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Mitchell Asks IL To Ground State Airplanes

FORSYTH, IL- Clipping the wings of the Illinois' air fleet could save taxpayers $7 million a year, that according to one local lawmaker.

State Representative Bill Mitchell, R-Forsyth, would like to ground the sixteen planes which are used by Illinois' top executives and lawmakers to travel around the state.

Mitchell points to the state's massive debt, saying the fleet of planes and a helicopter should be grounded until Illinois' $8.5 billion dollars in bills are paid off.

"I urge the governor to go green and take the train," Mitchell says. "We shouldn't use the air fleet when the state is broke and we are broke."

Mitchell says the cost of flying the state aircraft has gone up by 27 percent over the past three years, while the cost of an Amtrak ticket between Chicago and Springfield is under $40.       

Representative Mitchell filed a bill previously that would have required the state to sell the aircraft, but that measure never made it out of committee.