$46 billion state budget includes millions for metro-east. Where will the money go?
Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed a roughly $46 billion budget into law Tuesday for Illinois’ next fiscal year, and it includes money for dozens of metro-east projects and services.
The budget allocates $5.9 million to Southwestern Illinois College for the former Lindenwood University Campus in Belleville. It provides $600,000 for Washington Park after their combined fire and police offices burned down earlier this year. Cahokia Heights will receive $8.5 million from state COVID-19 stimulus money and $6 million in federal stimulus money for improvements to its sewer system, which has been neglected for decades.
The three budget-related bills Pritzker signed are House Bill 900, House Bill 4700 and Senate Bill 157, Capitol News Illinois reported. House Bill 900 outlines appropriations for fiscal year 2023, which begins July 1.
The state reimburses local governments for projects and doesn’t provide the money upfront. Because it often takes more than one year to complete a project, appropriations are included across multiple budgets. Some of the items in the fiscal year 2023 budget rolled over from the fiscal year 2022 budget. Those are marked with an asterisk.
Here’s what else is in the budget for southwestern Illinois:
Belleville
- $5.9 million to Southwestern Illinois College for their operations at the former Lindenwood University campus
$15,000 to the Belleville Public Library for infrastructure improvements*
$280,000 for a bike trail in west Belleville*
$1.5 million to Belleville Township High School District 201 for its new vocational center*
$200,000 for the Bicentennial Park spillway reconstruction*
Cahokia Heights
$6 million for water and sewer infrastructure from federal American Rescue Plan Act money
$8.5 million for sewer system improvements from the State Coronavirus Urgent Remediation Emergency Fund
$12 million from the Department of Commerce and Economic opportunity for water infrastructure improvements
- $600,000 in federal COVID-19 stimulus money for Cahokia Unit School District 187
- $3 million for community development, violence prevention and administrative costs; Venice, Washington Park and Brooklyn will get $250,000 each for this purpose
- $25,000 for infrastructure improvements at the public library*
Caseyville
$4 million for costs associated with the construction of a police station*
$575,000 for infrastructure improvements at Hollywood Heights and Hill Road*
Collinsville
$8.9 million for Collinsville wastewater treatment plant upgrades*
- $100,000 to Collinsville Township for HVAC repairs at the Collinsville Senior Center*
- $160,000 for capital improvements at Cahokia Mounds*
East St. Louis
- $3 million for community development, violence prevention and administrative costs
- $600,000 in federal COVID-19 stimulus money through the American Rescue Plan Act will to go the East St. Louis School District. The money can be used broadly for recovery from the pandemic.
East St. Louis Park District was allocated $3 million the Pop Myles pool complex. The pool complex has been unused for years.
$795,000 for the East Side Health District to use for urban farming and clinic services*
$15 million for the construction of a trauma recovery center*
$300,000 each in federal COVID-19 stimulus money to the Katherine Dunham Museum and the House of Miles Davis Museum*
Edwardsville
- $75,000 for police department infrastructure improvements
$200,000 to the YMCA Niebur Center for costs associated with capital improvements
$100,000 for lighting improvements at Plummer Family Park*
$104.5 million for the construction of a health sciences building at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Fairview Heights
- $1 million for the Pleasant Ridge Road Project*
- $300,000 to the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis in Fairview Heights for violence prevention and reduction*
Highland
$30,000 for sidewalk and handicap ramp improvements along Route 143*
$75,000 to HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital, Highland for general infrastructure improvements*
$60,000 for the construction of a multi-use trail*
Lebanon
- $50,000 for infrastructure improvements at the public library*
- $25,000 for the replacement of the roof on the police station*
- $75,000 for the purchase and installation of pedestrian signals on Madison Street*
Millstadt
- $15,000 for infrastructure improvements at the public library*
Roads, transportation and police
The Secretary of State was allocated money to support several metro-east police departments. The following municipalities got $250,000 each: Alton, Collinsville, East Alton, Maryville, Granite City, Glen Carbon and Hartford. The Southern Illinois Law Enforcement Commission training center in Belleville was also allocated $250,000.
$1.6 million for improvements for the Hartman Lane and Central Park intersection in O’Fallon*
$99.6 million for the St. Clair County Transit District
$5 million for improvements at St. Louis Downtown Airport in Cahokia*
Prisons
- $23.3 million for the Southwestern Illinois Correctional Center in East St. Louis, roughly $200,000 more than last fiscal year.
- Pinckneyville Correctional Center: $51.6 million ($1.4 million increase)
- Centralia Correctional Center: $45.1 million ($2.6 million increase)
Big Muddy River Correctional in Ina: $38.6 million ($1.4 million increase)
Shawnee Correctional Center in Vienna: $38.5 million ($1.5 million increase)
This story was originally published April 20, 2022 at 1:04 PM.
