By: Diane Benjamin
Tim Gleason said something humorous last night. He stated to $500 license fee for every video gaming terminal will go into the General Fund and help fund capital projects for police and fire.
Tim, capital projects don’t come out of the General Fund. The GF is where all taxes go to be absorbed into payrolls, benefits, pension spiking, and mundane items like the phone and electricity bills. Can you explain how you got to capital projects? Or, was the comment an attempt to disprove what we already know – the City hates businesses that make money? See his comment at 1:02:40.
On to the gas tax:
I don’t know when the City started using Enterprise Funds, but they got this brilliant idea to make them pay for themselves. The Water Fund has to pay for itself, if it doesn’t your rates get raised. Ditto for garbage, sewer, and storm water. Somehow the Coliseum doesn’t have to break even, the losses aren’t even reported correctly. There is another one for golf and the Abraham Lincoln parking garage.
Although roads aren’t officially in an Enterprise Fund, the City has determined that a revenue stream is needed to make sure money is available every year. Hence two Motor Fuel Tax increases and a Sales Tax increase.
Here’s where taxpayers got scammed. All the taxes already paid used to fund roads and pay for garbage. By segregating both and only funding them with user fees or taxes – every citizen is paying more. The General Fund gets to keep all those other taxes you still pay making more money available for whatever the city deems worthy.
Your taxes should have gone down by the same amount garbage and road taxes were increased, of course they didn’t. The FIVE who voted YES enabled the City to keep the General Fund money and force you to pay more. They are no different from people who enable alcoholics in the belief things will get better.
The Aldermen who voted no were David Sage, Mboka Mwilambwe, Karen Schmidt, and Scott Black. Of course the City knew this before the vote.
I’m only listing the times the YES votes spoke so you can hear in their own words why they voted YES.
1:16:03 – Diane Hauman tried to do a one year sunset. Her motion failed to get a second
1:26:30 – Kimberly Bray actually called citizens a collective!
1:29:00 – Jamie Mathy thinks his vote will guarantee future money for roads – until another Council needs it for stamped concrete downtown sidewalks. He does know the budget process is a joke and pension funding will destroy future budgets.
Joni Painter and Amelia Buragus didn’t say a word before voting YES.
Public comment was mostly entertaining and covered a lot of topics, skip the lady who thinks government solves problems. Just hit play:
I put in a FOIA to find out what stations collect and pay the motor fuel tax to the city. I will post the stations closest to Bloomington that do not. My hope is that folks will vote with their feet and purchase fuel outside the City so as to send a message, perhaps we can lower what the City collects until they use the money we give them wisely. So far I have confirmed with the FS on South Morissey that they do not and I have a hunch that the Marathon on West Market is in a dead space not covered by City boundaries. So the City South and West residents may have options relatively close. Not much hope for the East other than paying Normal’s motor fuel tax or maybe going to Downs for fuel.
Interesting!
I like your idea and will be glad to participate. I also would like to see if the information you get can shed light upon where the lying rat bastard Tari Renner came up with his 30% of gas purchases made by people from out of town. (I know it won’t as there is no way he can get such a figure….although I always write on my money where I live sp they can figure such out).
Normal will not be outdone by Bloomington! They will have the same tax increase as Bloomington, you can bet this will happen soon, my guess is that it was already a done deal at least in the Mayors devious minds.
This was a complete bag job. It’s amazing how little Renner can get done unless it involved increasing taxes or fees. He publicly and privately criticizes the Council for now getting anything done (loosely translated: not catering to his every desire). Yet, they seem all too willing to rally to his side for tax and fee increases. Schmidt tried to save herself from being voted out. She looks like the second coming of Ronald Reagan next to Jenn.
I wonder where ALL that money is going. Who owns property downtown? Who is gaining financially via tax funding? Who has a HUGE conflict of interest and who funds them? You know when a person sits outside of Holy Trinity and looks South two buildings stand out. The colliseum is NOT the main attraction….FOLLOW THE MONEY.
The dirty little secret is all this stuff is discussed way before it is voted on. For people that have worked or know people on the “inside” the mayors, city managers, assistant city managers and tax beneficiaries have this all figured out before a council meets. What you see at a meeting is a theatrical show where the ayes and nays know the outcome before a vote is taken, otherwise a proposal will be tabled until it can get the desired outcome wanted by the Mayor or town manager. Respective department heads are also in on the sham and coordinate it all the the higher ups at the respective city hall or county board. With taxes especially, all three government’s coordinate with each other on who will vote and pass a proposal first, second or third based on the government entity that needs the policy passed the most. This is how it works my friends, all carefully rehearsed like a Broadway dance number. You have no real representation and you never will.
Glad to see that majetka woke up in time to make his comments. Take a look at him napping in the second row.
I saw him sleeping, turned the sound off for his report. He really has guys showing up in Bloomington after voting for the elephant.
Why does anyone care about this? The statist view on life and the confiscatory taxation were ordained when we voted for these people. Think about this: We did this! They are only acting as they know how. Sooner or later we will get off of our politically-correct butts and vote for stewards rather than left-leaning masters. Until then, be glad that the hand did not go further into our pockets. As you pay more at the pump, or if you are a venue with a video poker game, remember – We did this.
The voters were lied to as well. Nobody runs on I’m going to steal your money
Just thankful this tax applies to vehicles that move about the county. My parents have a hobby searching for the lowest gas prices. People will get in the habit of filling up out of town. Truckers especially! Might even lower the gaming profits at gas stations!
I contacted my alderman & the city manager encouraging them to vote against it………..I did my part……..how many of your followers did the same?……..when good people don’t speak up these things happen….
They all knew the people were against it. They didn’t care.