By: Diane Benjamin
What a scam! Unless the citizens of Bloomington are willing to pay more to fix the roads they aren’t going to get fixed!
Tim Gleason is so cute the way he talks about tax increases. He claims he isn’t making recommendations, he’s just throwing numbers out for them to consider. Here the graphic he used for increasing the Motor Fuel Tax – but the discussion was FOUR cents a gallon more, not one cent:
Money you already pay in taxes can’t be used for essential services like roads! Only new money raised and designated for roads is available. The Council did the same thing with garbage, water, storm water, and sewer so NO money from existing taxes subsidizes them. This is a slimy way of raising taxes by pretending there is no other way to fund government. All of their pet projects and un-needed employees are off the table. Money would be available if the City would quit trying to define Quality of Life for people and spending your money for utopia. Good roads aren’t part of the equation, only new projects.
Somebody should ask why the BCPA, Grossinger Motors Arena, and the Creativity Center can suck up tax dollars but roads can’t.
Gleason claims he wants to get to $6 million a year spent on streets. He could easily do that without a tax increase, but he won’t. The problem is $6 million isn’t enough:
The City of Bloomington does not care about roads. That fact is proven by their under-funding year after year after year. They have more than the planned 15% of the budget in reserves. It’s approaching 20%, but that can’t be used on streets when they have “plans” for the money.
The only reason they are planning to spend $5 million on roads this year is some money is left over from last year.
The current $.04 per gallon tax was passed by the Council on April 21, 2014. Are the roads any better? Did that tax increase get you anything but poorer? Here’s who voted for it: http://www.cityblm.org/Home/ShowDocument?id=6667
The citizens of Bloomington are being scammed by their government. Progressives have goals that don’t include what you want, they want your money to do what THEY want. Fixing the roads isn’t one of them.
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“If we waited for the State of Illinois or Springfield to be rational or actually make decisions, that would never get anything done,” said Renner.
But when the pension spiking came before the city it was lets wait and see what the state is going to do…..
Good point!
Diane,
I’m sure you could compile a list of expenses (pension spikes, studies on QLQP projects, council travel, “grants”, etc.) in the City’s last fiscal year that would equate to the 2.3m proposed increase in MFT tax.
I think all of us Bloomington residents should go to the next meeting and give the same speech during public comments regarding was to cut to an additional 2.3m for roads. I would go.
Should be 100’s of people demanding the roads get fixed with cuts to their projects instead of tax increases!
Well, they raised the gas tax AND the amusement tax BOTH at that meeting, and I don’t think there’s ANYONE who’s amused! Sad that only Stearns and Lower (sometimes Sage) were the ONLY ones who don’t suck up to the rainbow emperor.
Our roads ARE some of the worst around, bar none. and I don’t see it getting ANY better. MAYBE investing in an an parts store would be a good investment since the CITY IS LIABLE for damages to vehicles caused by bad roads.
Meanwhile they are out “chasing” funds for THEIR pet projects which “WE NEED” important stuff like an underpass, business hub, Rt 66 do-dads, downtown transfer station, and COMPETENT LEADERSHIP!!
All I know is that Hershey is starting to look like downtown Baghdad after the American Military finished with it – I wonder if they make dune buggies with cabs, heaters and air conditioning? The city “hot patch” guys fill the craters and two days later, the craters are back! I love to have to compress the patches of hot asphalt with my car. I feel like I am doing my part to keep our roads from being dangerous crater ridden obstacle courses. So thanks Mayor Tari for giving me some ownership in my streets! It makes me feel all warm and fussy knowing that I am making a difference!
I’m to the point I refuse to drive Hershey. Goodbye businesses that expect my money – I’m not going to break the car to get to you.
I know this sounds all capitalist and all but I have business reasons for traveling on Hershey every day. Yes today again, I will be forced to try to avoid the craters that you can hide sacks of potatoes in, as I go about my business here. I am looking forward to smashing some more hot patch and scraping hot tar from my wheel wells again! It is always an adventure here in Bloomington! Thanks again Mayor Tari! I love that hot patch stuff!
Just so everybody knows – Hershey was already bad BEFORE this winter. It’s close to un-drivable now.
Yes it is
Its almost as though we are all affected by the Stockholm Syndrome. We do not have to have it this way, yet we embrace it and re-validate it at election time. There is nothing to complain about. The way things are apparently are the way we want them to be.
Most citizens don’t know an election is even coming! Thank the local non-existent media.
All our fantastic media does is parrot the establishment narratives. They do NO investigative reporting and they ask nothing but softball questions in any and all interviews they do with our leadership. They are doing everything they can to support the city governments by being their shills. They are being provided with a gravy train of advertising revenue and support. When in Lake Gravy… why rock the boat? So as a result, your everyday citizen is really clueless about what is going on. Unless they happen to know about and read the BLNEWS, they are sheep to be manipulated and used. So with all this being said, it is unlikely that, inspite of the obvious major problems that are not being address in our area, the chances of the clown bus occupants being voted out of office is very slim.
Meanwhile, contributions here were down last year. Wonderful!
in England they drive on the left side on the road. In Bloomington you drive on whats LEFT of the road!
Yes – we are going to soon be needing something from the movie Road Warrior! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDcDoyLHznQ
Karch in my opinion is part of the problem. How much money was thrown into the boondoggle of a mess on east Washington St. west of Veteran’s Pkwy. You have two lanes on the east side of Veteran’s Pkwy merging into one lane going west. Who in gawd’s name came up with this mess of a design?
What about his mess of Regency Drive. North of Empire on the frontage road going south another merge of two lanes into one. I see no need for any center turn lane. There again how much money was wasted by Karch on his stupid road design? Those aren’t state routes but rather are city streets. Not to mention starting that Regency Drive project right before winter with vague lane markings. Honestly some people still think there are 2 lanes going north and south.
What is needed is a conservative group to take over the council and mayor position then drain the city swamp of government employees, one being Karch. That’s the only way this city is going to dig itself out of debt and by ridding itself of the entertainment business dipping into the pockets of the taxpayers and businesses. .
It isn’t Karch’s fault! I’m going to take your comment and do a whole story so people understand the REAL problem!
The longer King Tari blows off fixing roads the higher the cost. Mr.Prickster just signed the $15 min. wage so the price of not only labor but the components of fixing roads will skyrocket.Fix them NOW, save later. But knowing King Tari he will wait and claim the cost is too high to fix and blow them off or raise taxes MORE .