By: Diane Benjamin
I remember heated discussions over Master Plans. The Council was told they were advisory only. Just because they passed, it didn’t mean the Council had to implement them.
Not according to Special Meeting tonight – 6:05 pm.
It’s really boring to spend money on funding pensions, repair streets, and maintain infrastructure, so former councils opted for more exciting things like entertaining you.
This Council – under Democrat Tari Renner – wants to do both. Tari also thinks he can also promote economic development by throwing millions at it. Funding for pet projects are prioritized (bike lanes, bike paths, Connect Transit, Route 66 Visitors Center, downtown hotel, Coliseum remodel, and library expansion) while tax receipts to date are now hidden! Transparency died.
Expect more tax increases. Documentation for the special meeting call for taxing and borrowing. The taxes already increased are helping fund roads, but that leaves $276,680,000 unfunded. They want to spend that much in the next 5 years. Mortgaging Bloomington’s future is the next “Master Plan”. It won’t happen if Renner if chucked at the next election, unless Tari is trying to set the spending in stone so it can’t be changed when he’s gone.
If non-essential spending was suspended for 5 years, the number would be easier to take. That will never happen since this council doesn’t know the difference between essential and non-essential.
Read the documentation here: http://www.cityblm.org/Modules/ShowDocument.aspx?documentid=10835
Page 18: As a home rule unit of government in Illinois, the City has no legal debt limit
Starting on page 17, area cities are listed with the amount of their debt. Debt in other cities is immaterial unless you want to be just like them.
Residents need to read the entire report. Your current leadership doesn’t think projects should be funded with taxes you already pay. If they have a master plan, you need to fund it and/or pay the costs to borrow.
You have been setup with Enterprise Funds and deferred maintenance while their version of “Quality of Life” has sucked your wallet.
Think before you vote next time!
Don’t miss a new City Hall – page 26.
Saturday I saw gas for $2.01 a gallon. If both local governments hadn’t stolen your money, it would have been $1.97.
Qualifying Criteria:
Capital projects must meet at least one of the following to be included in the CIP:
Contribute to the development or implementation of Council-adopted plans and policies
Address health and safety needs or improve access to City facilities for those with
disabilities
Maintain existing assets or improve operations
Improve revenue potential or enhance existing programs
Project Priorities:
Potential capital projects and their priority are derived from a number of sources, including:
Master Plans: Many of the City’s capital project priorities are driven by needs identified in various Master Plans, often greatly influenced by critical deferred maintenance items
Requests from citizens, neighborhood associations and community organizations
Requests from other governmental agencies
City departments
City committees and commissions
http://www.cityblm.org/modules/showdocument.aspx?documentid=10835 Page 20
Nice to see priorities include requests from neighborhood associations–DBA! Community organizations–Arts Council, Zoological Society and Historical Society. Citizenry–not so much!!
Nice!
So, who’s running against Renner? Lower? That’s the best option? Anyone else?
Nothing definitive yet.
I’m considering my options. You’ll just have to wait and see.
Well skunk in all due respect, I doubt you would stink any where near as bad as the crew in charge now.
Mudd, skunks don’t stink. They spray their scent to repel and identify the offender.
Better than the stinker we have now, Skunk for Mayor.
Or should it read, Skunk for Mayor as it will be better than the stinker we have now.
I am voting for skunk, just thinking out loud for campaign slogans.
What’s the point of planning if you never utilize anything in the plan? Are you suggesting the city not plan to repave roads, plan to repair sidewalks, or have a plan to stay on top of water treatment technology?
Those are essential. Downtown, zoo, and bike path plans were forced through by saying they were only advisory. They weren’t. Of course, no money exists to fund them, but they will find it somewhere in your wallet. Way too much money is being spent on things that benefit a small portion of the population while the poor are forced to pay.
Problem is the city plans on shafting the taxpayer to pay for stupid plans that they plan on decieving the taxpayers when the taxpayers only part of being in the plan is the plan that they (the taxpayer) get screwed without planning on it. It’s a big part of the plan. Now. Do you finally understand how city planning works? Wake the hell up!