By: Diane Benjamin
h/t a reader
Bloomington taxpayers are forced to pay the City for hauling garbage, recycling, and brush. There is no competition so service can be whatever the City decides it is, and they got the Council to pass automatic increases to spare the embarrassment of taking votes.
The situation below is not a COVID problem. This same neighborhood never knew when a brush truck would show up last year, this year is the same.
Brush was finally picked up today after 6 weeks and 5 days of NOTHING being picked up. Sorry City, but residents aren’t going to mow around and have their grass killed by brush sitting on it for weeks on end! They are paying for a service they do not receive.
If you don’t want brush in the street, pick it up as scheduled or give refunds to those who paid for the service. If that doesn’t work for you, expect more of this:
According a recent Pantygraph picture and caption, Bloomington called back to work another 1 person crew on a knuckle truck to pick up brush. Yes both B & N have about half of their one person outside “crews” staying at home, wink, wink, not working, but collecting full pay. I am sure they go to grocery store, walks, ride bicycles etc. However both municipalities believe that the outside employees are more likely to catch Covid-19 while working than by engaging in normal activies such as mowing the lawn, walking the trail or going to a big box store. I must not be very bright because I do not understand how being on a one person crew truck, the government employee is more likely to get Covid-19 from a citizen driving or walking by than engaging in the stay at home activities mentioned above. I believe the only thing the municipalities are preventing their one person crews from is work. As of now all municipal employees are paid in full to the best of my knowledge whether they work full time or part-time. (Isn’t a one person “crew” an oxymoron? Or am I the moron for not understanding the government logic?)
I have a neighbor who works fulltime for Normal public works. He has worked a maximum of 2 days per week – sometimes none!!! It’s working well for him – he now has ample time for his own side jobs!!
Government employees can’t be laid off, it might change who they vote for.