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Chicago Tribune: Rauner borrows $1.5 billion toward paying down Illinois' unpaid bill pile
Gov. Bruce Rauner’s administration borrowed $1.5 billion on the bond market Tuesday as part of a larger plan to whittle away at the state’s about $16 billion pile of unpaid bills and save money on interest costs.
The state received an overall interest rate of 3.5 percent on the bonds. That’s compared to as much as 12 percent per year in interest the state pays to contractors who have waited months to be compensated for their work because of Illinois’ cash crunch. The last time the state borrowed money, in November 2016, it received an interest rate of just less than 4.25 percent for $480 million in bonds.
State Journal-Register: Rauner cuts human services, other area in state budget
Gov. Bruce Rauner’s administration has identified millions of dollars of cuts it will make to the new state budget, including to human services, agriculture programs and transportation.
Even then, the administration says the budget remains $1.5 billion out of balance, which will require further reductions.
Chicago Tribune: Emanuel budget: 15 cents more per Uber, Lyft ride; $1.10 increase in monthly phone fees
A $1.10-a-month increase in the 911 phone tax will help pay for the 2018 spending plan Mayor Rahm Emanuel will present Wednesday, and a 15-cent fee hike for Uber and Lyft rides will be used to help the CTA fund system upgrades, city officials said Tuesday.
A 28 percent increase in the 911 tax would pump about $30 million into City Hall’s coffers. That money must be spent on the city 911 phone system, which the city is upgrading. But the move will free up about $19 million to be spent on other day-to-day city costs, Budget Director Samantha Fields said.
Chicago Sun-Times: City’s pro sports teams slam Emanuel’s tax hike for large concerts
The United Center and its two biggest tenants — the Blackhawks and Bulls — decried Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s proposal to jack up the city’s amusement tax on large concerts while eliminating it for smaller venues.
The Bears and White Sox joined in the chorus as well, as the teams posted nearly identical statements on their respective websites denouncing the plan on Tuesday.
Chicago Tribune: DCFS director: Changes made after Semaj's death will improve agency's 'line of sight'
The director of the state Department of Children and Family Services said Tuesday that lessons learned from the Semaj Crosby case will improve the agency’s “line of sight” as it deals with the people it is charged to serve.
Beverly “B.J.” Walker updated a group of about 30 people in Joliet about changes being made within DCFS in the wake of criticism following the death of the 17-month-old Joliet Township girl, who was found dead in April under a couch in her home after a 30-hour search.
Chicago Sun-Times: Three convicted of stealing from CHA, including man who netted $365K
Three people have been convicted of stealing funds from the Chicago Housing Authority, including a man who stole from the agency for more than 20 years.
Arthur Dorsey Jr., 60, a Section 8 recipient in the CHA’s Housing Choice Voucher program, stole more than $365,000 between July 1993 and July 2016 by collecting housing assistance and Social Security benefits under two different identities, according to the CHA’s Office of the Inspector General.
Northwest Herald: Crystal Lake High School District 155 Board approves tentative tax levy increase
Residents, real estate agents and a state representative crowded the Crystal Lake School District 155 boardroom to voice concerns over the proposed increase of the tax levy, which board members tentatively approved Tuesday.
The board met to consider its annual levy, which this year includes a requested 4.45 percent increase over the previous year. The $3.2 million hike could mean taxpayers will see a higher property tax bill. Although the district is asking for a $75.8 million levy, it expects to receive a $74.3 million extension, which is about a 2.4 percent increase, according to district documents.
Northwest Herald: Illinois' pension chief: Taking pensions away from elected county officials is illegal
Louis Kosiba, executive director of the $35.8 billion Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund, showed up to the McHenry County Board meeting Tuesday night to let board members and the public know Chairman Jack Franks’ resolution to kill pensions for all elected county officials is illegal.
“The rule of law does not mean that laws [that] are inconvenient or inconsistent with one’s point of view can be ignored or overwritten by a form of government,” Kosiba said. “In this case, state law cannot be changed by the action of county or city government.”
Daily Herald: Arlington Heights increases ambulance fee, but only nonresidents pay
Arlington Heights will increase its ambulance transport fee by 275 percent, though officials say only uninsured nonresidents who use an ambulance while in town would actually have to pay the higher fees.
As of Nov. 1, the village will charge $1,500 per transport and add a charge of $12 per mile — though deductibles, co-payments, mileage or other associated costs for village residents would be waived under a plan approved by the village board this week.
Bloomington Pantagraph: County Board asked for feedback on election consolidation
McLean County Board could take steps toward consolidating local election agencies as soon as the end of the year.
Chairman John McIntyre is seeking feedback from board members on the idea of moving from splitting election duties between the Bloomington Election Commission and McLean County Clerk’s office to a single agency for all McLean County elections, he said on Tuesday.