by: Diane Benjamin
The City of Bloomington management now wants YOU to know nothing about the Coliseum. Luckily there is a lot of evidence they can’t hide. The Smokehouse grill will not be opening for lunch after closing for the summer. The calendar of events is on the Coliseum website. Very few events are scheduled through the end of the year. There are no big concerts that will sell out.
What Mayor Renner and City Manger David Hales are hiding are the financial statements Central Illinois arena Management (CIAM) is required by their contract to produce every month. The City stopped posting them on their website last year. I’m sure it’s a coincidence, but that is about the same time I pointed out CIAM was paying themselves 4% of the Sales Tax collected. They were also listing income that was mostly just reimbursed expenses. They probably don’t want you to see the payroll expenses still being paid for virtually no events.
Instead, the City decided to provide a summary for you: http://www.cityblm.org/index.aspx?page=18&recordid=1177&returnURL=%2findex.aspx
No documentation included. You are just supposed to believe the Coliseum is a wonderful asset. Ponder these questions:
- Are the Economic impact numbers are correct?
- Are they really re-distribution of your wealth Where is that $119 million?
- Where are the tax dollars swamping the City in wealth from the economic activity?
- Why did Renner just demand 3 new taxes if the Coliseum is generating so much tax revenue?
- Why did my Freedom of Information Act request show the economic impact was calculated by CIAM, not the Bloomington-Normal Area Convention, Visitors Bureau, Illinois Bureau of Tourism? It took 3 agencies to come up with roughly the same number?
- Did they deduct the extra Sales Tax (.25%) you pay for shopping in Bloomington?
- Did they deduct the interest charged to the City for the bonds issued?
- Did they deduct the more than $1,000,000 approved last night to fix the new parking garage?
- Did they deduct the massive legal fees being incurred trying to get reimbursed from the builders?
The Aldermen can send questions to the City Manager before Council meetings. Those questions and answers are then posted on the website before the meeting. Here are last night’s questions: http://www.cityblm.org/Modules/ShowDocument.aspx?documentid=7266
Alderwoman Stearns also sent in questions, but her’s didn’t make the list! They concerned the Coliseum, but David Hales didn’t think they applied to last night’s meeting, so he didn’t include them. Stearns wants them included, Renner and Hales promised her at the meeting they would be. I will be watching. Something is VERY wrong and Mayor Renner and David Hales are covering it up. Years from now the Pantagraph will blame them, but not when it matters. Where are the rest of the potted plants? Believing every word David Hales utters instead of representing their wards.
Start watch Alderwoman Stearns at 30:40. Watch how Renner cuts Stearns off by moving to Alderman Sage who had nothing pertinent to add.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2U-Zjj7dE0&list=UUS8WR70NFd2XMmFYRDHEGEw
Why does the City always take the lowest bid?
Don’t you get what you pay for? Pay the lowest cost, you get the lowest quality!
Hales says renegotiate thier contract? Why? Don’t they have 1 1/2 left on their agreement? I know they probably have a renewable clause but wouldn’t you put out an RFP and see if other companies are interested in managing the Coliseum when the agreement is up for renewal? Why continue to pay two managers FT salaries and 4% of the gross and commissions? this has to be one of the worst deals in the US for a City -owned arena and one of the best deals for the arena management company.