Sometimes complaining brings out needed change.

In August 2010, News-Gazette columnist Tom Kacich reported on a beef that local businesswoman Jennifer Shelby had with the state of Illinois.

The president of Shelby Motors in Champaign, she reported having received during a three-week period 24 checks with a total value of $21.52.

Some were for as little as one cent.

Of course, it doesn't make much sense to send checks for one penny when the cost of preparing the check is $18.25, according to one state estimate. That's especially true when the state is effectively bankrupt.

To those familiar with how the state works, it was just more proof of its cavalier attitude toward taxpayers dollars and hopelessly inefficient methods of doing business.

But there's good news.

A bill awaiting Gov. Pat Quinn's signature mandates a vast expansion of direct deposit of checks to state vendors and bars the practice of mailing interest checks with a value of less than $5.

Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka estimated the total savings from the planned moves are roughly $3 million.

The legislation, which Quinn is expected to sign, requires non-union employees, vendors and contractors who receive more than 30 checks a year from the state to register for electronic payments or be subject to a $2.50 charge for each check sent by mail.

Here's a couple of hair-curling statistics. Illinois has more than 14,000 vendors who received more than 2.5 million checks last year. Electronic payments will be much more efficient and far less costly.

Between August 2009 and December 2010, the state mailed roughly 96,000 interest checks for amounts less than $5. The average was $1.17.

Ending this practice also will produce a substantial savings.

Obviously, Shelby was not alone in receiving state checks for miniscule amounts or in being chagrined that the state was mindlessly pursuing such a practice on a grand scale.

It's great that their complaints received a respectful hearing and produced a dramatic change.

But what took so long? Electronic payments are routine in all kinds of financial transactions. How long does it take to conclude that spending $18 to mail a 1-cent check or even a $5 check makes no sense?

Obviously, it's better late than never. But there should be a higher premium placed on maximizing efficiency in government at all levels, particularly when there is not enough tax revenue to go around. And it shouldn't take an outspoken business leader or stories in the newspaper to realize that.