Executive Report

By CHERYL FRANK

$100 million bond sale

TAKING advantage of its triple-A bond rating and a favorable bond market, Illinois sold $100 million in 10-year general obligation bonds to the First Boston Corp. of New York February 23 at a 9.7 percent interest rate. The interest rate was nearly 2 percent lower than the last sale in October. This will probably be the final bond sale for fiscal 1982. The state had originally planned to sell $380 million in bonds this fiscal year but reduced the figure to $200 million to save money on interest payments. As a result, work on state construction projects not already underway was frozen.

Corporate personal property replacement tax payments

The final 1981 payment of $43.6 million on the corporate personal property replacement tax was made to over 6,800 units of local government by the end of December. The first payment for 1982 amounted to $48.8 million and was sent out in January. The eight payments received in 1981 totaled $531.5 million, meeting expected projections. A spokesperson for the Department of Revenue said that the replacement tax, made up of an additional corporate income tax and a tax on invested capital of utilities, is netting local governmental units more than would have been received under the abolished corporate personal property tax. The replacement tax goes to cities, counties, school districts, park districts and other local taxing bodies, with the following breakout: schools, $277.9 million; municipalities, $107.5 million; counties, $45.8 million; park districts, $28.1 million; sanitary districts, $19.6 million; junior colleges, $18.8 million; roads, $10.1 million; townships, $9.1 million; and others, $14.6 million.

Child abuse prevention

The Pittway Corporation of Northbrook, headed by Irving Harris, granted the state $400,000 in January to be matched by another $400,000 from the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) for prevention of child abuse. The combined $800,000 is a joint private/public initial year-long demonstration project which, if successful, could run another two years with additional funding. Four to six projects will be funded to help high risk families prevent or stop abusing their children through such services as home health visiting, counseling and parent support, and family crisis intervention. Nutritional and prenatal programs will also be available. DCFS director Gregory L. Coler said that this is Illinois' first significant move to prevent child abuse and neglect.

Natural land areas

The state acquired 881.92 acres of land in December from Mr. and Mrs. Gaylord Donnelley and the Nature Conservancy, a not-for-profit national organization that seeks to preserve natural areas. The Donnelleys, long-time supporters of Illinois conservation efforts, gave the state a 280-acre tract of land in Putnam County, commonly known as Coleman Lake. The conservancy deeded 11 other parcels of land to the state, totaling 601.92 acres. Nine of the parcels were outright gifts; the other two were purchased by the Department of Conservation for $200,000. The total value of the land is over $873,000.

Consumer complaints and abuse of the elderly

Atty. Gen. Tyrone Fanner has established a toll-free rural crime hotline to handle increasing consumer complaints received from the pubic since the Rural Enforcement Assistance Program was begun in October. The toll-free number (1-800-252-8666) will be operating in Springfield from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. It is intended primarily for consumer complaints by rural residents who do not have easy access to a local consumer office of the attorney general. Other complaints will be referred to the appropriate division of the Attorney General's Office.

The attorney general is also looking into administrative, prosecutorial and possible legislative solutions to rising reports of elder abuse documented in a recent study by the Department on Aging. The Attorney General's Office and the State's Attorney's Association established a joint task force in December to review the recommendations of the study. The state's attorneys have primary responsibility for prosecuting crimes of abuse and neglect, while tit attorney general has jurisdiction over civil consumer complaints. Fahner said his office currently receives over 7,000 complaints a year from senior citizens who have been defrauded.

April 1982/Illinois Issues/34