By: Diane Benjamin
Most people think the job of local government is Police, Fire, Water, Sewers, and Roads.
Look at what Normal’s priorities are based on where they spending money: PDF page 133 http://www.normal.org/DocumentCenter/View/12750
Try to use and elitist accent here. Repeat after me:
Normal spent more on “Culture and Recreation” than they did on roads!
Normal spent more on “Community Development” than they did on roads. I wonder if buying Portillos is in that number.
Why do many voters in Normal sit out elections when the people supposedly representing them aren’t?
Now look under Revenues – Investment Income. They thought they would earn $166,620, instead they earned $35,860. That’s a clear sign that as of 3/31/17 they didn’t have very much in savings.
How are they doing now? It’s a secret.
Ironwood golf course has new cart paths. The ones replaced were better than some roads.
Its really simple..Normal is headed for a financial disaster… Does anyone still believe that the Uptown (Downtown as far I am concerned) will ever make enough money to even begin to pay off what was spent on it? It is a boondoggle of epic proportions that ignored both current economic reality as well as well documented directions for the future (declining retail taxes and higher education’s demise). Mayor Koos and company have bet the farm on the Uptown (downtown) boondoggle and Normal is going to pay the cost.
That’s why they’re UPTOWN! They be cultured! In debt up to the corset, but cultured..
….”but cultured”…and bike friendly, and deviant friendly, and illegal friendly, and ANTIFA friendly. Actually, Bloomington and Normal city governments LOVE everybody…..except taxpayers….and Conservatives….and Christians.
Radical Leftism in action. “San Francisco On the Prairie”.
OK now I understand… I liked the way Normal we use to be…in the 70s when I came here…now I feel like I need to have a roll of 100 dollar bills in my pocket when I am down there. What happened to this nice little town? Fancy buildings… that do most of us no good at all… and as ISU continues to decline in enrollment (yes this going to happen) what is going to be done the hotels, etc. that have been built? So we wanted to be cultured and spent a 100 million to get it done? Someone should be ashamed of what they have done… Are you listening Mr. Bike Shop Owner?
Yeah, the Gallery, Cellar, Rockies, Mother Murphy’s (Got most of my Floyd albums there). Garcias, etc. YEP! That’s WHEN Normal was UPTOWN!
Now it’s so sterile (and in debt) that the yeast in a beer dies upon opening!
As for the hotels, it’ll be section 8 housing in 10 years, as ALL the residents will be in the poor house…
Yes that is the word for it…sterile..thank you. I lived in Normal for many years on North Fell street – then the city sold out to all the apartment builders and my nice neighborhood was suddenly being torn down for student apartments. I remember this older couple who had been in their house for years suddenly was surrounded by students. They had spent their lives in that house and now had college students partying all around them and urinating on the yard. It was really sad but I am sure the city didn’t care. They just wanted the big real estate tax money that student apartments would bring. So many homes were torn down for the profit of landlords and the city. Like I said, Normal used to be a nice little town and now… what a mess… ugly student apartments everywhere and downtown is just invitingly sterile. This is what happens when you let a bike shop owner run you city.
Normal has managed to get two major hotel chains to locate in the Uptown utopia that along with the government subsidized transportation hub are their catalyst projects. To put this in context, years ago The Chateau was the major hotel in town akin to the Uptown Marriott. In this morning’s Pravdagraph the Chateau is delinquent on their property taxes (still). The place is a dump and nobody’s staying there. In time this will be Uptown.
Speaking of property taxes interesting to see who else is on the list of delinquent taxes in today’s paper. Just saying…..
Send me a copy! I’m sure not buying one.
the Hyatt is already struggling – I predict that they will close next year. What a mess… and none of it is paid for? Some need their head examined.
At least the City of Normal will have great culture when the whole things swirls down the toilet , taking citizens tax dollars with it.
Anybody notice all the real estate transfers in today’s paper on the 800th block of College Ave to the town of Normal. What’s that about?
From who? Did it involve the ISU properties swap?
801, 803, 805, 807, and 809 West College. Each lot sold by a different individual and purchased by the town of Normal for $1,000 each. Don’t have time now, but want to drive by later and see what this is.
I just looked on Google Street view… they are residences – small homes
See my response
Nothing nefarious! Normal paid them to have a sanitary sewer easement.
They’re houses west of Adelaide, on the south side of College. Interesting…ISU had nothing to do with it.
See my response
Most people who vote DON’T think the job of local government is police, fire, water, sewers, and roads, apparently. What’s the point of great, newly paved roads if there’s no where to go on them? I want to go places other than to work and back. These spending priorities seem perfectly in line to me for a community with no mountains or waterfront property to attract entrepreneurs and millennials. Quality of life matters. It’s why we live in communities and not in rural areas of McLean County.
Duh dude. Good limited government makes the private sector WANT to invest. Government does a POOR job at anything but the basics. See the State of Illinois where nobody wants to invest unless they are paid to do so.
The State of Illinois is failing. Use them as an educational tool for what NOT to do!