Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White’s office owes $40,000 in unpaid rent to a Belvidere landlord for office space.
The Rockford Register Star reports that Billy and Diana Toft decided not to renew the lease with the state when it expired in December 2011. That’s because starting in 2009, rent payments from the secretary of state began arriving sporadically as state revenue lagged.
The secretary of state uses the building as a driver’s license facility. It paid on “holdover” status but has paid nothing since June 2013.
Secretary of State spokesman Dave Druker says the state can’t pay without a written lease. He told The Associated Press that officials have stayed because the Tofts have said they want them there, but won’t sign a lease.