By: Diane Benjamin
Today the City of Bloomington Annual Account as of 4/30/14 was published in the Pantagraph. If it wasn’t required by law, I’m sure the City wouldn’t do it.
How much did the Pantagraph earn from the City of Bloomington?
$126,344.49
It’s easy to see why investigative reporting is banned. Maybe the Pantagraph staff is so small now that the Advertising and News Departments can’t be separated.
Cumulus (WJBC) only got $36,702.04
The Chicago law firm, Clark Baird Smith, got:
$341,733.29
After City Attorney Todd Greenburg left in October of 2013, the City decided to hire a Springfield Law firm instead of replacing him. I’m not sure what month they were hired, but from sometime after October to April 30, 2014, Faithful + Gould was paid $82,400. Considering not having to pay another pension for life, they might be a deal.
Other interesting payments:
Bloomington Normal Area Economic Development Council – $108,360.00
Downtown Bloomington Association – $90,800.00
National Council for Community Development – $61,935.48
McLean County Regional Planning Commission – $57,181.20
Partners for Community – $34,665.92 (515 N Center St, Bloomington, IL 61701)
Taxpayers paid $12,852,739 into pension funds.
Sorry – the budget was a profit of $106,892 – they LOST money!
The Coliseum got $275,438 even though they lost $197,079.
MUCH more on them soon!
Then there is Lynn Montei Associates. This is the facilitator the City hires for retreats. She teaches the Council how to comply and just get along. She received: $46,069.51 Next year will probably be more since the first retreat had to be rescheduled.
The outside auditors, which don’t look for fraud, got $143,928.99. Concessions at the Coliseum were not audited.
One more:
The City of Bloomington is listed as using $63,326.18 for petty cash. That’s almost $1,218 per week. Many employees have P-cards that are like City debit cards. Fuel isn’t paid out of petty cash. What is? Pizza? Doughnuts? Somebody should ask!
Salaries are listed too. More on them soon too!
Glad to see I’m not the only person that takes the time to look at the individual expenditures ad ask, “I wonder what they bought with all that money?”
And now Normal wants a partnership in an old mansion, what hobnobbers will be using the ballroom there? I can assure you I will not be invited.
I won’t be expecting invitations either!
Reblogged this on BLNNews and commented:
Correction to Coliseum Income!