Comment by Three Finger Brown Thursday, May 31, 18 @ 11:55 am
Oh, God! More roads uselessly torn up like the totally unnecessary work at Rt 59 and US 20. And what ungodly cost was spent turning the perfectly good Elgin-O’Hare Expressway into a Cash Cow Tollway?

Some years ago the Trib had a big article about how Illinois builds two year roads while for slightly more they could build four year roads and for twice the cost of a two year road they could build twenty year roads. The article also pointed out that asphalt coating is worthless in our climate.

Is it time to totally rip up North avenue (Rt 64) again?

Comment by Streamwood Retiree Thursday, May 31, 18 @ 12:02 pm
A bulk of $172 million “will go toward building a new Metra station at 59th Street.”

There’s already a functioning Metra station on 59th Street — I can see it from my window at work. There’s also stations at 56th St and 63rd St.

This sum would be better spent on rental assistance for long-time residents facing displacement, or to make Metra fares not prohibitively expensive for low-income folks.

Comment by CBA for OPC Thursday, May 31, 18 @ 12:54 pm
–There’s already a functioning Metra station on 59th Street — I can see it from my window at work. There’s also stations at 56th St and 63rd St.–

Hyde Park and Beverly have legacy old-school clout when it comes to Metra stops. The trains practically go door-to-door in those neighborhoods.

Comment by wordslinger Thursday, May 31, 18 @ 6:30 pm
Any way to get detail on the IDOT projects funded by this?

Comment by Biker Thursday, May 31, 18 @ 6:55 pm
Any info on appropriations for IDOC, 2011’s approved,yet unfunded backpay?????

Comment by Property of IDOC Friday, Jun 1, 18 @ 6:23 am
50 million for high speed rail projects? We have high speed rail projects?

Comment by Da Big Bad Wolf Friday, Jun 1, 18 @ 7:10 am