DECATUR - State legislators, mayors and others ripped Gov. Rod Blagojevich's state budget cuts in a trio of hearings around the state Wednesday, the first in a series of such meetings aimed at reviving hundreds of scuttled local projects.

The politically charged hearings opened in Decatur, the Marion area and Kankakee on Wednesday night. They are the latest volley in the ongoing war between Blagojevich and most of the Legislature over spending priorities.

Seeking money for a health insurance initiative that the Legislature refused to fund, Blagojevich cut more than $463 million in local building and community projects from the Legislature's budget plan this summer, calling it "pork."

The Legislature called the cuts political revenge and improper diversion of funds. House Speaker Michael Madigan organized the spate of hearings to build support to override Blagojevich's cuts later this fall.

At Wednesday's hearing in Decatur, a parade of community organizers, educators and small town mayors urged legislators to do just that.

"My demeanor is one of civility and decorum," a visibly angry Dan Lightner, mayor of tiny Oreana, near Decatur, said. ". . . I cannot sit, however, quietly and allow my community and your communities to play midwife to the governor's ill-conceived budget vetoes."

The cuts cost his community a $750,000 drinking-water pipeline project. "Pork?," Lightner asked. "No!"

Clinton Mayor Ed Wollet testified that the $50,000 in state money that was budgeted for the Central Illinois town, then vetoed, would make it impossible to update the local firehouse. Without the work, Wollet said his city "cannot go to the next generation of fire trucks" a serious problem for a fire department that would be the first responder to any accident at the local nuclear power plant.

Mount Zion Mayor Don Robinson told how his town lost $1.1 million in the cuts that had been budgeted for a long-awaited highway bypass project and he expressed bitterness that Blagojevich plans to use funds from those cuts to fund a health insurance initiative that most in the Legislature haven't supported.

"The governor identified this (bypass project) as special-interest funding," Robinson said, with the intent "to use the funds for his special interest."

Ostensibly, the hearings are to gather information about the public impact of Blagojevich's budget cuts, though it's been clear from the beginning that the events are less about asking questions than gathering ammunition to override Blagojevich's cuts.

In Decatur, hearing co-chair and state Rep. Bob Flider, D-Decatur, dispensed with any pretense of objectivity, calling the cuts by fellow Democrat Blagojevich "unprincipled," "politically punitive" and "unfair" in his first minute of opening remarks.

Blagojevich staffers were in the audience, handing out press releases to counter the anti-Blagojevich tone of the meeting.

"These (budget) reductions will allow over 500,000 people to get affordable health care" by freeing up money for Blagojevich's universal health insurance initiative, stated one handout. " . . . If your legislators had passed enough new revenue to fund everything in the budget this year, these cuts wouldn't have happened."

Lawmakers of both parties this year overwhelmingly refused to approve that "new revenue" including a business tax hike that would have been the biggest tax increase in Illinois history while Blagojevich refused to back off from his budgetary wish-list. The result has been a summer-long political battle of wills that nearly led to a state government shutdown last month.

The state now is operating under a disputed budget, and other rifts are widening between the Democrats who control Illinois government.

Madigan, the House speaker, has alleged that Blagojevich's plan to use the money saved from his budget cuts to fund a new health care initiative is illegal. Blagojevich has filed suit against Madigan, alleging the House speaker has unconstitutionally ignored the governor's orders to convene the House in special session to address the budget and other disputes.

The hearings that began Wednesday under the direction of Madigan's office were the first of 19 over the next few weeks around the state.

They will continue tonight in Pekin, near Peoria, with additional meetings next week in Champaign and the Chicago suburbs.

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Budget timeline

Lawmakers began a series of hearings across the state Wednesday aimed at mostly criticizing the way Gov. Rod Blagojevich cut millions of dollars from the state budget. September's hearings further extend state budget bickering that was scheduled to end May 31. Here's a look at some of the key happenings that led to this point and what still must be resolved:

March 7: In his annual budget address, Blagojevich proposes a $7.6 billion tax increase on businesses in order to provide universal health care, more money for schools and a statewide construction plan, among other things.

May 10: After months of public wrangling over the idea, the state House voted 107-0 against supporting Blagojevich's plan.

May 31: Without a budget in place by this deadline, more votes became needed to pass a budget. That meant that Democrats, who control top spots in all of state government, would need to compromise with Republicans.

June 29: Because the state budget runs out July 1, lawmakers and Blagojevich approve a temporary spending plan so government wouldn't shut down.

Aug. 1: That temporary budget expires, leaving state employees wondering how they'll be paid and schools wondering when they'll get millions in state payments.

Aug. 10: Lawmakers approve a budget, including $600 million more than last year for Illinois schools but excluding the spending plan lacks any of Blagojevich's large goals from March.

Aug. 23: Blagojevich approves the budget, but not before cutting $463 million that he wants to put toward his universal health care plan.

Aug. 27: Blagojevich sues House Speaker Madigan, saying Madigan and his fellow lawmakers didn't obey the governor's calls for them to work at particular times and on particular subjects.

Sept. 6: House Speaker Madigan calls for the hearings that started Wednesday, calling Blagojevich's actions "savage."