By:  Diane Benjamin

Both David Hales and Tari Renner have proclaimed their “Bare Bones” budget is unsustainable.  This is code for we can’t raise taxes in an election year.  Karen Schmidt and Joni Painter voted for all the tax increases last year, you are supposed to forget.  Asking them to vote for more now is unsustainable, if Renner wants to keep them on the Council.

Meanwhile, the Council voted for more consultants last Monday night.  $116,000 of your money is being transferred to Chicago.  Of course the vote was 7-2.  The vote is always 7-2 when spending normal people would never approve is on the agenda – but Hales wants consultants to tell him how to do his job.  The potted plants must think he needs help because they agreed.

Instead of raising taxes to balance the budget, the City is going to dip into their savings – that is the savings accumulated to get their bond rating up.  Evidently the ratings companies want to see a cushion.  Between former Alderman Rob Fazzini begging the Council last Friday not to censure Tari Renner because it could affect the bond rating and now the City spending savings – what happens to the City’s bond rating will be interesting.

The City budget could get a lot worse with Gov Rauner now in charge.  Illinois finances are a disaster, he was elected to fix it.  State spending must be cut.  That means cuts to all State spending and possible tax increases.  Under the Rauner plan both Bloomington and Normal will lose money:

Bloomington will lose $3,785,701

Normal will lose $2,594,152

If his plan passes, next year both towns will either be looking for more tax increases or they will begin to be fiscally responsible.  Since neither Mayor has shown any sign of cutting spending and limiting taxes, what will happen next year?

Bloomington can start by re-voting the pension funding plan destroying the budget.  When the Council passed it they guaranteed taxes would have to increase.  See the future payments here:  http://blnnews.com/2014/04/11/bloomington-pension-funding/.  Where do Renner and Hales think that money is going to come from?

Bloomington has $100,000,000 in deferred maintenance.  The current budget doesn’t address any of it.  City owned buildings and infrastructure will continue to deteriorate because Renner and Hales have other spending priorities.

The State of Illinois isn’t the only entity on a destructive path, Bloomington is enacting the same irrational spending.  Illinois now has Rauner trying to fix it.  Bloomington has 2 more years of Renner.

Since the disgraced mayor didn’t quit, you can only stop him by replacing his potted plants:  Karen Schmidt, Joni Painter, and Diana Hauman.  Then elect Jeremy Kelly in Ward 4.

Your wallet depends on it.