By: Diane Benjamin
All of the information below is from the Illinois Comptroller’s website. See it HERE
Would you invest in a company that fails to issue Financial Reports?
Why would anybody invest in Bloomington – they haven’t issued last year’s statements yet. Tonight there will be a presentation on how this year is going – but no hard data that can be checked!
The note below is still on the Comptroller’s website. The statements from 4/30/16 have NOT been submitted for approval.
Definition of Fraud:
Yes, I am accusing the City of Bloomington of FRAUD since no explanation has been given!
Add Tari Renner to the FRAUD charges. Tari proclaimed at last Thursday’s debate the City has 750 employees – 100 less than the City used to have.
The information below was submitted to the Comptroller’s office by the City of Bloomington.
In 2014 the City had 583 employees:
In 2015 the City had 625 employees.
Since employees are a huge part of spending –
compare the 2014 spending to 2015:
2014
2015
Spending since 2015 has skyrocketed to support Tari’s 750 employees.
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Cutting the budget isn’t rocket science – start with the huge number of new hires! More bureaucrats are un-affordable.
Next, align the benefits of the employees left with the private sector.
Yep, taxes can be cut!
The last payrolls showed 461-463 Bi-Weekly employees and 296-310 Weekly. http://www.cityblm.org/Home/ShowDocument?id=11826
Garbage pickup has been changed to one person trucks and bi-weekly bulk pickup, this supposedly reduced employee time.
Keep in mind – this data is old. Employees as of 4/30/16 is unknown. 750 current employees is only according to Tari, but since spending is over $200,000,000 now – he can’t say 750 isn’t accurate.
Tari loves to proclaim the City isn’t doing anything different from what was done years ago. More fraud – what do all those new employees do Tari?
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It’s almost like the city is being run by a college professor who has never run a business or much of anything else. Weird?
Well Lawrence, ya ALMOST got er RIGHT. I wouldn’t say “RUN” as much as I’d say snowballing toward armageddon..
I understand… I have heard that college professors are rather narrow in their perspectives and education. They are really good at one thing or discipline. Perhaps this is all a case study for a publication in the future? And the publication would be called? Easy come, easy go: A guide to spending public money like a drunk cowboy in a saddle shop
How is this any different than how CIAM ran the Coliseum? At least in the past, their were detailed monthly manager’s reports. How can the Council make decisions that cost the city money without knowing the financial status? Oh, I forgot, it’s budget time. It’s also an election year.
Tari was comparing the 750 count to a much earlier year I think. Is my understanding correct? Still, the more important numbers are headcount growth under Renner and overall staff cost (payroll and benefits).
Lawrence: Having lived out west, I LIKE that analogy! That REALLY describes our CURRENT local politicians-BOTH downtown and “UPTOWN” . They both like to hire consultants, make master plans, keep talking about “city 2.0”. raise taxes, tell US what we NEED, and hear voices that tell them what “millennials” will stay for.
Wonder IF those same voices tell them to read the packets, do some homework, look at the math and ASK the constituents what THEY believe, NAW!
Once had a professor who ALWAYS said-Those who know, go work in the field, those who don’t , teach.. MAYBE ole doc was on to something??
I think it is interesting that I read once read one of the mayor’s statements, “We have to provide amenities to attract millennials” – guess what… that is what colleges have been doing for the last 15 years (commonly called the guilding of higher education)! They have been adding nonacademic amenities that have turned higher education institutions into resort-like atmospheres. (See the new fitness center at ISU) All of this is paid by a raising tuition (and debt of students) and has nothing to do with the true mission of higher education. Now higher education is so expensive that increasingly young people are finding alternatives college and debt associated with it. Our mayor is using the same kind of failed strategy with the city! Instead of being focused on the mission of building and maintaining the city, he wants to find ways to fund amenities! That is what the studies are all about. All this is backfiring in higher education and (as we can see) it will never work here in Bloomington where the taxes are already sky high. The mayor just doesn’t get it. The way to attract millennials is through good jobs that pay good wages, not parks, restaurants, hotels or amenities.
YEP! They “glory days” of State Farm hiring everyone and their child here in town is over, and the universities pander to the “wants’ of students-apts with spa, WIFI, BBQ, recreation center, etc, and NOT what they NEED such as affordable tuition, security and placement (except IWU there).
I graduated years back and I know friends that are STILL paying off their student loans, how LONG will it take millenials? And with that kinda of burden, does MR RENNER think they’ll have “extra” income to pay higher taxes and go to Portillos or anywhere they can spend extra income??