State Stix

State funds for the month of December continued to decrease from already low figures. In December, the state's end-of-month general funds balance was $28.92 million; the average daily available balance was $64.45 million, and the combined funds end-of-month balance was $98.34 million. In his January report, Comptroller Roland W. Burris said that "despite recently enacted laws accelerating the payment of public utility taxes and increasing the Governor's powers to restrict State agency spending, day-to-day cash flow problems could develop throughout the third quarter of fiscal 1983."

The final statewide seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in December was 12.8 percent, down .4 percent from November. Some of this was due to Christmas employment. Final seasonally adjusted unemployment rates in October in the state's Standard Metropolitan Statistical Areas were: Bloomington-Normal, 8.6 percent; Champaign-Urbana-Rantoul, 7.2 percent; Chicago, 11.1 percent; Davenport-Rock Island-Moline (Illinois sector), 19.6 percent; Decatur, 16.9 percent; Kankakee, 17.7 percent; Peoria, 18.2 percent; Rockford, 25.6 percent; Springfield, 7.9 percent; East St. Louis (Illinois sector), 12.4 percent.