Office Depot was listed as the vendor for all the expenses. Looking on the Office Depot website, basic 8 ½" x 11" white writing pads sell for $9.79 per dozen. At this rate, the Department of Employment Security could have bought around 6,000 writing pads in 2009.
To find these expenses on the IllinoisOpenGov site, go to "Checks to Businesses & People" and scroll down "Category of Spending" to "Sn 1505 Pad, Ruled White Writi" and "Sn 1504 Pad, Ruled, White, Writ."
In 2009 (up until the time of our FOIA requests), the Department of Aging spent $433,782.09 to rent services and equipment. The rental of telephone services and equipment accounts for the largest portion of this spending at $271,945.39, the next most expensive rentals were for data communication services and equipment, for which the Department of Aging spent $89,173.42. For a complete breakdown of spending on rental equipment and service by this department see the table below.
The majority of these rentals are labeled as "Intergovernmental Transactions" suggesting that they came from other units of government (possibly federal or local). Beyond these, the biggest providers of equipment were Marriott International Inc and Pitney Bowes Inc who received $19,346.18 and $16,078.8 respectively.
You can find this information for yourself by clicking on the "Checks to Businesses & People" section, selecting "Department of Aging" under the department heading, and searching for any of the rental types listed below in the "Category of Spending" section.
The State of Illinois spent $459,513 on forage, farm, and garden supplies by the time of our Freedom of Information Act request in 2009. The Department of Transportation was responsible for $450,677 of the expenses in 2009. The table below breaks down the expenses by year and department.
To find these expenses on the IllinoisOpenGov site, go to "Checks to Businesses & People" and scroll down "Category of Spending" to "Forage & Farm & Garden Supplies" and "Forage and Farm and Garden Supplies."
In 2009 (up until the time of our FOIA request), the Department of Employment Security paid Garvey's Office Plus INC $480 for bubble wrap. We have already covered the large amounts of money the Department of Employment Security has spent on postage and for shipping charges at UPS. This bubble wrap provides yet another example of how many tax dollars are spent by the Department of Employment Security to ship packages.
You can find this information for yourself by clicking on the "Checks to Business & People" section and scrolling down to "Garvey's Office Plus INC" in the "vendor" section.
Over the past couple of weeks the Spotlight On Spending Blog has pointed out a number of examples of questionable spending purchases made from Office Depot. Looking at the total amount of money spent at Office Depot also returns interesting results. In 2008 and 2009, the state spent $1,306,818.74 on purchases from Office Depot. After spending $329,252.93 in 2008, the state almost tripled that amount in 2009, spending $977,565.81.
The Department of Transportation and the Department of Corrections were the biggest spenders with total purchases of $475,022.06 and $381,390.17 respectively. The majority of purchases made by the Department of Transportation were vaguely labeled as "office or library equipment." Meanwhile, the Department of Corrections' purchases were for items simply termed "commodities." For a complete breakdown of spending by department see the table below.
Across departments and years the total spent by the state on items that in response to our FOIA requests they labeled simply as library or office equipment comes to $642,205.01, and for commodities that number is $334,016.44, or roughly 80% of the total amount spent at Office Depot. As mentioned above, looking through the approximately 20% of purchases that are more clearly defined there are numerousinstances of questionable spending. The state should report this other, much larger portion of the purchases with greater detail so taxpayers can determine if their money is being spent efficiently.
You can find this information for yourself by clicking on the "Checks to Businesses & People" section and searching for Office Depot under the "vendor" category.
How much does the Department of Employment Security spend on toilet paper? It spent $15,929.95 on toilet paper in 2008, and $4,577.92 in 2009 by the time of our FOIA request.
The Department of Employment Security had two vendors listed for toilet paper. Between 2008 and 2009 Office Depot received $19,695.47 and Garvey's Office Plus Inc received $812.40.
To find these expenses on the IllinoisOpenGov site, go to "Checks to Businesses & People" and scroll down "Category of Spending" to "Biodegradable Toilet Tissue Fo," "Sn 2535 Tissue, Toilet (436-6," and "Sn 2535 Tissue, Toilet (436-67."
The State of Illinois spent over $44 million on commodities in 2009 by the time of our FOIA requests. The departments with the highest expenditures for 2009 were the Department of Corrections ($44,066,606) and the Department of Transportation ($553,803). The table below breaks down the spending by department.
There were over 1,100 vendors listed for commodities, and 43 vendors received more than $100,000. The top three vendors for that time frame were Correctional Industries ($12,958,356), M J Kellner Company Inc ($7,941,270), and Advanced Commodities ($4,427,337).
