Full Text of HR1297 95th General Assembly
HR1297 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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HR1297 |
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| HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| WHEREAS, The Illinois Department of Transportation's | 3 |
| traffic safety division is in what is known as the IDOT Annex, | 4 |
| near IDOT's main headquarters, the State-owned Hanley | 5 |
| Building, on Dirksen Parkway; and
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| WHEREAS, IDOT rents the Annex, next door to the Hanley | 7 |
| Building; IDOT pays $25.32 per square foot annually as rent, a | 8 |
| total of more than $1.7 million; and | 9 |
| WHEREAS, The current lease took effect in 2002 and expired | 10 |
| in July 2007; the lease cost was $1.66 million in fiscal 2007 | 11 |
| and $1.72 million in fiscal 2008, which ends June 30; and
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| WHEREAS, At least seven buildings in Springfield could | 13 |
| house the 150 people whose jobs the Illinois Department of | 14 |
| Transportation plans to move to southern Illinois; and
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| WHEREAS, Rental costs for at least some of the Springfield | 16 |
| options would be dramatically lower than what the State pays | 17 |
| now; and
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| WHEREAS, IDOT officials say saving money is one reason they | 19 |
| plan to move the nearly 150 jobs; and
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| WHEREAS, The City of Springfield has already lost 2,200 | 2 |
| State employees in the downtown area in recent years; if | 3 |
| Springfield could, by any chance, get some of those back, it | 4 |
| would be a boost to not only the entire city's economy, but to | 5 |
| the downtown area in particular; and
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| WHEREAS, Illinois Department of Transportation will need | 7 |
| to conduct a detailed analysis and public hearings before | 8 |
| relocating the 150 Division of Traffic Safety employees to | 9 |
| southern Illinois; and
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| WHEREAS, Benton is considered the leading candidate for the | 11 |
| new location, but Benton Mayor Gary Kraft said last week that | 12 |
| no structure in his city could house 150 new workers; and
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| WHEREAS, Covering moving expenses of displaced employees, | 14 |
| as promised by IDOT, could cost $2,500 to $4,100 per household; | 15 |
| and | 16 |
| WHEREAS, The numbers are rough estimates but underscore | 17 |
| that the expense of moving the division would offset the | 18 |
| savings IDOT expects from canceling a $1.7 million lease at the | 19 |
| current facility; and | 20 |
| WHEREAS, A new State law, signed by Governor Blagojevich, | 21 |
| directs State government to give preference "whenever |
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| operationally appropriate and economically feasible" to | 2 |
| locating facilities "in historic properties and in buildings | 3 |
| located within government recognized historic districts or | 4 |
| central business districts designated as such by a local or | 5 |
| regional planning agency"; therefore, be it
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| RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | 7 |
| NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we | 8 |
| urge the Governor to keep the Division of Traffic Safety of the | 9 |
| Department of Transportation in Springfield; and be it further
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| RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 11 |
| presented to the Governor.
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