$70,000 to the NASWA
Using information from the Institute’s transparency website, IllinoisOpenGov.org I found that in 2008 and 2009 (up until the time of our FOIA requests), the state of Illinois paid the National Association of State Workforce Agencies $72,208.35 for a variety of …
Over $6,000 on Shredders
Using information from our new transparency website, IllinoisOpenGov.org, I found that in 2008 and 2009 (up until the time of our FOIA requests), the Department of Commerce spent $6,339.68 on paper shredders purchased from Office Depot Inc. The …
Site Improvements for the Department of Transportation
Using information from the Institute’s transparency website, IllinoisOpenGov.org, I found that in 2008 and 2009 (up until the time of our FOIA requests), the Department of Transportation spent $226,117.57 on projects labeled “site improvements.” These projects were handled by …
Step 1: Print Posters, Step 2: Ship from Utah, Step 3: Save Energy?
The Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity’s Division of Energy “promotes the efficient use of energy resources through a variety of technical and demonstration programs.”
Utilizing information provided by the state and posted at Illinoisopengov.org, the Illinois Policy Institute’s…
ILDCEO Registrations
From Illinois Open Gov:
In addition to spending more than $15,000 on travel, and more than $235,000 on membership fees, the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (ILDCEO) spent more than $2,000 on “Registration Fees” for …
A Model for Transparency: DuPage
DuPage County has done an excellent job of posting their financial records and other information on their website. As reported by The Geneva Sun, DuPage completed posting everything online in two months without hiring any firm or spending an …
Expensive Associations
After searching the Illinois Policy Institute’s new transparency website, IllinoisOpenGov.org, I found the Department of Transportation spent a total of $405,065 on “Association Dues,” ranging from the American Welding Society ($80) to the National Association of Governors ($16,312). Most …
City Council: Legislative Transparency
As of November 2nd, changes were made to ChiCityClerk.com that allowed citizens to more easily search and find a greater amount of information about legislation (passed, in the works, and proposed). The City Council has been searching for …
Accountability Portal Launched
For a look into Illinois state spending, check out the new transparency website, http://accountability.illinois.gov.
This site provides a good, first step towards more transparency in Illinois, but it still needs some work. For instance, it would be more helpful …
TIF Clouds
A TIF sunshine ordinance passed last April for the city of Chicago and sparked some hope it would help people more clearly understand TIF and help them track the enormous of amount of tax dollars flowing into the various TIF …
