By: Diane Benjamin
THREE of your representatives, a full one third, failed to attend this meeting. Mathy, Mwilambwe, and Bray were absent. Of course the ones that did attend acted like it was perfectly normal.
Only a few items of note:
A guy from Millennium Soccer spoke during Public Comment. (22:50) I was not aware of the 12 field soccer complex already on the west side. He credited the Nord family as a driving force behind it. He didn’t ask for anything except help. He never said what that meant. Maybe he was trying to keep the Council from starting a new complex when the existing one could be expanded.
Gary Lambert made the point at Public Comment that tax increases are not needed when surpluses in the General Fund are higher than needed. (16:30) The Video Gaming Fee and Motor Fuel Tax increase will be on the agenda for the March 25th meeting.
Fraternal Organizations, like the Knights of Columbus, were exempted from the video gaming license expansion ban if they had applied before March 1st. I wrote about this issue previously: https://blnnews.com/2019/03/08/bloomington-waiving-moratorium-for-friends/
The new Zoning Ordinance passed easily with one big change. It did say citizens who didn’t agree with rulings by the Zoning Board of Appeals had to go to court instead of before the City Council. That provision was reversed, Amelia Buragas voted against it! (1:33:30) She didn’t say why she didn’t want citizens to have the ability to address their grievousness directly with elected officials. Joni Painter made the case for allowing it.
Bloomington will have a new Economic Development Department. It will be interesting to see what incentives they offer in the future.
The “truly clueless” award goes to David Sage. He thinks ISU students ride Connect Transit buses for free. Just hit play below. ISU has a contract with Connect Transit, in January ISU paid Connect $45,417. Those “free” rides are included in tuition.
As to the “free rides” the socialist type sheep have no concept that nothing is really “free” someone pays for it, someone benefits, someone skims off the top, it is seldom the ones who actually pay for it though.
Unfortunately it is the Moronic Cult Minions that talk about free things & socialism while failing to understand that kids are actually paying for it, but it sure sounded good for a second.
The Economic Development Department is designed so Renner and his minions in City Hall and on the Council can control the local economy and businesses. The business license was just the opening act. When is it ever enough control for Socialists?! The EDC for all its faults – too numerous to name – at least required some minor compromise with other communities, business interests, checks-and-balances etc., some of whom may hold differing viewpoints. Tari is clearly consolidating and centralizing power over the local economy. The EDC was incompetent, the EDD will be tyrannical. On a positive note, it would be great to see all government leave the EDC, which might make it more of a private business-denominated entity. Not holding my breath, but who knows.
Sage didn’t have a clue in High School, WHY should 40 years change that??
Not having a clue pretty much describes BOTH city councils and their Mayors.
“Socialist” must be the new 2020 scare word. It is the circle of life, Jesus was once treated like this.
I dare you to watch this video. I saw it Friday when it only had 3000 views. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1h5iv6sECGU
Socialist isn’t a new scare word, it’s an old one that too many people have forgotten is scary.
Illinois is to the US as Venezuela is to South America.
Those of us who are complaining are just trying to avoid adding “as Normal is to Illinois” onto that.