The use of tax payer dollars in Illinois are in question tonight after an audit revealed less than half of state road funds are actually going to road construction.
An audit report revealed that in the last 10 years, less than half of the state road fund money in Illinois is actually going to fix the roads. The report states that a large part of that went to underwrite salaries in the secretary of state’s office and Illinois State Police, both of which have highway safety responsibilities.
“It should go to the roads, ain’t that why the tax is so high on gasoline and so forth?” Illinois resident Ron Steagall says.
Resident Adam Circello agrees, “We pay almost 4 dollars for gas to drive on a road that doesn’t even get us through our commute the quickest way possible. It doesn’t make any sense and it never will.”
The funds come primarily from federal government, motorist user fees and fuel taxes.
“I think it’s a waste of tax payer’s money,” Circello adds. “Living in the state of Illinois is one of the worse places to live in.”
We contacted the Illinois D.O.T. who released this statement
“Approximately 75% of the Road Fund is spent on transportation. Of course this includes road construction, in addition to safety, snow plowing, road safety programs such as seatbelt enforcement, construction maintenance and planning, many of which are required for federal funding. Only 25 percent is diverted to other state agencies. Actually - since the governor took office, we have seen a significant decline in the use of the road fund by other state agencies.
Skyrocketing pensions mean for less money available for roads: Pension contributions account for 8.2%, which underscores the Governor’s call for comprehensive pension reform, which he has been pushing for more than a year.”