By: Diane Benjamin
I started this project to show how much David Hales has increased spending on Administration. The 2017 budget numbers could be immaterial since spending over budget could be happening. The 4/30/2016 financial statements are still a secret, the 2017 statements won’t be available until at least October. All of the page numbers are PDF numbers.
Total spending for Administration:
2012 – $1,272,663 Page 151 http://www.cityblm.org/Home/ShowDocument?id=5108
2013 – $867,558 Page 130 http://www.cityblm.org/Home/ShowDocument?id=7077
2014 – $1,065,611 Page 108 http://www.cityblm.org/Home/ShowDocument?id=9210
2015 – $1,227,560 Same as above
2016 – $1,244,581 Projected, financials still secret Page 109 http://www.cityblm.org/Home/ShowDocument?id=10626
2017 – $1,197,408 Budget Same as Above
While looking at this info I found something MORE interesting:
You have to understand Enterprise Funds to understand this part. To make raising your taxes and fees easier, the City segregated services into funds. If the garbage fund (Solid Waste) doesn’t balance – your garbage fees are raised. Same with Water, Sewer, and Storm Water. Prior to 2005, garbage was not an Enterprise Fund – the cost was covered by taxes you already paid: https://blnnews.com/2015/03/09/bloomington-garbage-was-free-until-2005/
In 2005 a $5 per month fee was added and the cost has been going up ever since. It’s very easy for David Hales to claim the fund doesn’t balance – therefore you need to pay more.
If you elect the wrong people in April, you will see more increases because the funds don’t balance. Many of the current aldermen are already planning increases, but they won’t vote until after the election. More surprises that must remain hidden until after April 4th.
Here is what you won’t be told:
The City has been robbing these Enterprise Funds calling transfers to the General Fund Administrative Fees! These transfers skyrocketed every year since 2014 – the first Renner budget. These Enterprise Funds are serving as a slush funds. All these transfers are planned during the budget process. Documentation for every year is below.
Citizens need to know when they pay these bills, they aren’t paying the actual cost of the service provided. I call this fraud, accounting principles say it’s perfectly legal. Everything is disclosed in the financial statements, until now nobody bothered to tell you.
Would these funds balance without the transfers? The City is anything but transparent these days, so I don’t know. Obviously they would come closer to balancing if these transfers didn’t happen!
Who taught the City how to easily increase fees?
The Illinois Municipal League?
The US Conference of Mayors?
ICMA? (International City/County Managers Association)
2012: Page 377 http://www.cityblm.org/Home/ShowDocument?id=5108
2013: Page 391 http://www.cityblm.org/Home/ShowDocument?id=7077
2014: Page 394 http://www.cityblm.org/Home/ShowDocument?id=9210
2017: budgeted numbers from the same link as above
Ask the current elected people why the City is robbing them!
Hauman says we have to pay Cadillac taxes/fees to get the Cadillac services we’re used to. We’re paying that already! When do we get the services?
The yellow brick road leads to the wonderful, magical land of OZ. The potholes, the bumps, the asphalt in the middle fo concrete roads, the out of control weekends in the by-way, and disregarded litter throughout lead to city hall, Rennner and Hales office. What a disgrace! Hey Libs! Is this your utopia? Looks like bovine excrement to most folks.
Unfortunately the first and most influential teacher of how to scam the tax payer is the Social Security system. Republicans fought that nasty tax (taking from the young to give to the elderly- including me) for 40 years. Then they gave up and joined the takers. Now they campaign on maintaining this socialist program.