By: Diane Benjamin
Link to the original story: https://blnnews.com/2019/03/20/huge-bloomington-error/
The loss to the Water Department is likely much greater than I estimated.
The charge to businesses is based on the size of the line. The $6.80 per month that should have increase to $27.20 a month is for a 1 inch line.
Automatic increases mean future Councils don’t need to vote. That should be against the law! This isn’t the only automatic increase. The Council recently passed it for garbage service.
I’m betting very few businesses have a 1 inch line, I know one with an 8 inch line. Their bill should have gone from $54.40 a month (6.80 x 8) to $217.60 per month (27.20 x 8)!
Besides the huge amounts of money the Water Department never saw, this is a massive fleece to businesses required to have a sprinkler system by law. Government told them what to build and then taxed it – Because They Can!
Remember when they discussed requiring all new homes to have sprinkler systems? Would this fee have applied to homes too?
The City Council should take another look at their anti-business policies. In the example above, the City will be taking another $1,958.40 a year from some local businesses. We know the City is anti-business, is the Council too?
Normal doesn’t have this fee. This statement is on the Bloomington website – Normal isn’t listed: http://www.cityblm.org/government/departments/public-works/resident-community/frequently-asked-questions/-selcat-8
It doesn’t matter how many programs the City has to help small businesses. Policies like this one will prevent them from locating here. If Bloomington raises the gas tax, Normal is looking like a better option for business.
They’re just rubbing their hands together at the possibilities!
Does this mean that in the event of a fire, businesses will also be paying a huge water bill? I’m not sure how sprinkler systems are attached.
I would say very likely!
That’s WHY I buy most EVERYTHING I can OUT OF TOWN, as I get better quality most of the time, lower tax rate and better service from people who APPRECIATE it. This isn’t ALWAYS true, but I find when you’re from out of the area, business folks tend to go the extra.. Such as answer emails, make special arrangements for pick up, take a special order, etc..
EVERY Conservative should make and effort to buy outside of Bloomington-Normal–even better, outside of McLean County. There are wonderful merchants just over the County line who don’t represent part of the problem and leave you “feeding the beast” with your sales tax dollars. And don’t give me the tired old “why punish local businesses” line. You show me a company that has stood up to Renner, Koos and the Chamber of Commerce, articulating traditional American values, and I’ll make an exception. The others can starve.
We MUST fight back with our economic power!
I do make every effort to buy outside of blono. Every time I fill up my car. I use HUCKS in Heyworth even though they are a little more expensive because I loathe to give Blono any of my fuel dollars.
Does this mean my church in Bloomington will have a City tax increase on Fire protection too? That’s terrible news!
Yes it does since they have a sprinkler system.
A rational person knows that having a sprinkler system should lower costs to the city as it would help prevent a fire from getting out of control and risking firefighters lives, time and equipment. But then we all know that Tari Renner is not a rational person.
I think this pre-dates him. Maybe the City has always been anti-business.
Just remember that all that “help” that Bloomington/Normal gov “gives” to businesses is provided by taxpayers. So in a sense the business who gets the help is actually getting money from themselves not the city.
The City government truly loves to hurt businesses. There is no other explanation. When looking at a viable business they don’t see economic success, commerce, or the building blocks of a community like you and I, they see dollar signs and the opportunity to confiscate wealth for their pet projects.