Work Begins to Dig State Out of Budget Hole

Tim Nuding, director of new governor Bruce Rauner's Office of Management and Budget, Wednesday led a meeting and conference call with state agency chief financial officers to discuss Rauner's executive order addressing the state's fiscal crisis.

Stressing what he termed the state's "dire financial condition" and the need to eliminate a mid-year budget hole totaling nearly $1.5 billion, Nuding strongly emphasized the seriousness of the executive order and that agencies must "aggressively determine" spending that can and will be halted. He also asked agencies to begin building their reserves as much as possible by retaining money from items like unspent grants wherever applicable.

Nuding said the Administration is preparing to "responsibly manage" the inherited budget hole without inter-fund borrowing, and that the governor does not want to push more unpaid bills into next year.

Nuding also said Rauner is "not afraid to take the arrows" and do what it takes so Illinois can get to the point where it doesn't have fiscal crises year after year.