By: Diane Benjamin
Agenda and documentation: http://www.cityblm.org/Home/ShowDocument?id=21652
The agenda is slammed with final spending from the budget that expires 4/30/19 and spending from the new budget just passed.
Either this never made the news or I missed it, a fire at Lake Bloomington destroyed two vehicles that are being replaced. The fire was in March and the City is still pursuing insurance money. Details on PDF page 85 and following. Nothing is mentioned on what the problem is recovering from insurance. Maybe somebody will ask! Replacement cost is over $89,000
There is a Public Hearing on spending Federal Block Grant money (it’s still your taxes).
PDF page 393 has the predetermined list – $247,500 is going for loans and grants. The Public Hearing is merely required and won’t affect the outcome.
PDF page 398 shows the ordinance ready to pass. See the note below, the Council won’t risk losing the money by having a discussion.
Miller Park Zoo is getting monkeys. It won’t cost you a cent since the money will be a grant from the State. Of course you paid the State.
This is from the Union contract mentioned yesterday: https://blnnews.com/2019/04/18/bloomington-union-ratifies-contract-without-slbb/
The City knew in 2012 they would have to pay a lot to IMRF because of their Sick Leave Buy Back policy. It only took 7 years to start fixing it. This is proof government isn’t capable of timely change because taxpayers can always be billed. Understand “limited government” yet?
VenuWorks:
PDF page 399 and following:
Below are excerpts from what is proposed. The building is still going to cost you way over $350,000 since bond payments, repairs, and maintenance aren’t included. Remember the new outside elevator? Things like this aren’t in the calculation.
Note in the second paragraph “audited” is finally used. The media are still reporting the $665,099 loss VenuWorks reported as of 4/30/2018 instead of the $1,059,599 the auditors reported. We won’t know the loss as of 4/30/2019 for at least 6 months.
Sources:
VenuWorks: PDF page 21 http://www.cityblm.org/Home/ShowDocument?id=20026
Audited: PDF page 6 (Add back depreciation) http://www.cityblm.org/home/showdocument?id=20285
It looks like somebody forgot to change some dates in the ordinance!
The Asphalt and Concrete Fund is back:
It still says “other related street maintenance” which can mean anything including brick streets. PDF page 419.
The second paragraph is from the Consent Agenda PDF page 25. It won’t fix much!
My understanding is the deductible is more than the damage, so insurance won’t cover it.
You didn’t miss the news about the fire at Lake Bloomington. The Pantagraph couldn’t be bothered. Not sure about WJBC. It was on Facebook Immediately. The irony is that after all of the controversy about the docks at LB, the burnt building housed all of the records pertaining to the docks. It has slowed the “dock licensing process” drastically.
Wow!
Dock records ? How many fire departments were involved ? Was a State fire marshal involved ? Has the cause of the fire been determined ? And above all, where was the news media ? I suppose that the City Manager would have that information.
Records kept in a remote shed? Maybe they should keep the VENUWORKS files there also. WHY do they need BRAND NEW “toys” all the time? I’m sure they could find good used equipment in other departments or GOD FORBID rent it..