By: Diane Benjamin
I recently received a Freedom of Information Act Request on recently hired management by the City of Bloomington. Requested were applications and resumes, I also included David Hales.
You can see what I received for Hales here: Hales, David A
Before coming to Bloomington, Hales was Director of Finance/Administrative Services for West Jordan Utah, population 101,000. His salary was $116,376. The birdcage liner announced Hales’ hiring in January 2009. In 2014 Hales’ salary was $176,439 before benefits, website information is not available for his beginning salary.
Bloomington is 25% smaller than West Jordan. Hales claimed the Utah city has 500 employees and an operating budget of $93 Million.
Bloomington’s proposed budget for next year is $186 Million with 592 full-time employees and 43 part-time. (214 numbers: http://blnnews.com/2015/04/06/how-many-employees-does-bloomington-have/)
I have no idea if an operating budget and a total budget are the same thing, but obviously a 25% larger City figured out how to operate with 100 fewer employees. Maybe local government creating Quality of Life takes more employees!
In a letter applying for the job here, Hales claims he returned to Utah to take care of his elderly parents. He neglected to say he was fired from Bend Oregon, all records of why are sealed under his agreement to leave. Newspaper articles do exist though, I wonder if the City did any research before hiring him.
Below is the report of Hales being hired. It predicts Bloomington will be 92,000 people by 2025. It also reports a special census of Bloomington in 2006 showed 75,000 people. Obviously Bloomington isn’t gaining 1000 people a year as Renner likes to report. The article also states that early retirement has been offered to about 100 of the City’s 650 employees. Since 592 full-time employees were reported in 2014, those voices claiming Bloomington is working with 100 fewer employees aren’t true.
