By: Diane Benjamin
The City of Bloomington will NEVER have enough of your money. Complete control of the local economy means your money is theirs and they are free to take it at will. Monday night they will discuss taking more for their vision. http://www.cityblm.org/Home/ShowDocument?id=15904
Want your roads fixed?
Even though Tari Renner and others campaigned with promises of fixing the streets, the only money being spent was either borrowed or paid through tax increases. The tax increases aren’t close to providing the needed money, so Monday they will discuss raising the gas tax to .08 cents per gallon:
You are already paying a .04 gas tax thanks to Tari Renner.
With a budget of over $200,000,000 this City can’t fix the roads without fleecing you for more money.
This year only $3.8 million was budgeted for roads – the .04 gas tax and 1/4% sales tax. The additional .04 gas tax might add $2.3 million for a total of $6.1 million. They will also look at borrowing another $10,000,000 and paying it back with the gas tax increase.
From the City website (updated in 2015) http://www.cityblm.org/government/departments/public-works/streets-sidewalks/street-resurfacing
Roads are clearly not a priority!
Won’t it be glorious when the roads reach a rating of 4 out of 10? The Council has other plans for your money:
From PDF page 37 – the $600,000 is the annual payment required – but you will be told a new pool will make money. Even though Pepsi Ice does show a profit, it is not close to paying for the building. This pool won’t either.
How are they going to pay for it?
Utility Taxes are a direct assault on the poor.
Having trouble paying your electricity and gas bills after this bitter winter?
The City of Bloomington (Tari Renner) doesn’t care. You are supposed to blame the utility companies, not the ones taxing you simply because their priorities aren’t the priorities of citizens.
Also included is $5.5 million for a new fire station #5 to replace the #5 station that was never used and was built on the wrong side of town.
Just wait until it’s built and more money is needed to staff it.
More tax increases coming, not setting better priorities.
See PDF page 38 for a list of all taxes they will discuss increasing:
See PDF page 39 for some fuzzy math, unless it’s a clue to the real cost.
.
.
.
Can you even begin to imagine any of this bunch trying to run a house on $20,000 a year? Can you imagine ANY of them having to make financial decisions such as new shoes (needed shoes not buy for a lark shoes) and a couple pounds of chicken thighs or a pack of Rib eyes for dinner? I can’t, I think they are feckless and clueless, but they put their names up for election and clueless people who are fooled by them vote for them I guess because maybe they dress well or something…..
They punish the poor in numerous ways as well, not only through things like gas tax they also gouge them if they let their water bill go until they get turned off and then after managing to gather up the hundred bucks they need for that they will need to come up with 50 more to get turned on. Then there are the “towing fees and storage fees that they and their cronies impose on people who for one reason or another have to leave their car somewhere on a street for a few days – they tow them, impound them and then that person has to come up with 300 bucks or more just to get their car back Yeah, stuff like that. They call themselves compassionate, the kind and good people, but in reality they are vultures and only cater to the rich/well off and the welfare/benefits classes who don’t pay for their water anyway, or their electric or their rent or their food and get vouchers for other stuff as well. The working poor who are JUST over the limits to get “assistance” are the real losers, here, and pretty much everywhere else too due to taxes, fees, penalties etc on EVERYTHING. We HAVE to vote these people OUT and get some REAL people running this show, people who have REALLY had to stick with a budget, people who understand priorities when money is tight – people who stay at the Motel 6 (or similar) so they can HAVE a vacation at ALL and not at the Hyatt (or similar). Herein lies a BIG problem with BloNo and many many other communities. The WRONG people are in charge, in other words, the stupid people. We need to get rid of the stupid people, and the stupid thoughtless and in reality heartless people. If some of these people in charge are NOT stupid, heartless and thoughtless, then they need to start proving it.
I can’t imagine these dipsh!ts even balancing a checkbook with 50 bucks in it.
they are told what to believe and they fall for it.
Did i read where the city bought the old jr. high .., for 90,000 plus .. , we pay 11cents on the dollar , they have already uped taxes for perks and wishes , have wasted god knows how much on stuff like downtown and other things , when they should of been taking care of what the city has in infrastructure . I’m about ready to pack and leave because you can’t register any logic , honest effort or accountable action because of a genius running this town .I so hope a decent candidate replaces our slick mayor and his yes people who sit and nod these actions into fruition while ignoring most of the important truths that they are not doing good but harm to the city .A sad mess with terrible leadership.
They paid $95,000 for a vacant lot on E Washington
None of these tax and fee increases will make a bit of difference without serious cuts to entertainment venues and labor costs. The LMFT is also a regressive tax because the working poor need transportation other than the bus. I heard the State will be increasing its MFT raising the total cost of gasoline even more.
Feds are thinking about it too!
“Absolute power corrupts, Absolutely!”
I don’t think ANY elected person KNOWS or cares WHAT a budget is! They just keep taxing and they’ll keep spending! WHERE does it stop? At the ballot..
Ronin, you bring up a LOT of GREAT points. That poor tax on the monopoly board, is alive and WELL….It’s just not $15 anymore..
And the exodus continues! The more he tightens his grip the more people will slip away, to paraphrase Princess Leia