To find these expenses on the IllinoisOpenGov site, go to "Checks to Businesses & People," select 2009 for "Year" and scroll down "Category of Spending" to "Commodities," "Commodities Nec," "Commodities, Nec," "Commodities, Not Else Class," "Commodities, Not Elsewhere Classified," "Commodities, Uclassified," and "Commodities, Unclassified." To download the data, click on the Excel or CSV icon below the search results.
Commodity Expenses in 2009
Amount
Department of Corrections
$44,066,606.65
Department of Transportation
$553,803.71
Department of Military Affairs
$47,931.17
Department on Aging
$22,499.16
Department of Veteran Affairs
$5,894.62
Department of Human Rights
$3,551.08
Department of Healthcare and Family Services
$346.19
Department of Employment Security
$74.20
Dept of Financial and Professional Regulation
$0.00*
Grand Total
$44,700,706.78
*Expenses showing "$0" have been classified by their respective departments and were not available through the FOIA.
In 2008 and 2009 (up until the time of our FOIA requests), the Department of Employment Security spent $3,695.13 on cups. After spending $2,902.91 in 2008, the Department appears to have scaled back in 2009, only spending $792.22 through roughly the first nine months of the year. Interestingly, in 2008, the Department made a single purchase of $2,351.50 worth of 3 Oz cups from Office Depot. Office Depot sells 3 Oz cups in boxes of 1,200 cups for $45.09. With this number in mind, the Department of Employment Security could have purchased 52 boxes, or 62,400 cups, in this one purchase.
You can find this information for yourself by going to the "Checks to Businesses & People" section and searching for "SN 1190 cup, drinking, 3 OZ. (" in the "category of spending" section.
The Department of Employment Security in Illinois is responsible for administering unemployment benefits, helping "job seekers find jobs and employers find workers" and publishing "information on the Illinois economy and careers." With these three core areas of its mission in mind, it's helpful to look at the department's top areas of spending in 2008 and 2009 (found in the table below) to get a better idea of what portion of the budget is being spent directly on fulfilling these responsibilities. Some of the more interesting parts include the 7th and 8th largest areas of spending, which are for postage and reimbursement of postage charges and account for roughly 10% of the department's $86,422,585.66 budget during this period. The second largest area of spending was $13,218,721.3, which was set aside as part of a facilities management fund. Finally, in response to our FOIA requests, the department listed $2,147,756.76, approximately 2% of their budget, as "N/A," meaning they gave us no data explaining how this money was spent.
You can find this information for yourself by going to the "Checks to Business & People" section, scrolling down to Department of Employment Security under the "department" label, and searching for the different areas of spending listed below. Alternatively, you can download the data to an excel sheet (using the button in the bottom right corner) which will allow you to sort for the most expensive categories of spending and create the table below.
"supports Illinois workers' efforts to upgrade their skills in order to remain current in new technologies and business practices, enabling companies to remain competitive, expand into new markets and introduce more efficient technologies into their operations. ETIP grants may reimburse Illinois companies for up to 50 percent of the cost of training their employees."
The contact at the DCEO stated that the grant to Kohl's was used to help train 100 employees.
To find this information on the IllinoisOpenGov site, go to "Checks to Businesses & People" and scroll down category of spending to "Cash Request From 02/24/2009 Grant Number 09171002."
The State of Illinois spent $1,146,990 on "Food Supplies" in 2008 and an additional $430,373 in 2009 by the time of our FOIA request. The Department of Veteran Affairs accounted for 99.5% of the total in 2008 and more than 95% of the total in 2009. The table below breaks down the expenses by year and department.
There were 84 vendors for the various food supply expenses, and six vendors received more than $100,000 between 2006 and 2009. The top three vendors for "Food Supplies" in that time frame were Roberts Foods Inc ($404,481), M J Kellner Company Inc ($269,392) and Kohl Wholesale ($217,112).
To find this information on the IllinoisOpenGov site go to "Checks to Businesses & People" and scroll down "Category of Spending" to "Food Supplies." To download the data, click on the Excel or CSV icon below the search results.
