By: Diane Benjamin
The City of Bloomington continues to hide the formerly transparent tax receipts. That means they are either way above projections or dropping like a rock. There is no way of knowing since transparency died. Thank Alderman Hauman for suggesting the City Manager’s Report doesn’t need to be done. I agree printing it was a waste of money, but not posting it!
I saw this on-line from September of 2015: http://www.cityblm.org/Modules/ShowDocument.aspx?documentid=9197
It was presented as the reason to pass the 1% Sales tax increase.
HRST is Home Rule Sales Tax. Even with the increase of 1%, Bloomington will still be running extreme deficits by 2020.
That’s after all these tax increases (and probably some I missed)
4% Amusement tax – Est $1,000,000 for General Fund Page 16 http://www.cityblm.org/Modules/ShowDocument.aspx?documentid=6644
.04 per Gallon Gas tax – Est $1,000,000 Transportation Infrastructure Page 25 http://www.cityblm.org/Modules/ShowDocument.aspx?documentid=6644
Increase in Utility Taxes (Cable, Electricity, Natural Gas, Phone, Water) Est $2,700,000 Pension Funding Page 31 http://www.cityblm.org/Modules/ShowDocument.aspx?documentid=6644
Garbage increase – depends on size of the can, more households picked the smaller cheaper size than was expected.
Video Gaming Tax – First year – $700,000
Sunset clause was removed on the 1/4 Home Rule Sales Tax – Est $2,500,000 Passed originally for the BCPA, then Coliseum was added + General Fund Page 11: http://www.cityblm.org/Modules/ShowDocument.aspx?documentid=6644
Total from the 1% Home Rule Sales tax increase is estimated at $9,600,000.
That’s total tax increases of at least $12,500,000 + $2,500,000 that was sold as being temporary!
Total $15,000,000
See this post from January 2015: https://blnnews.com/2015/01/13/bloomington-council-is-a-joke-a-bad-one/
Add 2016 General Fund: $94,553,780, Total budget $186.3
Add: 2017 General Fund $104,794,506, Total budget $206.9
Source: https://blnnews.com/2016/06/16/scott-laughlin-ever-get-tired-of-tari-lies/
What causes “Structural Deficits”?
Tari Renner, David Hales, and the Council who stole your money and will need much more.
Big spenders NEVER take enough!
As of March: https://blnnews.com/2016/05/04/two-city-manager-reports-posted/
Home Rule Sales tax was $144,255 above expected.
Utilities Tax was $548,016 above expected.
Amusement Tax was $414,290 above expected.
Video Gaming was $77,911 above expected.
Gas Tax was $717,405 above expected.
Don’t look for a refund!
It’s spent.
Hales only has two years on his contract. That makes him a “short-timer.” Short-timers don’t care because they won’t be here. The 1% tax increase was based on a sham. Remember, the sales tax was increased BEFORE the recommendation were presented from the Budget Task Force. The City, Renner claiming credit, has already received their website transparency award. The bulk waste and water/sewer rates will be increasing–can’t have facts about tax revenue available for challenging that. Maybe the city is “tweeking” the website and moving links around making it more difficult to find the tax receipt information. Regardless, it is an election year. Facts need to be buried.
Tax receipts would have to be under City Manager or Finance. Zilch.
More past tax increases: “Property Taxes were raised in FY2010 by 8.11 percent dedicated to fund city pensions.”
http://www.cityblm.org/modules/showdocument.aspx?documentid=9167
I wonder why they weren’t funded!?!
Then, the best explanation is that it’s an election year. Downs and Bloomington are suffering from the crippling, contagious illness.
Not funded?? The $$ was transferred to fund some other priority.
Bingo!
I guess it was on Sunday I wanted to get over to Towanda Ave. so I took Fairway Drive there by the post office facility. When I crossed Empire I couldn’t believe the number of holes in the street. It looked like a structural deficit there for sure.
I was up to New Lenox and Frankfort a week or so ago and you wonder how they keep the streets in such good condition. Let me guess the cities do what the government should do, maintain the streets.
I saw where Bloomington finally fixed Towanda Ave. there by Country Club place. I wonder how many locals complained about that spot before they did anything.
Maybe the citizens will finally wake up after being jarred around in the vehicles and not re-elect Renner and a few council members.
We are stuck with Sage, Amelia, Painter, Hauman and Schmidt, the “quality of life team,” for the next four years.
Painter is up again next year and already has an opponent. She was filling out an old term.
Yay!!