WHITE CO., Ill. - Like the other counties, White County has officially filed a lawsuit for its salary reimbursements from the state of Illinois.
White County prosecutor Denton Aud
White County State's Attorney Denton Aud issued this statement yesterday:
"With approval from and at the direction of the White County Board, my office has prepared and filed a lawsuit on behalf of White County against Constance Beard in her official capacity as Director of Illinois Department of Revenue and Leslie Geissler Munger in her official capacity as Comptroller. Consistent with the other counties that have previously filed suit, we are alleging that the State is failing to comply with its statutory obligations of reimbursing the taxpayer coffers of White County for portions of the salaries of the positions of State's Attorney, Public Defender, and Supervisor of Assessments from the Personal Property Tax Replacement Fund, which is a separate fund that is statutorily mandated to be used to reimburse counties on a continual annual appropriation regardless of the status of the annual budgetary negotiations process or status of the general fund. Basically, this fund is to be used for making these payments to the counties regardless of whether the General Assembly and governor have enacted a budget for general spending or not. In November, St. Clair County was successful in pursuing its lawsuit of the same subject matter resulting in the Comptroller and Department of Revenue being ordered to pay St. Clair County its lawfully due reimbursements. Nevertheless, rather than reimbursing each county what is legally due, each county is being forced to file their respective lawsuits to have the courts order the State to comply with the law.
"Though it is widely known that there is currently more dysfunction in Springfield than the normal climate that can and does routinely result in overbearing, invasive, and unnecessary legislation and debt, the rule of law of a civilized society requires that statutory mandates imposed on governmental units be complied with just as much, if not more than, as citizens are expected to follow the law. White County has joined others in initiating the process of obtaining relief for what it is due under the law."
There has been no movement from state legislators or Governor Bruce Rauner on the budget impasse. The situation apparently is going to have to reach crisis levels (if it hasn't already) before anyone at the state level experiences a cranial-rectal extraction.
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