Spending on Food Supplies
Amount
2006
$8,506.37
Department of Veteran
Affairs
$8,506.37
2007
$2,015.04
Department of Veteran
Affairs
$2,015.04
2008
$1,146,990.31
Department of Veteran
Affairs
$1,141,885.02
Governor's Office
$5,081.70
Department of Healthcare
and Family Services
$23.59
2009
$430,373.37
Department of Veteran
Affairs
$409,561.39
Department of Military
Affairs
$9,369.42
Department of
Transportation
$6,647.57
Governor's Office
$2,328.73
Department of Human
Rights
$1,086.36
Department of Labor
$671.33
Department of Children
and Family Services
$656.45
Department of Healthcare
and Family Services
$52.12
Dept of Financial and
Professional Regulation*
$0.00
Grand Total
$1,587,885.09
*Expenses showing "$0" have been classified by their respective departments, and were not available through the FOIA.
In 2008 and 2009(up until the time of our FOIA requests), the Department of Employment Security spent $3,570.25 on dues for regional chambers of commerce. After spending $1,906.87 in 2008, the Department spent another $1,663.38 in 2009. The most expensive memberships were the Grayslake Chamber of Commerce which cost the Department $280 in 2008, and the Green Oaks, Lake Forest, Mundelein, and Vernon Hills Chamber of Commerce whose membership fee was $260 in 2008.
You can find this information for yourself by clicking on the "Checks to Businesses & People" section and scrolling down to "Assoc dues," "Chamber dues," and "Assn dues" under "Category of Spending."
In 2008 and 2009 (up until the time of our FOIA requests), the Department of Employment Security spent $3,239.02 on employee appreciation. The largest payments were $225.00 to Laura Crivlare-Maglio, $194.00 to Marie E. Dimuzio, and $141.33 to Patricia E. Marko. Were these simply cash payouts rewarding employees for their hard work? If so, who determined the amounts and how did they make those determinations? Additionally, if these are cash payments, separating them into an employee appreciation section instead of including them in the individual employee's payroll makes it more difficult for taxpayers to see how much state employees are truly being paid.
You can find this information for yourself by clicking on the "Checks to Businesses & People" section and scrolling down to "emply apprec_emply" and "emply apprec_vendor" in the "category of spending" section.
To find this data on the IllinoisOpenGov site, go to "Checks to Businesses & People" and scroll down "Category of Spending" to "Books Maps & Paintings." To download the data, click on the Excel or CSV icon below the search results.
The State of Illinois spent $2,987,246.77 on remodeling and renovations in 2008 and 2009, with the majority of the expenses coming from 2009. By the time of our FOIA request in 2009, the Department of Transportation had spent $2,891,779.72 on remodeling and renovations. There are 36 vendors for the various remodeling expenses, and they range from décor specialists, such as American Decor Inc of Hannibal, MO, to construction companies, such as Johnson-Downs Construction. The table below breaks down the expenses by year and department.
To find this data on the IllinoisOpenGov site go to "Checks to Businesses & People" and scroll down "Category of Spending" to "Remodeling & Renovation," "Remodeling and Renovation Projects," "Remodeling and Renovations Projects," "Cubicle Remodel," and "Cubicle Tool Bars & Trays For Remodel." To download the data, click on the Excel or CSV icon below the search results.
In 2008 and 2009 (up until the time of our FOIA requests), the state spent $56,348,306.29 to purchase, rent, and maintain motor vehicles. The biggest areas of spending for the state were: over $28 million for non-passenger automobiles, around $13 million on repairs, and over $7.5 million on operating expenses. A more comprehensive breakdown of the state's spending on automobiles can be found in the table below.
You can find this information for yourself by going to the "Checks to Businesses & People" section. From there you can either look up individual categories of spending or download the data as an excel file (using the button in the bottom left corner) and filter for the specific areas of spending you are interested in.
Category of Spending
$ Amount
1 YR SUBSCRIPTION RENEWAL
TO AUTOMOTIVE NEWS""
159
Auto Expense NEC
928.3
AUTO PARTS
2974.43
AUTO REPAIR
13850.96
AUTOMOTIVE EXPENSES, NOT
ELSE CLASSIFIED
8967.94
Automotive Expenses, Not
elsewhere Classified
644477.48
Automotive Expenses,
Unclassified
9566.9
Automotive Service,
Unclassified
466
Automotive Services, Not
Elsewhere Classified
85158.45
CMS AUTO REGISTRATION
1200
CMS AUTO RENT
21875
FUEL & CAR WASH FOR
AUTOMOTIVE EQUIP
1078.83
FUEL & CAR WASHES FOR
AUTOMOTIVE EQUIP
132.1
FUEL & OIL CHANGE FOR
AUTOMOTIVE EQUIP
1132.29
FUEL FOR AUTOMOTIVE EQUIP
11300.37
FUEL, OIL CHANGE &
CAR WASH FOR AUTOMOTIVE EQUIP
2147.27
FUEL, OIL CHANGE &
CAR WASHES FOR AUTOMOTIVE EQUIP
6610.58
MAINTENANCE & REPAIR
OF AUTO
222
Motor Vechicles Other
than Passenger Automobiles
28191087.37
Motor Vehicles Other than
Automobiles
29490
MOTOR VEHICLES OTHER THAN
PASSENGER AUTOS
35491
Operation of Automotive
Equipment
7573642.52
OTHER AUTOMOTIVE SERVICES
287.4
Parts & Fit Auto
Equipment
5385.92
PARTS & FITTINGS,
AUTOMOTIVE EQUIP
15387.34
PARTS AND FITTING,
AUTOMOTIVE EQUIP.
