By: Diane Benjamin
This WGLT article is pretty accurate in describing the contentious all day Council meeting Friday.
https://www.wglt.org/Normal-Town-Council-Works-Through-Trust-Issues-Contentious-Retreat
The bottom line is the elites on the Council don’t appreciate Stan Nord and Karyn Smith actually doing what they campaigned to do!
(sound familiar?)
Isn’t that what voters expect politicians to do?
(How many actually do?)
The chart below shows the tax history for the Town of Normal. Note: A house valued at $160,000 in 2002 is probably valued much higher now. This means the property taxes paid just to the Town will probably show a much higher increase over the years.
Increasing home values is how government should gauge spending. If citizens are better off government will naturally be better off. The rate should stay level – government still will get more money through rising property values without ever raising the rate.
The reverse is also true. Many local homes have lost value, Unit 5 admitted that when they did their levy. Instead of cuts to spending, government just raises rates to get what they want. That is THEFT. PDF page 52 claims the assessed value increased 1.25% which means the Town will already be collecting more before the tax increase.
This chart is on PDF page 52 – the Town is only going to raise $641,801. That is pocket change that could easily be saved in other areas.
https://normal.org/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/3446
Citizens can either take this abuse and pay up or show up Monday night. Make them look you in the face before they vote!
A few easy places to save – from Monday’s packet:
This is half of the cost so Koos and Cummings could ride in the ISU parade:
Daring Diversity didn’t:
What is this?
Travel that citizens never get a report on:
With this proposal, the Town’s tax rate will have gone up 50% since 2002. 15% in just the last 3 years. Bear in mind that Unit 5 just increased the average tax bill by $200 per year. Normal needs to tighten its belt. We spend over $300,000 per year lobbying for an underpass. Over $100,000 per year to make a mere 50 bicycles available for short-term rentals. Throw in a few 5-figure items like consultants and room bookings, and you could get all the money you need from existing resources. Despite the constant tax increases, the pension funding levels keep dropping. It is impossible to pay for the pensions out of property taxes alone. The Town is going to have to give up some of its wants and commit more resources to tackling the mounting obligations without increasing the burden on residents. It can be done. Normal simply needs better priorities.
Shame on the handful of citizens who sat out the last election and saddled us with more of Koos and company. This is what happens when voters stay home or don’t research the issues. Usually it is just name recognition, think Dan Brady.
Marc, do you SERIOUSLY think they will give up ANYTHING? When Koos says he wants it it means YOU pay for it and shut up, which is the reason I left Normal! Yes,Normal needs better priorities and they also need people like YOU and Stan to get together and change the path before Normal ends up like Chicago.
Please run again.
The WGLT article might as well as been describing Bloomington City Council meetings of late 2000’s and early 2010’s. Seems as though Nord and Smith are better equipped to make a difference than Stearns, Purcell and Lower were in Bloomington. Those 3 in Bloomington tried but had virtually no professionalism and credibility.
But Stearns and Lower had what you seem to ignore….facts.
Where did I say Stearns and Lower didn’t have facts? I didn’t and I don’t deny that they did. They lacked the ability to get others on the council to buy in with them and help them.
The media was against Stearns and for most of her years I didn’t exist to back her up
$570 in 2002 is $814 in 2019. Just saying.
The bigger issue is why the town has 50% of annual expenses in reserves (General Fund) when their policy is 15%?
That excess of reserves over policy is money already taken from the taxpayers. Put it in the pensions as it’s above what you’ve established as your basement for comfort; The Rainy Day…