The Illinois Department of Transportation is preparing to ship nearly 150 jobs from Springfield to southern Illinois, but officials say they haven’t chosen the new location and don’t know when the move will happen.
The agency announced Friday that the Division of Traffic Safety move is designed to stimulate the southern Illinois economy. Employees will be given the option to relocate with expenses paid by the department, said spokesman Brian Williamsen.
Williamsen cited the pricey lease on a Springfield facility as another reason for the move. The state’s lease expired in July on the building that cost $1.72 million this year, an increase from last year’s $1.66 million.
Sen. Larry Bomke (R-Springfield) blasted the move as a political maneuver by Gov. Rod Blagojevich and questioned the timing of the announcement, which came one day after the Senate killed a proposal to allow recall of public officials, with Blagojevich the stated target. Bomke voted in favor of recall. The Blagojevich administration denied recall was the motivation for the move.