4.72
Parts and fittings,
Automotive Equip
6168057.79
Parts and Fittings,
Automotive Equipment
8992.18
PASSENGER AUTOMOBILES
480652
REIMBURSEMENT TO ILDCEO
EMPLY FOR OP OF AUTO
4.99
REIMBURSEMENT TO ILDCEO
EMPLY FOR OP OF AUTOREPAIR
By the time of our FOIA request in 2009, the Department of Transportation spent $1,656,543,925.65 on "Construction and Improvements-Highways." Payments were made to over 600 different vendors, and the average total payment per vendor was $2,461,432. The table below shows the ten vendors who received the largest payments.
To find this data on the IllinoisOpenGov site, go to "Checks to Businesses and People" and scroll down "Category of Spending" to "Construction and Improvements-Highways." To download the data, click on the Excel or CSV icon below the search results.
In 2008, the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity spent $1,068.00 on table tents. Table tents are tabletop displays often used to promote menu items at restaurants. These purchases were made from Star Graphics & Media, an advertising firm that provides "high-impact, cost effective promotional materials."
You can find this information for yourself by clicking on "Checks to Businesses & People" and scrolling down to "(8) table tents $18.00 ea $144.00" in the "Spending Category."
In 2008 and 2009 (up until the time of our FOIA requests), the state spent $4,765.00 on business cards. The biggest spenders were the Department of Employment Security which spent $2,581.00, followed by the Governor's Office which spent $1,329.00 on business cards. The majority of these purchases were made from Transitions NFP and Global Printing and Graphics, which combined accounts for $4,170.00 of the business card purchases.
You can find this information for yourself by going to the "Checks to Businesses & People" section and searching for "Transitions NFP," "Global Printing and Graphics," and "Werner Printing Company Inc." in the vendor section.
In 2008, the Department of Public Health had expenses for telephone interviews for the CDC totaling $551,895.96. The vendor for the charges was Northern Illinois University in DeKalb. Click here to see an article from the CDC's website regarding telephone interview plans for 2008.
To find these charges on the IllinoisOpenGov site go to "Checks to Businesses & People" and scroll down "Category of Spending" to "Teleph1 Interviews For Cdc." To download the data, click on the Excel or CSV icon below the search results.
In 2008, the Governor's Office had "Telecom" expenses
totaling $123,180.30. By the time of our FOIA request in 2009, the total was
$40,208.26. Some of the expenses labeled "Telecom" have extra information
describing the expense, such as landline or cell phone, but the majority of the
charges simply list "Telecom."
To find this information on the IllinoisOpenGov site go to
"Checks to Businesses & People" and scroll down the "Department" options to
"Governor's Office." Then scroll down "Category of Spending" to "Telecom" to
see the various categories starting with that term. To see the data used in the
table you can download the search results by clicking on the Excel or CSV icon
below the results.
In 2008, the Department of Employment Security spent $1,489.20 at the Hilton in Springfield. The bills ranged from $78.40 to $259.2. Rooms with one king sized bed or two queen sized beds "furnished with the latest comforts and amenities" are offered at the Hilton for $123.00 per night. The bills for over $200 might represent the purchase of multiple rooms or the use of a number of extra amenities like valet parking for $15.00, or food and drinks at Bennigan's Tavern.
You can find this information for yourself by going to the "Checks to Businesses & People" section and searching for "Direct Bill @ Hilton Springfie" in the "Category of Spending" section.
In 2008 and 2009 (up until the time of our FOIA request) the Department of Employment Security spent $29,479.24 on paper towels. After spending $9,849.21 in 2008, the department more then doubled its spending on paper towels to $19,630.03 in 2009.
