Get the latest news from around Illinois.
Belleville News-Democrat: Much too busy in Springfield to bother with passing an Illinois budget
It is always unsettling to work with a micromanager, someone who sweats every detail and needs to control everything. The problem is that micromanagers usually busy themselves with lots of small stuff so they don’t have to deal with the big stuff, such as the future health or survival of the organization.
So our confidence is not high regarding the ability of our 177 micromanagers in the Illinois state capitol to focus on anything important, again, this year. Important, say, like a state budget, or pension reform, or reducing government, or paying $8.5 billion in overdue bills.
State Journal-Register: House OKs bill making Sangamon County default location for most state jobs
A bill that would give Sangamon County first dibs on most state jobs easily passed the Illinois House Wednesday.
House Bill 4295 would make Springfield and the county the default location for employees of most state agencies and the governor’s office. It would require the director of Central Management Services to give a reason why a job needs to be based elsewhere. The legislative and judicial branches are exempt, as are the offices of the state’s constitutional officers.
Chicago Tribune: Rauner's point person on Quincy veterans home Legionnaires' crisis makes $20K monthly
The point person Gov. Bruce Rauner plucked from his administration to take charge of the Legionnaires’ disease crisis at the Quincy veterans home is making $20,000 a month in salary, a 69 percent raise from the official salary in his previous post.
Michael Hoffman, senior adviser to the Republican governor for the Quincy response, told a joint hearing of the House and Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committees Thursday that his personal-services contract pays him $20,000 a month. State records indicate he’s paid by the Department of Central Management Services, the agency he headed until tabbed for the new assignment March 2.
Chicago Sun-Times: Cook County Treasurer urges property owners to pay delinquent taxes
Over 39,000 Cook County homes, businesses and lots could be up for grabs at the county’s annual tax sale in May if the owners don’t pay off their delinquent property tax bills.
Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas said 39,100 people countywide still owe taxes. The number of past due bills was initially around 52,000, but dropped thanks to the spreading of information about the upcoming sale.
Daily Herald: Kane County clerk wants disbanding Aurora Election Commission's money
The unresolved question of who gets whatever money the Aurora Election Commission has pushed Kane County Clerk Jack Cunningham on Thursday to sound the alarm about his office blowing its budget this year.
Aurora citizens voted to abolish the election commission in March. Kane County will assume responsibility for all but 10 election precincts formerly served by the commission. Will and Kendall counties will assume responsibility for the 10 other precincts. DuPage County’s election commission already manages its portion of the city.
Quad Cities Dispatch-Argus: WIU faculty approve strike authorization
Western Illinois University faculty voted Wednesday to authorize a strike and filed an intent to strike Thursday with the Illinois Education Labor Relations Board, said Jim La Prad, spokesman for the University Professionals of Illinois (UPI), Local 4100.
Declining to reveal the exact vote total, he said Thursday that 80 percent of the 600-plus union members — a total that includes faculty and other staff in Macomb and the Quad-Cities — cast ballots, and an overwhelming majority voted to empower the union executive board to support the bargaining team as it negotiates the current contract with Western Illinois’ administration.
Peoria Journal-Star: Questions rain down on Peoria officials over stormwater utility tax
It wasn’t just the promise of spring that prompted so many questions on lawns and gardens from the 40 people that gathered at Illinois Central College Peoria Campus on Thursday evening.
Most were there to better understand the stormwater utility tax looming over homeowners, businesses, churches, schools and just about anyone with property that captures rainfall in Peoria.
Bloomington Pantagraph: Township wants owners' names in apartment tax deal
Normal Township sent a simple message Thursday to local landlords asking for a tax deal: Say who you are first.
“It’s public information once you start dealing with us, so make it public,” said board member Sally Pyne after student apartment owners refused to cooperate with a new policy making businesses that work with the township publicly list their ownership. “The fact that they’re making such a deal about it, now I really want to know who’s on there, because now it smells bad.”