By:  Diane Benjamin

March 2009:  Ground was broken for the Fire station on 6 Points Road to serve the City’s southwest side and planned extension of Mitsubishi Parkway.

Garbage collection went from $5 to $7 and the sales tax went from 7.5 to 7.75 to pay the bonds on the Coliseum.  The budget shortfall was $5,000,000, Sales tax revenues in October 2009 was down 18%, November was down 14%.  The massive staff reductions were in 2008.  The City also broke ground on the $6.1 million dollar station at the airport.  $4.8 million came from the FAA, the rest from the Airport Authority.

I can’t tell you who on the Council voted to spend the money for the 6 Points Fire Station because that information is not on-line.  The Agenda and the Packet for the Council meeting on August 27, 2007 have no details on the project and the Council Minutes only go back to 2009. Yes, transparency is better now.  Still, essential history is not available to citizens.  Unfortunately, the only source available is the local paper.  They reported that each station would add 18 fire fighters.

When the Coliseum was built, former Mayor Markowitz proclaimed it wouldn’t cost citizens anything.  Try not to laugh.

Former Mayor Steve Stockton was elected in April 2005.  The Fire Stations are his, among other tragedies for taxpayers like RIMCO.

Tari Renner has his own agenda.  Markowitz thought she was brilliant.  Stockton thought he was brilliant.  Renner, just like the others, thinks he can plan the future and it will all be great.  History tells another story.

The Coliseum resulted in a Sales Tax increase and ever-growing losses through mis-management.  The Parking Garage was unusable in 7 years.   Has the City proven they received the touted money negotiated with the builders?  They should issue a Press Release if the much money was actually collected.  CIPround.com reported it was $800,000.  It sure would help with the current budget shortfall, the City paid for the repairs themselves to get it open again.

Mitsubishi Parkway hasn’t been extended and your 6 Points Road Fire Station is unused and un-staffed.  Area residents tell me some guys meet there once a month for something, what they don’t know.

Maybe citizens should start electing people WITHOUT plans, other than to provide essential services.  How many plans have to be wrong before citizens quit electing public servants that are anything but?  If you somehow got invited to the budget round-table, you may want to mention that plans in the past haven’t worked out well for taxpayers.

Just so you know what MILLIONS of Dollars in waste looks like, here’s the 6 Points Road un-used Fire Station:

Sleep well tonight, the City of Bloomington has your wallet.

Staffing this fire station would cost at least $2,000,000 a year.  Trucks etc would be much more.  Unless the Council thinks you don’t pay enough taxes now, it will never open.