You can find this information for yourself by going to the "Checks to Businesses & People" section and searching for "sn 2530 towel, paper, multifold" in the "Category of Spending" Section.
By the time of our FOIA request in 2009, the State of Illinois spent $52,184,919.52 on salt and abrasives for road use. The Department of Transportation was responsible for almost the entire total spending $52,161,595.91. A table below breaks down the expenses by year and department.
To find this data on the IllinoisOpenGov site, go to "Checks to Businesses & People" and scroll down "Category of Spending" to "Rock Salt, CalciumChloride&Abrasives for Road Use," "Rock Salt, Calcium Chloride &Abrasive for Road Use," and "SALT & ABRASIVES FOR ROAD USE." To download the data, click on the Excel or CSV icon below the search results.
In 2008 and 2009 (up until the time of our FOIA request), the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity paid Daniel J Edelman Inc. $1,746,934.22 for professional public relations services. Edelman Inc. was paid $1,273,150.76 in 2008, and $473,783.46 in 2009. For such a large sum of money, plus the fact that some of the payments are for as much as $53,000, the state should provide taxpayers with more information on what services are being provided.
You can find this information for yourself by going to the "Checks to Businesses & People" section and searching for "professional services as publc relatns agent DCEO" in the "Category of Spending" section.
In 2008, the Governor's Office spent at least $66,877 on expenses related to the Governor's mansion. By the time of our FOIA requests in 2009, the total for that year was $18,814. These totals are for items that either have "mansion" within the "Category of Spending" or other evidence that they are mansion related expenses. Expenses are broken down by year and category of spending in the table below. There are other expenses listed by the Governor's Office which may be for the mansion but are too ambiguous to differentiate between the office and the mansion, such as $851 for "Kitchen Supplies," $1394 for "Waste Removal," and $13,550 for "Repair Air Conditioning."
To find these items on the IllinoisOpenGov site, go to "Checks to Businesses & People" and scroll down "Category of Spending" to the various categories listed in the table or "Governor's Office" under "Department" to see a list of all the expenditures from the Governor's Office. You can download the data by clicking on the Excel or CSV icon below the search results.
In 2008 and 2009 (up until the time of our FOIA request), the Department of Employment Security spent $198,537.40 on professional and artistic services. The cost of these services ranged from $30 to the Chicago Access Corp to $56,233.65 to GS Services Limited. The state should provide taxpayers with more information on what services were performed for the nearly $200,000 spent, so we can determine if it was an efficient use of our money.
You can find this information for yourself by going to the "Checks to Business & People" section and searching for "prof and artistic serv, nec" in the category of spending.
The State of Illinois spent more than $22 million on statistical and tabulation services in 2008. By the time of our FOIA request in 2009, various departments had spent more than $9 million that year on those services. In 2008, the Department of Healthcare and Family Services had the largest expenditures on statistical services with a total of $21,288,148.80, and the Department of Transportation spent the most in 2009 with a total of $6,733,842.36. The table below breaks down the data by department and year.
To find this data on the IllinoisOpenGov site, go to "Checks to Businesses & People" and scroll down "Category of Spending" to "Statistical & Tabulating Serv," "Statistical & Tabulation Serv.," "Statistical & Tabulation Services," "Statistical and Management Services," "Statistical and Tabulation Ser," "Statistical and Tabulation Services," and "Statistical&Tabulation Services." The numbers on the website are slightly different than those used in the table due to rounding. To see the data used in the table, download the search results by clicking on the Excel or CSV icon below the results.
The Department of Healthcare and Family Services paid out $180,700,780 in "Grants To Organizations" in 2008 and an additional $25,188,822 in 2009 (by the time of our FOIA requests). The data is broken down by organization and year in the table below. Most of the organizations are in Illinois, but a few are in Louisiana, Minnesota, and Arizona. Louisiana Healthcare Review received over $5 million in grants from DHFS in 2008 and 2009.
Looking through the DHFS website, I was unable to find out more about what "Grants To Organizations" entailed. Some of the organizations appear to be non-profit foundations, such as Advocate Charitable Foundation, while others seem to be for-profit companies, such as the Louisiana Healthcare Review.
To find these entries on the IllinoisOpenGov site, go to "Checks to Businesses & People" and scroll down "Category of Spending" to "Grants To Organizations." Download the data by clicking on the Excel or CSV icon below the search results to see the exact figures used in the table below.
In 2009 (up until the time of our FOIA request), the Department of Employment Security paid 
