By: Diane Benjamin The only item not on the Consent Agenda for tonight is forming a Technology Committee. Alderman Mathy has been pushing for it. I have no idea why it is needed. Currently budgeted for Information Services is $3,290,386, that is up from $2,652,090 just two years ago. PDF page 158: http://www.cityblm.org/home/showdocument?id=18370 Maybe this […]
By: Diane Benjamin Seattle’s $15 per hour minimum wage was passed in 2014. The increase happens gradually, $15 per hour isn’t reached until 2021. The City of Seattle has hired the University of Washington to study the effects of this law ever since it passed. The stories based on their studies say what the writer […]
By: Diane Benjamin First refer back to yesterday’s story: https://blnnews.com/2019/02/09/remember-when-bloomington-was-broke/ The City of Bloomington will be adding yet another Quality of Life location most of the population will never use. EVERY Quality of Life location they have now loses money, including the zoo. Even though local soccer people have finally taken it on themselves to […]
By: Diane Benjamin All Tari’s structural deficits put forth only to raise taxes have disappeared. Bloomington is now on a spending spree! Proposed budget for next year: http://www.cityblm.org/home/showdocument?id=18372 Page 349 and following Remember when Bloomington wasn’t interested because they had too many other expenses? According to the last finance report, next years budget only spends […]
By: Diane Benjamin Democrats have lost their minds: High school kids will never have a job again. Businesses aren’t going to pay $15 an hour to a kid who has never worked before. They have to be trained to show up on time and actually work the entire time they are clocked in for. They […]
By: Diane Benjamin Bloomington finally managed to hack off virtually every business in town. So far today I’ve talked to 3 business owners who got the letter below. This Business Registration has nothing to do with public safety, it’s an attack on the local producers. How did Bloomington send each business a letter if they […]
By: Diane Benjamin Evidently the Town of Normal doesn’t understand they can’t use their credit card because it’s convenient – even if the charge is reimbursed. Of course, laws don’t matter in Illinois, more than 1 1/2 years later Tari Renner still hasn’t been charged for misusing his P-Card. Are those Pam Reece’s initials approving […]
By: Diane Benjamin http://www.cityblm.org/Home/ShowDocument?id=20987 More pensions spiking: (the penalties will come late) Coliseum continues to fleece: Employee partying, but called Community Relations. Were you invited? Springfield Law firm MONTHLY charges: I have no idea what this is, but Nov-Jan wasn’t paid until February? Is […]
A reader on Facebook thought this might be 10 entries for a house they are giving away! Andrew? https://www.stjude.org/give/dream-home.html?sc_icid=wtg-mm-dreamhome By: Diane Benjamin In this story I showed a credit card charge labeled “memorial contribution to” for $1,000. https://blnnews.com/2019/01/18/citizens-of-normal-need-to-see-this-one/ I filed a FOIA request for more information. Normal has a new system to track requests. […]
No special meeting posted, a demolition permit will likely be issued very soon. Planning to vote now? By: Diane Benjamin Chris Koos seems to have forgotten he does not have overwhelming support from the citizens of Normal: (2017 election results) 12 more votes would have ended the Koos reign of debt and development terror. The […]
By: Diane Benjamin HB 0875 is working its way through the Illinois House. SB 0170 is working its way through the Senate. Both bills want the Treasurer is create a Financially Distressed Cities Fund. Both bills ignore Illinois can’t pay its bills. Both also ignore why cities are financially distressed. The biggest driver is pensions that can […]
By: Diane Benjamin Black History Month isn’t about teaching kids Black History. Instead of proving America is a country where anybody can succeed, the National Education Association is taking a different path. Why aren’t they talking about Madam C.J. Walker? She was born in 1867 and had a very difficult life. But she had a […]
By: Diane Benjamin Tonight the Normal Council will be meeting for just a few minutes. The only highlight is selling 2 garbage trucks to the City of Kewanee for $260,000. Normal already bought replacements. It is really tough to keep track of all the Uptown History and how much taxpayers money has been invested, so […]
By: Diane Benjamin Last Saturday the McLean County Republican Party held a debate for the candidates running for Bloomington City Council. The only candidate to decline the invitation was Jenn Carrillo who is running to replace Karen Schmidt. The debate was filmed by the GOP and linked here in 4 parts, each around 15 minutes. […]
By: Diane Benjamin I filed a FOIA request for all the event reports missing from the BCPA site. I actually found this earlier Friday, the FOIA denying my request was finally received at 4:45 pm Friday. It’s pretty clear why event reports weren’t on the website. http://www.cityblm.org/government/advanced-components/documents/-folder-1702 I recapped the events for you: How can […]
Maybe: Build the Wall Here’s your chance:
By: Diane Benjamin The City of Bloomington has been trying to pass Form Based Code for years. Normal already has it. Everything looks the same, especially the student housing. Individualism isn’t allowed. Almost every building is retail on the bottom with apartment above, whether there is a need for retail or not. One Uptown Circle […]
