Capital bill funds for city stalled

By KANDACE MCCOY

kandace.mccoy@register-news.com

MT. VERNON — The city will have to wait to receive nearly $5 million in funding for road projects as part of the capital bill.

The spending plan of the capital bill from the Build Illinois Bond Fund was approved Sunday by both the House and the Senate, however, the entire bill has now been stalled in the House Chamber until legislators can convince Governor Pat Quinn to sign it without tying it to the state budget.

“We passed the capital bill one and a half weeks ago,” explained State Sen. John O. Jones. “And with part two of that bill, we were able to get an additional 1.5 billion for spending.”

However, Jones said the governor has stated he would not sign the capital bill until the state has a balanced budget.

In hopes of changing the governor’s mind about signing the legislation, the bill was held in the House Chamber.

“Rep. Lou Lang (D-Skokie), who sponsored the legislation in the House, having voted for the bill filed a motion to reconsider the vote — having voted on the prevailing side,” Jones said. “To hold it in the House Chamber and not let it go to the governor. Our hope is that state leaders will convince him in the next few days and sign it into law and get people to work in Illinois. Then we’ll negotiate the budget and come to a conclusion and get the budget done.”

At issue with the state budget, Jones said, is Quinn’s proposal to increase income taxes at 67 percent as well as making cuts in spending.

“The income tax increase is detrimental to a lot of people,” he remarked. “There’s both sides of the issue, but we’re not going to solve this overnight.”

Earlier this month it was announced that the city would be receiving at least $4 million toward the Veterans Memorial Drive extension to Davidson Avenue and Illinois Route 15 road project. The project is part of the six-year plan for the Illinois Department of Transportation as included in the capital bill. Since passage of the spending plan, an additional $495,000 has now been included towards the engineering and completion of the project.

City Manager Ron Neibert said the city is “ready to move forward in design and starting that project,” once the legislation becomes law.

The city has two additional road projects in the capital bill — widening 34th Street from Peach Street to Veterans Memorial Drive and widening 42nd Street from Victoria to Richview Road, according to Neibert.

Other spending approved in the second part of the capital Sunday include:

$125,000 to the city of Mt. Vernon for infrastructure, public service and safety improvements and the purchase of a new fire truck and/or capital improvements;

$100,000 to Rome Township for the purchase or construction of a new facility for the township building;

$100,000 to Waltonville High School for roof replacement;

$75,000 to Grand Prairie Township for the remodeling of the existing Township Building or construction of a new building;

$60,000 to Blissville Township for a new township building;

$100,000 to Farrington Township for the construction of a township/equipment building;

$25,000 to the city of Nason for wastewater improvements;

$20,000 to the Village of Dix for capital improvements;

$20,000 to Belle Rive for water project improvements;

$20,000 to Bonnie for infrastructure improvements;

$20,000 to Bluford for infrastructure improvements;

$40,000 to Ina for infrastructure, public service and security improvements;

$25,000 to Woodlawn for infrastructure, public service and security improvements;

$25,000 to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office for infrastructure, public service and security improvements;

$20,000 to the Mt. Vernon Police Department for infrastructure, public service and security improvements; and

$20,000 to Waltonville for infrastructure, public service and security improvements.

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