By: Diane Benjamin
If you don’t pay attention to how Normal and Bloomington operate, once they start talking publicly about anything it’s already a done deal. Both Councils are stacked, so Renner and Koos can easily talk them into the latest declared “best practice”. Independent thoughts are too rare matter. Have some lunch.
Here’s what should happen if they “share”:
Both cities throw way to much money at economic development. They toss your bucks to the Economic Development Council, B/N Advantage, and Bloomington’s Downtown Business Association. Bloomington has an economic development employee.
If the cities share sales taxes, neither need employees doing economic development. Bloomington could ditch Austin Grammer – that would save $94,583.89 in salary and benefits (2015: http://www.cityblm.org/index.aspx?page=21&parent=5443). Bloomington paying an employee that would benefit both is silly. Then somebody needs to explain why both B/N Advantage and the EDC are needed. Seems like one of them could quit sucking taxpayer bucks since both supposedly do economic development. Pick one and shovel money to them.
Tari won’t need a downtown hotel anymore! Koos has two – they can share. Keep Bloomington BAR CENTRAL, obviously more video gaming is needed. Once the area is completely saturated, get Springfield to allow a casino. Gamble in Bloomington – stay in Normal. Share, Share, Share!
I wonder if Tari knows Koos wanted a second hotel so larger conventions could be attracted to Normal:
See page 3 of the Uptown report: http://www.normal.org/index.aspx?NID=1080
Gee Tari, it sure wouldn’t be nice to share sales taxes and then build a hotel to steal Normal’s convention business. Basic Econ 101 says that will also drive prices down. Brilliant!
Entertainment can stay in Bloomington since taxpayers have already been forced to pay for it. Doesn’t it take about 10 minutes to get from downtown Bloomington to Uptown? When IDOT is working on 51 North, see if ads and arrows can be embedded in the surface to direct traffic! Maybe the bike lanes can be utilized, just add some bright red arrows. Something has to be done about those pesky college kids walking against traffic and signals though. Maybe a wall could be built to keep them off Broadway.
It’s a shame Bloomington is planning to add to their library and Normal wants to build a new one. Two libraries 10 minutes apart. Another brilliant move. Evidently sharing is only for taxes.
Maybe property taxes should be shared too.
Bloomington charges 2.38053 for the City and Library
Normal only charges 1.5299 for the Town, Library, and Water Reclamation
(per $100 assessed value)
Maybe “best practices” really means comply peons.
Which is why they subscribe to the international mayors forum or whatever it is. So they can all sit around and talk about how to screw the taxpayers and how to get away with it. Bullies that sit around and talk about being bullies. The nerds from junior hich school are now political bullies getting their revenge.
I wonder who’s idea this was? Bloomington’s for feeling guilty over poaching? Normal’s poached in the past and they didn’t feel guilty.
Who’s gonna do the collecting and who’s gonna sit and wait for the other to remit the “fair share?” Talk about power dynamics. Twin Cities shouldn’t be expected to share. One always takes and perhaps begrudgingly “shares” but only if the other is “nice.” I call bullshit on this. Normal wants more money, let Normal get off their ass and make some politically unpopular decisions like Bloomington has.
Normal didn’t want the drunk college kids and the attendant “mess” so they foisted it over to Bloomington and now they want a cut of the money? Unbelievable. If I were on the Bloomington side of this committee I’d sit and listen politely and smile and deftly usher the conversation to a close. Cripes, must every “idea” be explored? Just because somebody has an idea doesn’t mean it’s worthy of pursuit. But whatever,. This’ll peter out just like so many others.
Did anyone think that maybe some businesses prefer to work with one city over the other? The attempt to force equity and fairness may just drive all business away. Maybe businesses like Bloomington better? Can’t we just enjoy that? It’s a cycle. At one point Normal was preferred, now Bloomington is.
About three years ago, Hales introduced the term regionalism to the council, noting no explanation. Now it’s taking place, communism, slowly but surely. These political hacks subscribe to keep their jobs and perks. No care, no time to understand what they do as they participate to destroy the fabric of the founding principles of this republic. First combine sensible services, then share the taxes, next share more and more, next combine the city governments, next you’ll say “regional governments, why not” and next thing you know the top down government will complete the take over. Individual city governments are gone. Elections will become the past, even the rigged ones as we give our independence away. Good luck trying to work with some appointee that lives hundreds of miles away.
Good recap Mudd!
Say the words Economic Development and the area “leaders” begin to foam at the mouth. Add the word regional and they begin to behave irrationally. The idea of “sharing” sales tax revenue will have the opposite affect from their intention just like the other economic development initiatives. I thought Koos was not running for re-election. So, is he going to enter into this agreement before his term is over and leave the mess for someone else?
Good idea! We can send the Sunnyside & Holton Homes kids to Normal schools where they can get a GREAT education. And Bloomington can take Normals Unit 5 tax money. Leave it to Tari and Koos to come up with a bread slicer made outta rocks. Makes just ONE more reason to shop out of town, as our tax rate is ridiculous compared to MANY other towns! Maybe UPTOWN can pay for NEW sewer lines @ Lake Bloomington since WGLT has been beating the drum on that lately. What next? Buying TESLAS for the police force?
“What next? Buying TESLAS for the police force?”
This would be awesome. I’m pretty sure I can outrun a cop for 30 minutes!