By: Diane Benjamin
Update to this story: https://blnnews.com/2017/01/17/fraud/
The Pantagraph and Cumulus (WJBC) have both read this story at least once. The questions are: Will they report? Ask questions? Continue to be bought and paid for media and ignore the facts?
Last August something strange happened at a Council meeting. Finance Director Patti-Lynn Silva gave a 10 minute presentation on the unaudited Fiscal 2016 Year End (4/30/16):
The financial statements are normally issued in October, so why was a presentation on meaningless unaudited data given in August?
It seems the City was planning to not release the finance statements which has obviously happened. They must have thought this August show was good enough.
Meanwhile, many of the links to documents on the new City website don’t work. Try clicking on September documents: http://www.cityblm.org/government/advanced-components/documents/-folder-232/-npage-3
Who is intentionally hiding information and why?
The City transparency award needs to be yanked – they no longer qualify for it. Item #5 on the Illinois Policy 10 point checklist for Transparency is AUDITS. Bloomington has nothing current listed. Item #2 is Public Meetings. The links that don’t work to agendas and packets void Bloomington’s rating too. See the IPI checklist here: HERE
One more question for media – especially WGLT:
Why is a Candidates Forum for BLOOMINGTON Mayoral candidates being held in Normal?
http://wglt.org/submit-your-questions-candidates-forum#stream/0
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It seems whatever information the city has posted can be found in the “Transparency” portal. There are even Coliseum/Venue Works/BCPA financial reports which are amusing–pun intended. There are CAFRs back to the 1980’s but I can’t find financial reports more recent than September 2016.
Diane, I can’t help but feel they are hiding lots of things. And yes the transparency award needs to be taken away. In the words of the Procurements Manager, “The Freedom of Information Act does not require public bodies to answer questions.” Seriously. I didn’t file a freedom of information act, I asked some pretty simple questions about an RFP. It’s good to know that they don’t have to answer questions…or be held accountable. That’s just precious.