State's construction spending plan growing by billions

SPRINGFIELD - State lawmakers are now trying to push through a construction-spending spree that's swelled to nearly $34 billion in the final hours of their legislative session.

It's been 9 years since lawmakers last approved a construction deal - then Gov. George Ryan's $12 billion Illinois FIRST program. The financing for those projects won't be paid off for a couple decades, but business, labor and education groups have been increasingly crying out for a new spending program, citing a growing backlog of road, bridge and school projects and a dwindling state economy.

Ryan's plan was financed with higher alcohol taxes and increased vehicle fees. New and bigger casinos, slots at horse tracks and selling off the rights to state lottery proceeds would finance the new plan being pieced together. Backing up the financing would be the state's sales tax take from higher gasoline prices.

An early version of the spending plan unveiled recently by former Republican Congressman Denny Hastert and Democratic Southern Illinois University President Glenn Poshard tallied $31 billion. But as negotiations continue at the Capitol, the price tag is going higher. Some officials have said the actual state's need could be closer to $60 billion.

A breakdown provided by the governor's office shows the state would come up with $21 billion, the federal government would provide nearly $10 billion and local governments would contributed $3 billion for an unofficial total of $33.7 billion in spending over at least the next five years.

The preliminary breakdown shows $2 billion for school construction and another $165 million to provide $50,000 maintenance grants to every school district in the state. Public universities would get $1 billion, community colleges and private universities would get $300 million apiece.

The Fermi National Accelerator Lab would be in line for $17 million. A state Central Management Services office in Elgin would get nearly $2.5 million worth of heating and air conditioning improvements. Similar work at the state prison system's youth center in St. Charles would tally $606,000.

But billions more in spending remains unspecified, at least to the public, at this point. For instance, there's $1 billion set aside only for "revitalization" to be distributed by the Illinois Finance Authority.

Lawmakers said votes on the gambling expansion and other measures needed to pay for the spending occur later tonight as lawmakers try to wrap up their session before midnight, May 31.