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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     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
 
6     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
 
12     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
 
15     WHEREAS, Rental costs for at least some of the Springfield
16 options would be dramatically lower than what the State pays
17 now; and
 
18     WHEREAS, IDOT officials say saving money is one reason they
19 plan to move the nearly 150 jobs; and
 

 

 

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1     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
 
6     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
 
10     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
 
13     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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1 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
 
6     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
 
10     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
11 presented to the Governor.