By: Diane Benjamin Agencies of government in Illinois are required to file reports with the Comptroller’s office. Below is a screen shot of the 2014 report for the Allin Fire Protection District showing debt. The District’s fiscal year runs from 6/1/13 through 5/31/14. The report below shows $90,000 in new debt during fiscal year 2014. […]
By: Diane Benjamin I have to try the bird-cage liner approach for a minute, only because all this stuff doesn’t fit together: Cheers To Alderman Hauman for offering to lead the next retreat instead of paying Lynn Montei huge bucks. The Council still has to make it official next Monday. Little jeers to some Council […]
By: Diane Benjamin City Manager David Hales previewed next Monday’s discussion. See video starting at 1:15:00 . Giebelhausen will be back, along with David Bentley. They have new plans for downtown. Hales referred to Steve Friedman, this is his website: http://www.sbfriedman.com/ Yeah, another consultant. Prominently featured on the Home Page is Public-Private Partnerships. Most of […]
By: Diane Benjamin The best parts of City Council meetings are frequently Public Comment and Aldermen comments at the end of meetings. Last night was no exception. Alderman Hauman READ a statement declaring some people guilty of misusing free speech. She even claimed people and businesses wouldn’t locate here if they watched Public Comment. I […]
I hear Income Tax revenue and Home Rule Sales Tax was higher in April for Bloomington. They claim only April is available because taxes are received two months after earned. So, where is March? If April was received in June, March should have been received in May – May 1st was the start of the […]
By: Diane Benjamin Action can’t be taken on any items not publicized 48 hours prior to a meeting. You could decide to double salaries in Executive Session, then vote in open session without anybody knowing it until it’s done. That’s why the OMA exists. I see you finally got the “Any Other New Business” right! […]
By: Diane Benjamin From the Management contract between CIAM and the City of Bloomington: Management Agreement CIAM Page 20 (b) CIA shall assign to the Coliseum a competent, full-lime general manager who shall have no duties other than the day-to-day operation and management of the Coliseum, and a full-time marketing executive to direct, among other […]
By: Diane Benjamin Opportunities for public comment tonight before the Bloomington City Council: Special Session – 5:00 Work Session – 5:45 Council meeting – 7:00 A large number of speakers usually show up to speak at 7:00. Attend one of the other times to make sure you get to speak. Get someone to video your […]
By: Diane Benjamin Article #3000! Surprise! Yet another way to ignore what people say. Remember the Citizen Summit – it’s been completely ignored. Needs over wants. Fix the roads. I think the citizens were perfectly clear! A reader emailed me about an automated survey call he received, sponsor was Public Policy Polling. Questions asked were: […]
By: Diane Benjamin Evidently his P-Card was broken: DAVID HALES INV 10/12/2015 CHICAGO 9/15 128075 Admin Pro Develp 84.25 Invoice Net 84.25 CHECK TOTAL 84.25 DAVID HALES INV 10/12/2015 SEATTLE 9/15 128076 Admin Pro Develp 304.00 Invoice Net 304.00 CHECK TOTAL 304.00 Bills and Payroll: Page 22 http://www.cityblm.org/Modules/ShowDocument.aspx?documentid=9246 Seattle just happens to be where the […]
By: Diane Benjamin Monday night the Council will hear that almost every tax received is higher than budgeted. That must make citizens wonder why the Sales tax increase was rammed through! What’s the truth? The City of Bloomington LOWERED most expected receipts compared to what was budgeted last year: Maybe now they can pretend the […]
By: Diane Benjamin On the agenda for Monday night is another SECRET meeting by the City Council: Anybody want to take bets on WHERE the property is they plan to buy? Downtown? Where is the money coming from to buy more property AND do something with it? Don’t forget they bought the Sugar Creek Packing […]
By: Diane Benjamin Is Halloween early this year? The bird-cage liner appears to be playing trick-or-treat with today’s editorial. Too bad it wasn’t written BEFORE both Bloomington and Normal passed the 1% Sales tax increase. Better-late-then-never doesn’t really work since neither city is now going to give the money back. I RARELY link to one […]
By: Diane Benjamin Tari and I agree: Forming a Park District is a terrible idea. We even agree on why: more government, more layers of government, more taxing bodies, more bureaucracy, and the inability to shift spending to other priorities if the budget is a separate government entity. The Budget Task Force put this on […]
