Government
Read more about the article County says plan to repair, replace buildings will cost median household $20 per yearAP
The Champaign County Nursing Home on Monday, October 17, 2016. photo by Darrell Hoemann/CU-Citizen Access

County says plan to repair, replace buildings will cost median household $20 per year

Champaign County officials say they are facing a host of critical repairs and improvements that need to be made at county buildings but have been deferred for years. In response, they have proposed a 0.25 percent sales tax referendum they say will cost a median-income household only $20 per year.

Continue ReadingCounty says plan to repair, replace buildings will cost median household $20 per year
Read more about the article Illinois gets D+ grade in 2015 State Integrity InvestigationDarrell Hoemann
on Tuesday, November 3, 2015. photo by Darrell Hoemann/The Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting

Illinois gets D+ grade in 2015 State Integrity Investigation

Four of the seven Illinois governors elected from 1960 through 2006 went on to serve time in prison, so it’s no surprise that Illinois has developed a reputation more criminal than credible. Nor is it surprising that Illinois earned a D+ in the State Integrity Investigation, an assessment of state government transparency and accountability by the Center for Public Integrity and Global Integrity.

Continue ReadingIllinois gets D+ grade in 2015 State Integrity Investigation
Read more about the article Landlords benefit from loose law; save millions in taxesDarrell Hoemann
home with a homestead exemption on Wednesday, June 10, 2015. photo by Darrell Hoemann/C-U Citizen Access

Landlords benefit from loose law; save millions in taxes

Champaign County landlords are reaping more than $20 million in tax exemptions a year by taking advantage of a loosely written state law and an interpretation of that law by the county supervisor of assessments.

Continue ReadingLandlords benefit from loose law; save millions in taxes
Read more about the article Champaign County owes employees more than $1 million in unused vacation timeDarrell Hoemann
Deb Busey, Champaign County administrator in her office in the Brookens Center in Urbana, IL on Tuesday, May 20, 2014. photo by Darrell Hoemann/C-U Citizen Access

Champaign County owes employees more than $1 million in unused vacation time

Despite a 2003 effort to limit the number of unused vacation days employees can carry over, Champaign County workers have accumulated more than 62,000 hours of unused vacation. And that total will cost the county at least an estimated $1.6 million as of the last fiscal year, according to County Administrator Deb Busey.

Continue ReadingChampaign County owes employees more than $1 million in unused vacation time
Read more about the article Efforts at transparency in government lost in translationDanielle Sheppard/CU-CitizenAccess.org
The Champaign county clerk's office collects nearly 2,000 statement of economic interest forms each year from local elected officials and high-ranking government employees. But few of them disclose any information.

Efforts at transparency in government lost in translation

Illinois state law requires government officials in Champaign County to file forms disclosing financial dealings that might lead to conflicts of interest in their official duties. But a review by CU-CitizenAccess.org of over 9,000 forms filed by officials over the past five years found that an average 16 percent of officials reveal any specific information.

Continue ReadingEfforts at transparency in government lost in translation