By:  Diane Benjamin

As if it isn’t already ridiculous that Tari puts time limits on your elected representatives, now he doesn’t want them pulling items from the Consent Agenda.  Maybe he’s taking lessons from Chris Koos.

Tari was upset Donna Boelen pulled two items, he claims Consent Agenda items have no need to be discussed.  Donna pulled the $500,000 in State Motor Fuel Tax being used to pay for electricity and also the new monkey exhibit at the zoo.  Donna pulled the first one to educate the public, the second one she questioned whether Illinois was really going to reimburse the cost since revenues are plummeting.  She didn’t get an answer.

Tari thinks he is holding a business meeting, not a meeting to do the business of We The People.  Obviously money they steal from citizens is theirs, not to use in your best interests:

Jenn Carrillo pulled buying a vehicle for the police department only so she could vote no.  Crabill joined her.  First she motioned to NOT BUY the Vehicle and Crabill seconded.  They had to waste time voting that one down and them re-vote to buy it.  Tari didn’t scold her and and Jeff however.  Is Tari afraid of them?

The Council heard a report from the Finance Director.  One thing is CLEAR:

Bloomington has overtaxed citizens. 

Even after using $4.7 MILLION because of COVID, the reserves are still projected to be $1.3 million above what is needed.  The City claims to have cut $1.3 million in expenses – their RESERVES allowed them to not cut more.

Mboka Mwilambwe revised his initiative for Juneteenth.  Now he doesn’t think it should necessarily mean City employees get a day off.   He’s thinking a Saturday would be a good day to celebrate even if it doesn’t fall on June 19th.

City staff is going to prepare options and bring them back to the Council.

Of course Jenn Carrillo thinks they should get a day off, anything to bankrupt the system and prove capitalism doesn’t work.

She posted her initiative on Facebook to change Columbus Day to Indigenous People’s Day.  She should be offended her home country of Mexico is forced to speak Spanish, That is offensive to their indigenous people.

One more note from the Township meeting.  Property values in Bloomington per the Assessor showed little value increase last year.  At least your biggest investment didn’t lose value (depending on the price range), of course that gives government less money to play with or use to cover pension expense:  (Guess what that means!)

If you are just dying to watch the entire show, see it below.  Tim Gleason wasn’t there, of course nobody said why.  Carrillo was not on the screen for most of the meeting.  Maybe vaping isn’t the image the City wants to project: