By: Diane Benjamin
Pre Tari Renner the City of Bloomington didn’t have any staff doing economic development. See the 2012 job titles HERE
For the year ended 4/30/12, the Economic Development Council received $65,610.04 http://www.cityblm.org/Home/ShowDocument?id=6242
BN Advantage didn’t exist.
Was Bloomington better or worse?
Post Tari Renner – 2017
The City now has a full time Economic Development Coordinator. Total compensation for 2017 was $98,679.31.
For the year ended 4/30/17, the Economic Development Council received $107,660.00 http://www.cityblm.org/Home/ShowDocument?id=15346
$98,679.31 + $107,660.00 = $206,339.31 VRS. $65,610.04
In 2018 the City will fund even more Economic Development:
Start on PDF page 169: http://www.cityblm.org/Home/ShowDocument?id=15470
The Economic Development Council will still get $100,000 plus whatever the One Voice trip to Washington DC costs.
The Economic Development Coordinator probably got a 2-3% raise. Estimate $100,650 conservatively.
BN Advantage was given $32,333.33 for January-April 2018
Funding to the Economic Development Council was kept at $100,000 per year.
The 2019 budget will probably contain funding for BN Advantage at $97,000 for the year.
That brings the grand total to $100,650 + $100,000 + $97,000 = $297,650
Remember when Tari tried to convince people the budget increases were due to inflation? He claimed he wasn’t doing anything different!
Here’s $232,040 for just one year that wasn’t spent before.
What did you get for the money?
TIF Districts?
Right Fit businesses?
What would those “right fit” businesses be?
Don’t forget this gem:
Option 1 (50/50 split): That the Resolution approving the Small Business Development Center funding agreement between the City of Bloomington, Town of Normal, Bloomington-Normal Economic Development Council, and Illinois Wesleyan University, in the amount of $9,709 in 2017, $26,068, and $26,068 in 2019, be approved and the Mayor and City Clerk be authorized to prepare the necessary documents.
PDF page 147: http://www.cityblm.org/Home/ShowDocument?id=15356
This is why local elections can not be called non-partisan.
One party believes government should control everything.
Other parties (conservatives and libertarians) believe YOU can run your own life. It costs a lot less too!
The EDC could be successful if they refused government money, went private sector only, and purged itself of Koos and Renner loyalists. By the way, BN Advantage is one confusing super committee. No one can tell me what they do…just who they are comprised of. The website is lousy and offers nothing but rah, rah cheerleading to the townies.
CVB & MCRPC are involved in the support of BN Advantage.
Oh good, more central planners working together. What could go wrong? Hopefully, they all turn on each other and get nothing done.
They haven’t accomplished anything since the formation of the group 3 years ago. They “can’t” accomplish anything without $$ from taxpayers. Boo Hoo.
I think is it hilarious that a town that is about to be wiped out economically by State Farm downsizing and eventually leaving/being bought out/closing actually has a “right fit” requirement for new businesses. LOL! Can you say clueless idiots? Give is a couple years and they will be wanting a prison or a uranium mine here.
Did you notice the “new” businesses are all discount stores? The “right fit??” What ever happens to the Kroger expansion?
MIA!
I share your laughter, Lawrence451. It this point, we should welcome any legal business that creates jobs, whether 2 or 2,000. The “right fit” sounds as though the government will support your business only if they like it or you the owner. That’s disgusting! And you’re right, State Farm has only begun to downsize. They’re unraveling! But don’t worry, the spineless weasels in city/town hall and business leadership who can’t level with the people of BN have a plan to save us. It involves higher taxes, government control, and apparently bike lanes and a new library.
GOOD GRIEF ! A TOTAL WASTE OF FUNDS , ENERGY ,and a lot more of an idea being forced upon the city , let the free market do its job .
Free market is a term that BOTH coo KOOS and TARI would HAVE to look up, and since it isn’t in their socialist handbook, they would still be like our current outdoor conditions-OUT IN THE COLD!
Now if you have some hair-brained ideal, run to them and they’ll throw LOTS of OUR money at it. Heck, maybe an underwater goat tail weaving class at I.W.U. for starters or maybe teaching koalas to speak Urdu! Now that might be interesting…