Quinn posts state budget data online

Update | 3:08 p.m. Illinois Republican Party Chairman Pat Brady has responded to the governor's posting of the budget online:

"Even though Governor Quinn is putting Illinois in even more economic peril by pushing off his state budget, we're glad Governor Quinn and the Democrats are finally taking steps to listen to Illinoisans after years of mismanagement and 'government knows best' policies. The people of Illinois want to get their state back on track to economic prosperity by promoting pro-growth policies and to getting rid of regulation and uncertainty that leave job creators hesitant.

"The question is if Governor Quinn will listen and actually use the public's input on our economic woes or if this is an underhanded attempt to push off the state budget again and promote his tax increase agenda. Now at $13 billion in the red, Illinois needs to start with widespread reforms and spending cuts to fix our economic landscape. Only when the voters are confident our state government can be trusted to spend their taxpayer dollars should we start talking about increasing taxes."

Original post: It's likely to be the central issue in the general election, and now anyone who talks about the state budget has a lot more numbers to add to the discussion.

Gov. Pat Quinn posted the state's budget data online a few minutes ago, and the database is partly a launching point for what Democrats consider a vital move in fixing Illinois' financial woes: a tax increase.

It also sheds light on what might happen in the state if things stay exactly as they are. Among the highlights projected for next year's budget:

• a $417.7 million decline in bond-financed funds that help with transportation and other projects,
• an $83.2 million drop in federal trust funds for local efforts to with fire prevention, for example,
• a $65.2 million rise in debt-service funds to retirees,
• a $43.6 million drop in funding for special state programs such as youth alcoholism and substance-abuse prevention,
• a $27.3 million decline in state trust funds for such things as education and land reclamation,
• a $5.6 million drop in highway funds, and
• a $5.4 million drop in revolving funds for state costs such as air transportation and facilities management.

In all, state officials plan to shrink the budget by $517.6 million during 2011, hardly enough to put a dent in Illinois' estimated $13 billion deficit during 2010.

In addition to spending cuts, Quinn and fellow Democrats have been calling for a hike in the state's 3 percent income tax. He'll have a chance to call for it again during his budget address on March 10.

It's to the Republicans' chagrin, no doubt, but perhaps also to their benefit.

The Democrats' call for higher taxes gives state GOP leaders a clear point of opposition with the party in power, and if the primary election was any indication of what's to come, we can expect a host of arguments about why giving the state more money will just lead to more waste and corruption.

The budget Web site includes revenue and spending for the 2010 fiscal year so far and estimated figures for the rest of 2010 and 2011.

The site's not a huge help if you want to examine figures by anything other than their funding group, since the figures are available only in PDF format rather than spreadsheets.

But officials are touting it as the "first-ever interactive budget Web site."

"This site allows residents to offer suggestions on how to balance the budget while seeing first-hand the serious financial challenges our state faces,” David Vaught, director of the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget, says on the front page.

Among the questions Vaught asks in an introductory video: "Would you raise taxes, and by how much?"

Well, would you? What other ideas would you suggest?