By: Diane Benjamin
https://normal.org/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/3554
Monday night:
Normal is paying the retro salary from last year’s budget:
The population of Normal in 2019 was 54,742, a lot of the population are ISU students. Even with ISU, Normal is a small town. Bloomington’s City Manager earns $185,000 to run a larger city: https://www.cityblm.org/Home/ShowDocument?id=18082
Pam Reece’s contract expires March 31, 2021. Local elections will be in April 2021. I wonder if the Town will attempt to extend her contract before the election. Considering this raise is close to a year late, they shouldn’t.
Meanwhile, remember the budget session that lasted all day but the audio on the video didn’t? The minutes are included for approval, see PDF pages 21-22. They say virtually nothing.
Payments not allowed to be discussed:
Note the One Voice cost – the annual trip to DC to beg for money.
There is a lot of miscellaneous on the agenda: spending Motor Fuel Tax funds, rezoning, etc. See the agenda if interested.
Pam’s total compensation should be reported since town employees receive FREE healthcare and other FREE benefits. She currently costs taxpayers $231,685. http://normal.org/DocumentCenter/View/14857/Total-Compensation-Report—Town-of-Normal
After the raise it will be closer to a quarter of Million dollars a year. When you remove the approx 25k ISU and Heartland students and the under 18 children from the population count there are less than 25k adults paying for everything. Realize that ISU and Heartland pay no property, sales or income taxes and students buy nearly everything online so the burden carried by local families is even heavier.
It is not about if she deserves more money. Pam and the council need to realize if she needs more money she needs to find a bigger pond. Normal’s pond can only afford so much.
It is an insult to taxpayers to even be asking. If she were saving taxpayers money elsewhere it could be a different story.
Horrible that they can give her a raise but there are still roads with potholes, bumps, cracks. Fix the roads before giving raises!!
As for her majesty, Queen Pamela and her salary increase, consider the following:
The salary for the governor of Illinois is $177,412.
The Salary for a member of the US House and Senate is $174,000
The highest paid governor in the US is Gavin Newsom of California, $202,000 (good to know Queen Pamela is finally catching up to the Governor of California)
Her majesty also gets a car allowance. Why isn’t she riding a Connect Transit bus?
Also, last I checked, we’re stuck paying her predecessor, Mark Peterson an annual pension of over $100,000 a year.
Living large at the public trough.
Plus, her administration is STILL guilty of paying bills that the Town does not owe. Does anyone in that Town have the stones to stand up and ask her why, and what she plans to do about it? Does anyone have the stones to demand she be fired, not given MORE money!! How about a reduction in pay equal to the bills SHE approved to be paid that were not owed.
When is incompetence penalized by these crooks?
Council member who try would likely end up audited or worse! Notice what they are doing to Stan just because he represents citizens?
Pay SHOULD be based on merit of SAVINGS to the town budget and a PERCENTAGE of what the RESULTS are, ie: Save $1,000,000 get $10,000 or some such formula. THAT would slow down the towns drunken sailor spending!
Normal’s Population is the smallest of all cities listed, however compensation is within 5% except for 2
The % column is over or (under) Normal’s Current Salary
Normal’s median income is lowered by off campus student income, Bloomington would be a good proxy.
City Manager Salaries January 2020
Salaries Median Inc. Population
Bloomton City Manager 191,475 4% 65,000 77,000
Chicago Mayor 216,210 17% 55,000 2,706,000
Decatur City Manager 185,000 0% 42,000 73,000
Evanston City Manager 262,605 42% 78,000 78,000
Joliet City Manager* 195,132 5% 62,000 148,000
Normal City Manager 185,000 0% 56,000 53,000
Peoria City Manager 180,000 -3% 51,000 111,000
* Interim
Chicago is the third largest city in the Nation
Bloomington’s city manager makes more than 49 governors
Obviously so do, Evanston, Joliet, and Mayor of Chicago
Governor Pritzker’s salary is $177,00
Clearly, paying real estate taxes we don’t owe, not being unable to find 0.1% in budget cuts when anyone who reads here could find half of that for her, lying to board members, having zero respect for taxpayers, and her various other accomplishments warrant a raise. (Though at least it was only 3%.)
I predict her contract renewal will include a diamond-encrusted platinum parachute clause so the outgoing board can stick it to the taxpayers one last time after they’re no longer in office.
That is sickening!
We need to stop setting the bar based on what other towns in Illinois pay. Illinois home to the worst fiscal nightmare in the US. If we ever want to better Illinois we need to start setting our goals based on states and towns who are financially successful and sustainable.
I agree with TOWNIE’s concept of paying a performance bonus. But that will never happen because that means there would be accountability.
This is literally the RICH asking for more money and giving nothing in return. Where is the uproar from the Democrats? Maybe RINO Lorenz convinced her people this was a good idea and to stay quiet.
“One Voice” meaning far-left…the only voice allowed to speak in Bloomington-Normal government. It’s an appropriate name. How many subsidies/giveaways has the Town pledged to its cronies on the backs of taxpayers? This is a house of cards.
One voice used to mean the country, Bloomington, and Normal went to DC with a united voice for something. They aren’t One Voice anymore.
😀