By: Diane Benjamin
City of Bloomington has a Committee of Whole meeting Monday. Agenda: http://bloomingtonil.iqm2.com/Citizens/FileOpen.aspx?Type=1&ID=1072&Inline=True
On the agenda:
How the Budget Overview is presented will be fascinating. If it is “sugar-coated” it will be to promote the discussion following. Tax revenue has to be plummeting: Income tax, Sales Tax, Food and Beverage Taxes, Hotel/Motel Tax, Motor Fuel Tax – just for a start.
(Don’t count on your roads getting fixed next year since the City only pays with Motor Fuel Tax)
Jeff Crabill gets to plead his case next. He will attempt to convince the majority of the Council to approve putting this item on the next agenda. See the form he submitted on PDF page 151. He wants a MINIMUM of $100,000. As reported yesterday, Crabill wants to pass redistribution of your money without facts. https://blnnews.com/2020/04/18/pick-the-target-freeze-it-personalize-it-and-polarize-it/
Crabill is the perfect example of those who rule based on heartstrings and vote buying instead of reality. Expect a few tears. He will say there isn’t time to investigate what other local agencies are doing or how much money they have for the same purpose. He will do his best Saul Alinsky impersonation to guilt others into compliance.
Never let a good crisis go to waste.
We know Carrillo will be glued to Crabill. How many other radicals will join? Tari – keep your mouth shut. Your job is running meetings not pontificating.
(Hint: Tari won’t be able to keep his mouth shut)
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This is what I sent to the Mayor and Council members… haven’t heard anything back yet. They might not care what we have to say, like everyone else they just want to DO SOMETHING. Like shut down the economy in the hopes that we save a few lives now, funny thing is we are likely to lose more lives from through the downturn in the economy than this virus would have taken if we had done nothing. The cure is likely to be way more lethal than the disease.
Good morning. Just read that the Council is looking to divert funds from the City to aid people hurt by this latest crisis.
My gut reaction is NO, with one caveat, IF local programs of support are failing a citizen then after conducting due diligence- showing that the citizen has been rejected by local agencies already in place.
I do not believe it is in the City’s best interest to just start handing out money without demonstrable need as the Federal government has done.
Thank you for your consideration.
Regards,
Troy
Troy Thorne
Nice try, but your effort is meaningless to the local power brokers. What will happen tomorrow night has already been decided since the last council meeting or even before. What happens on a Monday night in either town to planned political theater to make it appear a citizen has a voice. I have been in the rooms before when issues such as this have been discussed. They despise people like you and me and wish we would go away and die.
Yes, This is what I got back from Mr. Crabill. His mind seems pretty well made up, however, I see a caveat in that he does include proving need that cannot be attained through other resources. Probably just lip service but… one can hope.
Hi Troy,
Thanks for your email. I agree that aid should not be given to those without need. But with many businesses now closed and thousands in our community without jobs and the moratorium on rent and mortgages inevitably ending, there is and will be a need for direct aid. Any such aid will have eligibility requirements including proving need and lack of other resources.
Jeff Crabill (he/him/his)
City Council Representative, Ward 8
City of Bloomington
309-863-5707
[email protected]
Att: Jeff Crabill, 109 E. Olive St.
Bloomington, IL 61701
Mathy, Mboka , Painter, Black, and Bray are up for election in less than a year. Ask if this is the hill they want to die on!
“Mathy, Mboka , Painter, Black, and Bray are up for election in less than a year.” An they can all be beat with a $5,000-$10,000 campaign budget if the candidate is somewhat conservative with a brain, starts now and basically follows the 2016 Trump campaign strategy if they start at least 6-9 months prior to the elction. More to it, but not much.
They tried the Get Out of Jail Free card and failed. So this is their next ruse. Pass GO and collect $200. Are not churches a source for helping the community in times like this? Are not families another source? Some of the people these communists are speaking for should go to their drug dealer and ask for help. BTW if this money is given out it should be done in a form that it can not be used to buy drugs for crack heads. It should be in the form of requiring ID to be presented and if it doesn’t match the user, no money.
