To The Editor:
Over the next month, there will be no other issue on the minds of people working at the state capitol than finding ways to help fill the state's budget hole. During times like these, it is essential that every penny of taxpayer money is looked at closely to ensure it is being spent wisely and efficiently. But as an audit recently found out, that's a pretty daunting task when state agencies are using hundreds of different non-interfacing accounting systems to accomplish this goal.
The Auditor General's report found that state agencies were using at least 263 different accounting systems and only 16 percent of those systems are compliant with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP). Half of the systems are more than 10 years old and many were installed about a half century ago, and it takes our state more than a year to compile a final spending report.
What does this mean for our state?
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If Illinois lawmakers do not address the state’s growing pension
crisis, essential investments in education, health care, and human
services will continue to be cut, according to a recent 