Open Illinois.org

While looking through information on expenditures to businesses and people on IllinoisOpenGov.org, Illinois Policy Institute’s new transparency site, I found that in 2008 and 2009, the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity and the Department of Employment Security spent a total of $37,146 on booth rentals and materials. The 2008 total was $12,056, and the 2009 total (at the point of our FOIA requests) was $25,090. The breakdown of the expenditures by department is listed in the table below.

The booth rentals were listed for events such as trade shows, conferences, and fairs. While having booths at events like these in the past may have been common, during a time when the state is facing budget shortfalls we should reevaluate what is necessary government spending and what is unnecessary. To find the entries in the IllinoisOpenGov.org site, go to checks to Businesses & People and scroll down Category of Spending to “Booth Rental,” “Exhibit Booth,” and “Rental Of Booth.”

To read about booth costs associated with the Illinois State Fair, click here for an article from IllinoisPolicy.org.