I just received another response from the City they neglected to include in the previous FOIA response:
Nice of them to totally change the story two days later! Why aren’t vending machine profits City money? More FOIA’s
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By: Diane Benjamin
I heard a rumor that morale at Bloomington’s Public Works was so low, Jim Karch decided to throw a cookout for the employees – during working hours. I also heard employees didn’t want to show up – until they were given the rest of the day off if they did come. Since I can’t confirm that part, I FOIA’d the receipts from the cookout.
I wonder who got the leftovers, especially all the spices purchased?
See the receipts here: Employee Cookout 5/18/18
Note, some of them have tax charged. Maybe they bought storage bags so leftovers could be distributed.
$250.00 – Bloomington Meats
$54.19 – Walmart
$24.15 – Sam’s Club
$297.50 – Walmart
$31.19 – Jewel
$244.89 – Sam’s Club
$4.04 – Jewel
$ 905.96
Ready to sign a petition to revoke Home Rule now?
In case you missed the previous story: https://blnnews.com/2018/06/04/909-00-cookies/
$909 cookies + $906 cookout = $1,815 feeding themselves.
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I hope all of the beverage containers were recycled. The foam plates will go to the land fill and never decompose. Way to go ecology friendly City–we pay tax dollars to support the Ecology Action Center.
Why would Public Works have such low morale? The Solid Waste workers got to keep their jobs. Are the unions upset that the 3% annual pay increase has been reduced to 2.5% or from 2.5% to 1.75%? They still have their “Gold Plated” healthcare coverage. Do tell. What is causing the low morale?
So no need for the 4th of July cookout then?
Diane maybe you should list all the costs we bear thanks to inept home rule. I doubt many realise the sales tax would go down. Bob Rebbec
That would be an endless list. The only reason I know about these is from a tip.
Here is a hint…State Statute says tax dollars are to be used ONLY for government function (or by ordinance, as with home rule). All expenditures other than for public safety (police/fire/roads), public health (water/sewer/solid waste), and government facilities/personnel for the administration of government function would be as a result of home rule. For example, subsidizing entertainment, real estate investment, subsidizing not-for-profit organizations, gifts, parties…on and on…
You have to examine the Bills and Payroll reports to see what may not qualify as for government function.
Under Home Rule they don’t have to comply. They can do whatever they want and raise taxes at will.
My grammer is not the best in my comment but that is exactly what I’m saying. The City’s home rule status allows Council to ordain what they want even though it has nothing to do with government function.
Yes, Yes, Yes!
My husband was a public works employee for 32 years. Yes, there is VERY low morale in that department nowadays that was not there when he was still in that dept. Most of it is caused by Karch himself. It was common for the public works dept to have cookouts back in the day that everyone enjoyed. But hey were paid for mostly through the money made in their vending machines if I remember right. And they certainly did not cost anywhere near $900!
Positively OBSCENE.
Morale is low because________________________.
(Someone please fill in the blank.)
If they are all so fed up with their job I’ll take it. City jobs have good benefits and higher pay than a lot of other jobs around here. I’d be happy with just that. I wouldn’t need a cook out to raise my morale.
You better check where that money came from. The union paid for that cookout.
How did the city get the receipts then?
Thanks for changing your story. Kinda jumped the gun didn’t you
Nope, vending machine money belongs to taxpayers. More info coming
The City failed to properly respond to my FOIA request too.
kind of makes you wonder about the credibility of any other story that you write
Evidently you didn’t read my response.
Show me where it says vending machine money in an employee break room is tax payers money. There miss unreliable………… ……..
I FOIA’d vending contracts. The city will extend the request another week, so I won’t have them for weeks. Somebody pays for the pop or the vending company gives back a percent. It’s on City property, that doesn’t make it a kitty for employees.
Give me a source first of all, I can’t really believe you……………..i guess the toilet paper is yours too.
Not mine, the people who PAID for it. Unless employees bought toilet paper themselves, taxpayers own it.
I seeing a problem here. You must not realize the City doesn’t make any money. Everything they have they confiscated from the people who earned it. You don’t seem to realize you owe your job to the taxpayers of Bloomington and they deserve to be respected since they were robbed just to pay you.
I see you’re trying to move on to another subject well I’ll check back in a week or so to see if your “proof” is on there
Subject didn’t change, you didn’t want to hear it.
I’m trying to figure out why a lady from Ellsworth cares about Bloomington so much although I guess it probably is pretty boring there
Resorting to deflection! Why do reporters have to live where their subject resides? Somebody in Bloomington can’t report on Normal? Besides, I don’t live in Ellsworth.
Anything yet
FOIA extended