By: Diane Benjamin Two council meetings ago Renner rushed through a 1% Sales Tax increase. .25% is going to the County, the rest was passed because Tari wanted it. There was no specific purpose mentioned other than his “structural deficit”. All that means is the City spends more than they take in. Monday night the […]
By: Diane Benjamin A reader found this in the Illinois Municipal Code: http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs4.asp?DocName=006500050HArt.+11+Div.+67&ActID=802&ChapterID=14&SeqStart=200000000&SeqEnd=201100000 (65 ILCS 5/11-67-1) (from Ch. 24, par. 11-67-1) Sec. 11-67-1. Subject to a referendum vote, any municipality having a population of 75,000 or less, may acquire, construct, manage, control, maintain, and operate within its corporate limits a municipal coliseum with all necessary […]
By: Diane Benjamin ISU has a long history of inviting leftist activists to campus. If an activist on the right has been invited, I missed it. Here is the latest: https://stories.illinoisstate.edu/university/media-relations/report/ferguson-civil-rights-activist-to-deliver-hibberts-r-roberts-lecture-october-15/ Rev. Osagyefo Uhuru Sekou is a minister. Is he going to leave his version of religion out of his speech? Would Franklin Graham be […]
By: Diane Benjamin While I rarely ever agree with ANYTHING the Town of Normal does, they are light-years ahead of Bloomington on transparency. A lot of information is on their website, citizens just need to look for it. See this report, it is issued every year: http://www.normal.org/DocumentCenter/View/6662 This Financial Trends and Conditions report covers 4/1/2014 […]
One note: 2007-2008 is only for 11 months. I’m trying to locate a 12 month report. It’s NOT on the City website. Revenues are down even more than this report shows. By: Diane Benjamin The below are from statements prepared by Central Illinois Arena Management. These are the un-audited version. The 2007-2008 statement is not […]
By: Diane Benjamin Waukesha Wisconsin has one of their own! See this post from earlier today: http://blnnews.com/2015/10/05/weekend-in-wisconsin/ Guess what? Clarke Hotel in Waukesha faces foreclosure suit A boutique hotel in downtown Waukesha that received $1.5 million in city financing is facing a foreclosure suit. The owners of the 22-room Clarke Hotel, 314 W. Main St., […]
By: Diane Benjamin Normal raised the Sales Tax 1%. Now the City Manager seems to have dropped plans for a soccer field. Sunday the rag reported they won’t be doing any projects for at least a year. Was soccer a rouse? The whole 1% was a setup, only 1/4% was needed for so-called mental health! […]
By: Diane Benjamin Sorry readers – no posts this weekend other than Weekend Fun – I took the weekend OFF! One of my millennials lives in Waukesha, Wi. so we headed up for a visit. Waukesha is just west of Milwaukee. Lake Michigan makes Milwaukee an interesting place, it wasn’t a big ugly city. They […]
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Do you stand for life? Dear Friend of Life, The Epiphany Parish Sanctity of Life Committee is organizing a second local protest of Planned Parenthood, Saturday, October 10, 2015, 9-11 a.m., on the public sidewalk near Planned Parenthood of East Central Illinois in Bloomington (at the SE corner of Veterans Parkway and Clearwater Ave.) You […]
By: Diane Benjamin The bird-cage liner buys into all government spending is good. Today they jeered Gov. Rauner for shutting down the State Museum in Springfield. I didn’t even know there was a State Museum in Springfield! Don’t most people think about going to museums in Chicago, and maybe the Lincoln one in Springfield? Any […]
By: Diane Benjamin Page 9: August City Manager’s Monthly Report (copy that I downloaded) link to on-line version: http://www.cityblm.org/Modules/ShowDocument.aspx?documentid=9220 Revenue from the Miller Park Zoo gate admission was up 12.5% for the current fiscal year compared to last year‘s revenue. Last year, the revenue raised from admissions broke the all time record for the Zoo […]
A reader bought some yard signs! If you want one – leave a message at: 309-830-7544 She will return your call and arrange for you to get one! My readers are amazing – I suggest you put it close to your house. They will disappear! . .
By: Diane Benjamin The financial statement issued by Central Illinois Arena Management (CIAM) for 5/1/2015 – 7/31/2015 has never made it to the City website. Your can view it here: 1st Quarter 2016 Coliseum Fund P & L I had to request it by FOIA. There are MANY problems with the report, but I will […]
