By: Diane Benjamin
Normal’s budget:
http://www.pantagraph.com/news/local/government-and-politics/budget-cuts-fee-hikes-monthly-water-bills-coming-to-normal/article_5a6c2b16-486f-5010-9330-9caafd2ebcc9.html
Bloomington’s proposed budget:
http://www.pantagraph.com/news/local/government-and-politics/city-hikes-garbage-fee-reduces-bulky-waste-pickups/article_98969c25-05f0-5009-966f-737908b06f3d.html
Normal is spending $1879.70 per resident.
Bloomington is spending $2743.41 per resident
Bloomington also has around twice as many employees with benefits and pensions that have to be funded.
Which city will be filing for bankruptcy first?
.
.
.
Like this:
Like Loading...
This is just mind blowing! Any sane person knows that the Town of Normal is run horribly, with a mismanaged, crazy spending, debt happy city government. But next to “Tari On the Prairie”, they look like a model of sanity and fiscal common sense. Can it get any worse? (Well…yes it can, if the Chief leaves and Renner gets to politically weaponize the Police Department–more than he already has.)
I would say it’s nose to nose as to who will get to the bankruptcy finish line first as far as our cities go. But Farnsworth will be laughing all the way to the bank. As long as the consultants and friends of One Voice are happy that is really all that Council members are concerned with.
Stay tuned, another story soon.
Meanwhile, the taxpayers (hereinafter “No Voice”) get stuck with the tab for Farnsworth’s shopping list and the junket to D.C.
Almost 50% of the annual operating budget is spent on labor costs. The County and Town have reduced the number of employees. Normal has only two unions—Police & Fire. Bloomington doesn’t have the intestinal fortitude to address the issues—pension spiking for IMRF members, 2-3% automatic annual salary increases and Cadillac Healthcare coverage. Imagine the decrease in expenses if just one of those items was addressed for the 650+ employees. Instead, the Council votes to have an automatic 3% fee increase to cover increasing labor costs.
Where is the outrage when taxes and fees increase with none-what-so-ever effort to cut costs?
It all stems from the Marxian (Communist) ideology that dominates the Bloomington City Council–very intentionally on Tari and Scott Black’s part (perhaps 2 others), and because the rest are too dim witted to understand what they are doing. They truly believe that ALL WEALTH belongs to the government, so increasing and excessive taxation is just a natural part of “The Plan”. Elections have consequences.