Among those doing significant work for Rauner, half their combined salaries -- about $4 million -- comes from separate agency budgets and isn't listed on his office payroll.
That figure is about $1 million more than Rauner's staff reported in June during a contentious hearing over use of the strategy before a House committee headed by Rep. John Bradley, a Marion Democrat.
It's taxpayer money, either way. But opponents say the accounting maneuver, which they call "off-shoring," can short-change some important state services while understating the true costs of running the chief executive's shop. For example, they argue, if the Corrections Department has to pay a high salary for a gubernatorial aide, that's money that can't be used to pay one or more prison guards.