I received another reply (this time from Donna Boelen). She explains that Bloomington Township has the responsibility that Mr. Crabill is requesting. The Township website expressly says their mission is…
“By law, Illinois townships are charged with three basic functions: 1) general assistance for the indigent; 2) the assessment of real property for the basis of local taxation; 3) maintenance of all roads and bridges outside federal, state and other local jurisdiction.
General Assistance Townships provide food, shelter and emergency relief for needy people until they are able to support themselves. Many townships in Illinois operate food banks that guarantee the necessities of life for children.”
So I wonder if anyone will request that this proposal before the Council be tabled or withdrawn and forwarded to the appropriate level of Government. If they pass it they are duplicating efforts already in place.
They want to give it to the township, still duplicating services other offer
Has the Township asked for help? If not, this doesn’t make sense. I doubt they will say NO to free money whether they need it or not.
I haven’t seen any requests
The initiative should not go forward. These people swore an oath to defend the State Constitution which says, municipal tax dollars are to be used for public purposes. End of story.
From my communication with Ms Boelen, she doesn’t seem to think there is enough info in Mr Crabill’s proposal to even discuss it, let alone vote on anything.
She right
Jeff and Jenn are out of touch. Jeff is Jenn’s mouthpiece on this one since she has been directing the Democratic Socialists and IPA group ZOOM meetings. Simple majority rules! Monday’s meeting should be interesting.
I asked Mr. Crabill if he has talked to the Township about this at all. I will let you know if he responds.
The simple solution to helping people and businesses: LET US GO BACK TO WORK!
I know, Council and Tari would NEVER even begin to think of that!
I did hear back from Mr. Mathey, Mr. Crabill and Mr. Black. You may be encouraged to know that both Mr Black and Mr. Mathey were particularly clear that they would need more facts before committing any city funds to this proposal.
Mr. Mathey mentioned that they would have more facts next week when they are to be briefed by the community’s 501c organizations about the aid they are currently giving.
Mr Black was open to the proposal but said
“As I have stated both publicly and privately, I continue to be strongly supportive of the City taking a thoughtful, fact based approach to fill in gaps for individuals and businesses. I can’t craft a program absent facts and based on wild, unverifiable stories shared online. As such, I need “on the record” data from local non-profits in order to confirm gaps and craft policy based on that local information.”
So I believe he will also not act this evening but rather wait for the facts next week.
I did receive a response from Mr Crabill regarding my question whether the Township had asked for funds from the City. He simply stated…
“Troy: Any aid that is provided I believe should run through the Township. However, the Township may need additional funds from the City based on the anticipated need”
So the answer would be no, I guess.
I also asked Ms. Skillrud (the Township Supervisor) if they had requested funding from the City and she said…
“The Township and the City are looking at options to help the citizens who do not meet eligibility requirements of Township Assistance.”
So the answer would be no, I guess. But she didn’t rule out taking free money, eh?
Side note. I checked the 2018-2019 audit of the Township and it appears they have a $800,000+ reserve for the General assistance fund. Though I may have read it wrong. I wonder if they have burned through it already?
Enjoy the show.
Nice job!
Thank you so much for doing the digging and follow-up!
Have you considered running for office? Or at least becoming a resource for good candidates?
I considered it for about two seconds. Then I decided it was time to leave Illinois altogether. Illinois is a sinking ship, this latest “crisis” will just further add to the existing problems with reduced revenue from all the business the state will not allow us to conduct. Pension funding will fall even further behind and the refusal to enact any pension reforms will ultimately bankrupt the State. The State has 2-3 times more levels of local government than any other state, too many opportunities to take more of your money and/or basic rights. I am fortunate to have convinced my wife that it is time to leave and we are voting with our feet, before it becomes even more difficult. I encourage everyone that can, to do so, that may be the only way we can influence change. I have no loyalty to a government that only seems to care about the ones that want something from the State and so little for the ones that fuel it and only wish to be left alone.