By:  Diane Benjamin

The David Hales saga continues, make sure you read this story first:  http://blnnews.com/2015/09/08/what-did-hales-know-plenty/

From the City of Bloomington website:  http://www.cityblm.org/index.aspx?page=262

(b)      The Council shall approve for payment all expenses and liabilities of the City of Bloomington.

Seem pretty clear to you?  Need a definition of “shall”?  http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shall  (directive, mandatory, expected)

The City of Bloomington has been paying bills NOT approved by the Council!

Let me explain:

Bills and Payroll are approved at every Council meeting.  Since they are part of the Consent Agenda, Aldermen rarely mention anything items listed.  That is where I get a lot of information like legal fees sent to Springfield and P-Card spending where they feed themselves.

Since it would be difficult to miss a check for at least $358,000 going to IMRF because of the Emily Bell spiking, I looked back at the reports.  It’s not there.  All of the other payments made to IMRF because employees were allowed to spike their pensions aren’t there either!

Then I received this document from IMRF:  https://www.imrf.org/en/publications-and-archive/general-memos/2012-general-memos/general-memo-628

Employers make payments to IMRF by Electronic Funds Transfer either online or by phone, via third-party vendor First Data Government Solutions.

So, that means no checks were written.

Every Bills and Payroll report includes this Cover Sheet:

Look at the RIGHT side – above TOTAL.  This one shows no wire transfers.  The entire 2015 year shows no wire transfers.  2/24/14 shows ONE wire transfer for $4,151,727.96 with NO description of what it is.  http://www.cityblm.org/Modules/ShowDocument.aspx?documentid=6368  Yes, I filed a Freedom of Information Request for details.  The entire rest of 2014 shows no Wire Transfers.

The entire year of 2013 shows NO Wire Transfers.

I had to go clear back to 2012 to find an example where a wire transfer was properly documented.  See this link from 5/14/12:  http://www.cityblm.org/Modules/ShowDocument.aspx?documentid=113  Page 2 lists Wire Transfers of $724,485.91, Page 3 has a list of the Wire Transfers.

So, what does this mean?  All the Wire Transfers to IMRF were never approved by the Council because they NEVER saw them!

$22,106.04     09-Aug-12
$6,520.54       17-Jul-13
$28,614.34     18-Apr-14
$29,558.35     18-Apr-14
$5,650.78       16-May-14
$223,830.48  06-Oct-14
$21,509.27     06-Oct-14
$38,959.75     30-Apr-15
$361,668.10   30-Apr-15
$59,523.21     30-Apr-15
$112,724.86   30-Apr-15
$21,865.14     04-Aug-15
$67,310.83    04-Aug-15
$165,071.14   04-Aug-15

$1,162,258.22  Total

$49,151.21   Not yet paid

$7,422.88   Not yet paid

$1,218,832.31  Grand Total  ($2,654.61 is interest for not paying on time!)

Since Wire Transfers have not been correctly represented to the Council since 2012, I filed a Freedom of Information Request for EVERY Wire Transfer completed since 5/14/12.  If the City doesn’t want FOIA requests, they shouldn’t trigger them with illegal actions!

Just to IMRF, David Hales spent $1.2 million without Council authorization as required by the City Code.  There may have been other Wire Transfers we know NOTHING about!

David Hales is the only employee of the City Council.

If your boss caught you spending $1.2 million without authorization, what would your fate be?

Council:  Hales has lied to you over and over again, the latest being the Coliseum sign.  Now he is caught spending money you know nothing about.  Alderman Buragas:  As a lawyer, what’s your advice to the Council?  Do you guys like being lied to?  Losing any respect for your CEO yet?  How about “Forgetting” to get District 87’s approval to abate taxes?

Citizens:  What’s your demand of the Council?  Hales throws away $1.2 million, hides it, and still wants tax increases!

Think somebody will prosecute Hales for, let’s say, Official Misconduct?  Send a request to State’s Attorney Jason Chambers and see what he says.