By: Diane Benjamin
City of Bloomington is proposing spending 11% more. http://www.cityblm.org/index.aspx?page=21&parent=9844 See proposed Budget Presentation page 4.
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See McLean County 2016 Fiscal Year recommenced budget: http://www.mcleancountyil.gov/index.aspx?NID=102
The County passed a budget which spends 7% more in the General Fund. Yes, your property taxes are going up.
Everybody wants more of your money.
Who is representing you?
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Look at page 18 of the Proposed Budget Presentation http://www.cityblm.org/Modules/ShowDocument.aspx?documentid=9854
It appears their is a projected deficit beginning FY2020–a mere three years away. Maybe all the future fee increases will cover that gap.
WHO will be here to pay it IF we’re ALL in the POOR house? These clowns spend money like drunken sailors in a bordello on nickel night!
A big portion of the increase on both the county and city level is for increased funding for Connect Transit and expansion of mental health services in McLean County. Both of these areas of spending have absolutely no accountability whatsoever. Alderman Fruin wanted more money from the sales tax increase to go to Connect Transit. As if their federal transportation grants, state, city and county subsidies for their new palace on the west side of town was not enough! Connect Transit along with mental health are emotionally charged issues in which there is no common sense or fiscal restraint. We continue to throw more money at the mentally ill and the problem is getting worse not better. Increased funding is not the answer to their problems. We need some common sense approaches to dealing with these people and it’s going to require some fiscal restraint. My experience in dealing with this issue is that it’s so emotionally charged that I have yet to have a logical conversation with any elected official about it.
I see it as worse than that. The man indicted for fraud duped both cities. The tax revenue to the County is for building the jail extension of which about 2/3 of the beds are for female inmates. The remainder are for those with “mental health/behavioral issues” not necessarily mental illness. There is also a component of “upgrades for dispatch” which will somehow provide better service to the mentally ill. Connect Transit applied for a TIGER Grant to build a HUB in conjunction with the jail expansion. The grant application was denied. I will lay odds the money for Connect Transit will be put toward the Downtown Hub.
Bloomington raised its taxes specifically to close the $7.4M budget gap. The citizens were lied to by the County and the City regarding the tax increase, plain and simple.
That’s exactly my point. Mental health and Connect transit are a foil for the pipe dreams of government wants not needs.
Only a government that thinks it knows best. But, best for who? Facts and truths get lost when manipulation is at play.
Random find–more increases from the county.
https://il-mcleancounty.civicplus.com/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/4423