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PRINGFIELD — First billed as a way to fix crumbling roads and schools,
Illinois FIRST has done far more.
The five-year, $12 billion program funded by higher alcohol taxes and vehicle
fees has paid to send a suburban high school performance group to Washington,
D.C., and covered the rent and other working costs for organizations ranging
from the Vietnamese Association of Illinois to the National Association of
Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders in Highland Park.
And while many worthwhile projects have been undertaken, Illinois FIRST has
faced growing criticism largely because of the inclusion of more than $1 billion
in lawmakers' pet projects that have grown increasingly suspect given the
state's dwindling economic condition.
Cynthia Canary, director of the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform, said
her organization was concerned from the beginning with the spending and the lack
of disclosure before checks were written, particularly when the state's
financial status turned south. "A lot of good stuff seems to have gotten
done, certainly," Canary said. "But it also seemed like the state was awash in
projects and money until it wasn't.
"It's really not a question that our state didn't need to do some major
infrastructure projects, because we certainly did. And it's not a question that
different projects have different meaning to different communities," Canary said
of Illinois FIRST, launched by Gov. George Ryan and lawmakers in 1999.
"But you could never get a handle on the whole picture," Canary said. "Every
now and then you'd hear, 'It's a Little League field, it's a stained glass
window,' and you'd wonder, 'What's that about?'µ"
To help win support for the program and to keep tax hikes lower than first
proposed, lawmakers and the governor agreed to set aside money for local
projects in 1999 when the state's bank accounts were flush with cash as
Illinois' economy soared. Lawmakers' projects included $25,000 for a Jack Benny
statue in Waukegan, $10,000 for Naperville's carillon bells, $100,000 for golf
clubs and lessons for at-risk children in Kane County, $2,500 for a McHenry
County story-telling festival, and $15,000 in equipment for a Cook County
Ukrainian dance ensemble.
Some lawmakers object to these projects being classified as Illinois FIRST
spending, saying it has turned a public works program into a catchall for state
spending.
"Illinois FIRST is a convenient explanation for whatever people want to take
credit for," said state Sen. Steven Rauschenberger, an Elgin Republican.
Ryan argues lawmakers have done a good job selecting projects for Illinois
FIRST dollars.
"Ninety-nine percent of it has been used wisely. Have there been some
mistakes made? I suppose. Can I point them out? No, not really,"
Ryan said, saying it's "nonsense" to focus on the negative side of Illinois
FIRST.
"Of the thousands of projects and millions of dollars that have been spent,
I'm sure that even the dimmest of minds could probably find a dozen or half a
dozen projects that they could say weren't worthwhile," Ryan told a Daily Herald
reporter. "This has been an excellent program for a lot of communities,
including communities like yours. And you ought to point that out."
Grasping exactly how decisions are made on spending, however, often borders
on impossible.
Three years ago, key business groups recommended creating a panel to oversee
Illinois FIRST spending. The members would oversee public disclosure of
project information and help set priorities to preserve public confidence in the
massive spending program. Requests would have been subjected to a "taxpayer
value test" to reduce waste and ensure priorities and need, rather than
politics, drove funding.
The oversight panel never came about, and little to no public information is
available about what projects are being considered, until the money is actually
approved. There is no Illinois FIRST checkbook to consult. Much of the borrowing
was tacked on to existing state credit lines. After the first year, the
Illinois Department of Transportation simply stopped tracking which projects
were Illinois FIRST projects.
In each of its annual progress reports on Illinois FIRST, the Chicago-based
Metropolitan Planning Council cites the need for more
information about projects and priorities so employers, elected officials, the
media and the public can assess the program.