Chronically delayed fund transfers made by Illinois’ Comptroller total $1.6 billion for the previous fiscal year.

That’s according to one of the final audits from Auditor General William Holland. In the fiscal officer responsibilities audit released just before the new year Holland says the Comptroller did not make all statutorily mandated transfers between state funds within established timeframes, going as long as 459 days after a mandated transfer date.

The report says Comptroller officials blame the late payments on cash management decisions and prioritization due to the lack of available cash in the State Treasury -- problems that have been repeated since 2009. The Auditor’s office recognized the lack of funds but recommended the Comptroller continue to make transfers as timely as possible.

Previous budget years have been criticized for not being balanced and now more than six months into the current fiscal year without a budget in place the state is spending more than it’s bringing in because of court orders and consent decrees.