by Diane Benjamin

Roads are failing apart, but the money is spent.

Parts of the sewer system are over 100 years old, but the money to replace wasn’t budgeted.

Pensions are severely underfunded, but the money is spent.

They haven’t started paying for the Coliseum yet, maybe this year or next.

Developers want a Community Center.

Soccer Players want a soccer field.  Since this is Illinois, how about just slipping the FAA $50,000 to keep the one you have?  Nothing is illegal in Illinois.

The Economic Development Council wants a pot of money to bribe businesses to come here or grow here.  I guess really low taxes and good infrastructure isn’t enough.  Oh, forgot.  Bloomington doesn’t have those.

Licensing of EVERY business in Bloomington, for a fee of course.

I’m sure there is more, it’s hard to keep track of government doing other than their job.

What the mayor and council are looking at:

1/4% Sales Tax increase

Gas tax increase

More Sales taxes for schools – maybe 1%

Transit system want another 1/4%

$10,000,000 bond to fix the roads

More taxes to fund the pensions-nobody saying how much yet

Under the Freedom of Information Act is requested how much money was raised by the 2002 1/4% tax increase, for the Cultural District.

The information I received showed around $17,000,000 from 2004 – 2014 (estimated)

That’s 10 years, and it’s nowhere close to the $30,000,000 the developers want to raise in 8 years.

One FACT:  Government NEVER has enough money

Another FACT:   Who sits on the Council matters

One More:  Staying home on election day is going to cost the citizens of Bloomington

You did it to yourself.

You could try attending meetings and contacting your alderman.  http://www.cityblm.org/index.aspx?page=48

Maybe the Taxed Enough Already people knew what they were talking about.

“No taxes can be devised which are not more or less inconvenient and unpleasant.” –George Washington

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