Posted: Jun. 3, 2017 12:01 am Updated: Jun. 3, 2017 11:40 pm

QUINCY -- There's a $14.5 billion hole in the Illinois economy, and it's growing every day.

When the Legislature stood in recess last Wednesday, marking the final day of the regular session, it had been 700 days since the state had a budget -- the longest any state has been without a spending plan in modern history.

Gov. Bruce Rauner, a first-term Republican, blamed the Legislature for failing to send him a budget, even though he has failed to propose a balanced spending plan since assuming office. House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, blamed Rauner for not negotiating a budget deal and insisting on passage of pro-business reforms before any spending plan becomes law, even though the House failed to vote on a budget approved by the Senate.

Financial reports indicate the state will close out the year with an annual deficit of about $6 billion. The state falls deeper in debt by about $11 million a day, due to court-ordered appropriations that rely on the 2015 budget that was in effect when a 5 percent personal income tax rate ended and was replaced by a 3.75 percent rate.

Meanwhile, there continue to be countless victims of the budget impasse.

"Right now, between what the state of Illinois owes us for employees (health care coverage) and Medicaid, Blessing Health System is owed about $21.5 million," said Patrick Gerveler, Blessing's executive vice president and chief financial officer.

That's one small part of the $14.5 billion in overdue bills owed by the state.

At Western Illinois University in Macomb, the budget's toll is counted in both dollars and jobs.

Matt Bierman, WIU's vice president for administrative services, said the state's last budget provided the university about $51 million. During the past two years, the state made three cash outlays that totalled about half of what the university had been receiving in one year.

"We're probably short by about $48 million or $49 million. Also we haven't gotten paid for about $11 million in (Monetary Award Program) grants" for a total of about $60 million, Bierman said.

The funding shortfall led to hundreds of layoffs or positions left vacant by attrition. WIU had 1,853 full-time employees in fall 2014; two years later, there were 1,602. In addition, 34 part-time positions were lost during that same period.

In addition to those 285 job losses, WIU was required to notify another 117 non-tenure faculty and other employees last week that employment contract renewals are delayed due to the lack of a budget.

WIU President Jack Thomas said he pleaded for help in Springfield.

"On numerous occasions, we engaged the governor and state legislators about the need for funding. As recently as Sunday, May 28, I testified before the House Higher Education Appropriations Committee" about the need for funding, Thomas said.

Other businesses have struggled to stay solvent during the budget crisis. Nursing homes that handle Medicaid patients have been especially hard hit.

One Quincy home got $100,000 from the state during the last week in May. Officials at the facility declined comment out of concern that the news might scare residents and their families.

"We're trying to get more released to them," said state Rep. Randy Frese, R-Paloma.

State Sen. Jil Tracy, R-Quincy, has seen several nursing homes forced to borrow money to make payroll. Within her district, tens of millions of dollars in overdue payments to caregivers have pushed many entities to the brink.

Tracy was bitterly disappointed when no budget was adopted by the end of session on Wednesday.

Quincy/Adams County 9-1-1 Director Steve Rowlands said the agency budget was hurt by the budget impasse nearly two years ago. He said legislation sent to the governor could preserve an important funding source for emergency phone services statewide.

"We get about $37,000 a month from a phone surcharge, and we get another $2,100 a month because we're a county of under 100,000," Rowlands said.

In 2015, the state stopped paying those funds to emergency phone systems. The money was still collected, but officials did not have the authority to pay it out without a budget. Eventually the funds were released.

This year, the phone surcharge was set to expire at the end of June. The House and Senate sent a renewal, along with a surcharge increase to the governor.

"It would increase the surcharge from 87 cents to $1.50 per month and extend it until 2020," Rowlands said.

Rauner has expressed concerns about some parts of the bill, but might sign it into law or use his amendatory veto power to carve out the parts he does not like.

Rowlands is hopeful. The surcharge represents about 30 percent of his $1.6 million budget, with Quincy and Adams County providing most of the remainder.

"We've been in this situation before, but the state has renewed the surcharge a number of times," Rowlands said.

Illinois has not been in the situation of operating without a budget for two years.

Some lawmakers are set to convene for committee hearings this week. Working sessions are expected later in the month. It will take a three-fifths majority to pass a budget.

Frese said he's trying to stay as optimistic as he can, while he works to get a balanced budget passed. He's just not certain when that might happen.