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Winnebago County, Illinois

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Budget N
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Meetings Y
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Elected Officials Y
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Administrative Officials Y
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Permits, zoning Y
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Audits N
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Contracts N
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Lobbying N
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Public records N
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Local taxes P
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County websites
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Transparency grading process

Contents

Winnebago County is one of 102 counties in Illinois. The county has a population of 299,702.[1]

[edit] Website evaluation

[edit] The good

  • County board members are listed with individual contact information.[2]
  • Board meeting minutes and agendas are posted[3], along with meeting dates.[4]
  • Building and Zoning information is available.[5]
  • Administrative officials are listed.[6]
  • Tax bills can be viewed and paid online[7], but little information on local taxes is provided.

[edit] The bad

http://sunshinestandard.org
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[edit] Lobbying

Main article: Lobbying in Winnebago County, Illinois

Winnebago County has spent at least $91,285.50 since 2005 on taxpayer-funded lobbying.

Taxpayer-funded lobbying is the use of public funds by governments to influence other levels of government. Counties, for example, will pay lobbyists to influence the state or the federal government. This type of lobbying is often not disclosed to constituents. Counties hire lobbyists on a contractual basis, have lobbyists on staff, or join groups which promote or oppose legislation on their behalf. Lobbyists also help counties seeking specific projects or appropriations.

Winnebago County's lobbying consists of one contract with lobbyist Kolkmeier Consulting. It belongs to two taxpayer-funded lobbying associations, including Metro Counties of Illinois.

For more on Winnebago County lobbying, see the main article.

Lobbying since 2005
$ lobbying total $ Illinois $ federal government $ lobbying groups # lobbying contracts # lobbying groups
$91,285.50 $10,500.00- $80,785.50 12

[edit] Salaries

The Winnebago County website does not include information about salaries paid to county employees or elected officials. The website also does not include information about the number of employees on the county payroll.

[edit] Pensions

Main article: Illinois Public Pensions

The Winnebago County website does not include information about the pension plans for its employees and elected officials. There is also no available information about the county's pension liability.

In November 2010 a group of Winnebago municipal leaders went to Springfield to air grievances over funding local pensions for police and fire departments. The municipal leaders said they could not afford the pension plans and were being forced to consider diminishing those departments because they do not have the funds to pay for police and fire employees and pay into the pension plans. [8] Rockford Mayor Larry Morrissey told Illinois Statehouse News that municipal pensions in their current forms are not sustainable. He said he wants to see the legislature tackle serious reforms to allow reorganization of pensions similar to corporate reorganizations under the bankruptcy codes. [9]

Illinois is facing a crisis with its publicly funded pensions. In 2010 state government was responsible for over $130 billion in pension payments, however they only had $46 billion set aside, which leaves an unfunded liability of about $85 billion. [10] Finding a way to fund that $85 billion will be the focus of the 2011 general assembly. The Pew Center for the States reported that as of 2008, Illinois is one of the worst states at contributing to its pension systems. State lawmakers will consider selling $4 billion of bonds to pay the state's annual payment on the five pension programs it runs. [11] In April, the state legislature created a two-tier system for all municipal and state employees—including teachers and state lawmakers—hired after Jan 1, 2011. Police and fire were included in an earlier draft but removed shortly before the vote. For the others, retirement was raised to 67. [12]

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  1. ↑ Census Quick Facts - Winnebago County, Illinois
  2. ↑ Board Members
  3. ↑ Meeting Agenda/Minutes
  4. ↑ Meeting Dates
  5. ↑ Building and Zoning
  6. ↑ County Board Staff
  7. ↑ Property Tax
  8. ↑ 'Rockford Register Star', Morrissey Tells Legislators that Citizens Want Pension Reform, Nov. 17, 2010
  9. ↑ 'Illinois Statehouse News', Rockford Mayor: More Pension Reform Needed Nov. 29, 2010
  10. ↑ Illinois Issues, The Pension Chasm, November 15, 2010
  11. ↑ State House News, November 4, 2010
  12. ↑ 'Patch.com' Illinois Senate to Vote on Public Safety Pension Reforms Thursday Morning, Dec. 1, 2010
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