Illinois Ends Fiscal Year $6.1 Billion In Red

Illinois finished the fiscal year on Sunday $6.1 billion in the red.

But Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka said Monday that the backlog of unpaid bills to schools, agencies, hospitals and businesses is expected to grow another $1.4 billion by next month.

The state collected $1.3 billion in unexpected tax revenue this spring from residents selling assets before new tax laws took effect.

Topinka says putting that money towards unpaid bills allowed the state to end the fiscal year in a better position than it otherwise would have.

However, she is warning that the windfall is a one-time occurrence and it does nothing to address the state's budget problems.

The comptroller's office estimates unpaid bills will rise to $7.5 billion in August and to nearly $9 billion by December.