According to the Illinois Department of Transportation, each sign costs $300 to make. It costs an additional $200 to put it in the ground.
US Rep. Aaron Schock (R- 18th District) says spending that much money on a sign is ridiculous, and he's sponsoring new legislation to put an end to it.
"$10-million may not be a lot to some people,” says Schock. “But $10-million in this economy –in real construction jobs and real roads, bridges, infrastructure- is significant money."
The high cost of the signs has both sides of the aisle seeing red.
US Sen. Dick Durbin (D- Illinois) says, “When it comes to a sign next to a project, it sounds like a lot of money. I wish they hadn't spent that much."
Still, Durbin says the signs are another way of keeping stimulus money in circulation and keeping workers on the job.
"Somebody had to build the sign,” says Durbin. “Somebody had to put the sign in the ground - if we're talking about jobs."
While the signs are not required for stimulus projects, the federal government recommends them. According to Congressman Schock, 16 states have refused to spend stimulus money on signage, but Illinois isn't one of them.
"Keep in mind, this is a state that is $13-billion in the red, and it would suggest that maybe our priorities aren't in the right place," says Schock.
IDOT representatives claim the signs are meant to provide transparency and show taxpayers how their stimulus money is being spent. Department reps say all the signs are created by in-state suppliers. According to IDOT, the department does not use funds to buy new signs for each project. It tries to re-use the signs for at least two projects.
What do you think about the money being spent on signs? You can make your voice heard by visiting the YouCut web site. It’s a site where the public has a chance to vote on what projects they think are a waste of government money. The project with the most votes is then taken up by legislators on the US House floor and could be cut from the federal budget.
To access the YouCut web site, click here.
(You Paid For It: Stimulus Signs - WMBD TV)