By: Diane Benjamin
http://normal.org/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/3715
The two items below are on the agenda.
The documentation claims the Illinois Arts Station has purchased these properties to be used for non-profit art and education center.
That means everyone else will pay more in property taxes because these three no longer will be paying. Get ready for your property taxes to increase again, those pensions need money and there will be fewer properties paying in!
I’ve written about 101 E Vernon before. John Freese was paying property taxes on a total value of around $166,000. He sold this property in June to ATG TRUST COMPANY for $375,000.
Is the Township Assessor this far off with every property?
The other properties on Linden are similar, also sold to a Trust. Both sold for around a third more than they were assessed.
The only question now is whether taxpayers will get stuck paying for maintenance. How much “art” should taxpayers be subsidizing? They already fund a cultural arts department that includes the theater. Then there is the art location under the parking garage ISU is paying zero for, they also have a location at the airport. Taxpayers are treated as piggy banks, not citizens.
See PDF page 8-10. The Town issued a TON of after-school refunds.
$500 for a banquet when the Council can’t meet in person? Were tickets purchased for the entire Council? If more than 2 attend, why isn’t that an OMA violation? The Trustees couldn’t LISTEN to the citizens at One Normal Plaza but they can LISTEN at a banquet?
This monthly fleece continues: (shhhh – we aren’t suppose to talk about it or the still empty first floor)
Spending money just to borrow money:
This purchase was approved in March:
See PDF page 65
The police are getting a new contract that includes wage increases. I wonder if they will now be allowed to do their job instead of watching looters destroy their vehicles?
In excess of $31,000 each for electric golf carts?!? Somebody HAD to be on the receiving end of that crooked deal. OMG!
You are right. This needs to be investigated. I will submit a FOIA.
$224,840 / 70 = $3212 per golf cart. Hopefully that is a better price for them rather than 31,000 each.
And the police should stop the looters since we are now paying them more.
They weren’t allowed to at Target.
perhaps the golf carts can double as the new connect transit vehicles. there should be plenty of room for all the riders.
Did a quick search, looked only one place. A two year old unit is $8,400 with lithium battery. And that is a retail price. That’s a hell price drop. Worse than an automobile.
Link here: https://www.rmigolfcarts.com/collections/used-golf-carts/products/2017-e-z-go-rex-elite-2-0-lithium But here are some at 25% the cost:https://www.performancepluscarts.com/new-golf-carts/ Seriously are there some bragging rights for the golfers that I am missing? Is this what golfers say? “Wow, yeah I know I missed that put but look at this really cool cart I’m riding in. I’ll be picking’ up chicks in this thing for sure! Put a plate on it and cruise uppity town. Plus, I can park it on the sidewalk.” Gees, although they cost $30K for a new one,,,still it is an absolute rip off for a damned golf cart. No expense is to be spared in the Town of abNormal however. When it comes to spending other people’s money,,,money is no object.
Bad math was involved, see previous comment
Holy crap! Ed the Engineer is right! Thanks Ed for the correction. I must have been having flashbacks when I was first trying to understand Common Core arithmetic. Thanks for the correction. I feel like such a baboon,,,no wait,,,I feel like a,,,uh,,,uh,,,liberal. Must be catching a cold or something. Lol.
The citizens of Normal ought to be screaming bloody murder if ONE new police vehicle purchase is on the agenda. Unless those three were covered by insurance. The premiums are going to go sky high, or they will exclude riots and stealing by BLM and ANTIFA from the coverage in the future.
The Normal PD couldn’t hold the crowd back long enough to move their cars out of harm’s way? How much stuff got stolen? Any guns? Armor? Ammo? Police credentials/clothing?
Time to get rid of the political appointee chief and put someone in there who will quit playing patty-cake with unruly brats. That’s our tax money being pissed away by a police leader too worried about anarchists’ rights.
Chris Koos was there. We don’t know who gave the stand down order.
Wow! Since few private employers are interested in growing or relocating to Normal (or Bloomington), the leadership and their pom-pom cheerleaders at the Chamber and EDC get behind debt-financed government buildings and non-profit centers, which they market as an opportunity for “economic development.” Of course, there are no measurements nor even a definition for this nebulous term. The golf cart procurement is a joke. It’s part of the leadership plan to make BN a “green” community. Wonder if they’re going for some sort of nonsensical award, as with the bike paths. It’s an ideologically-driven decision, obviously not a financial/business decision. Glad to hear the police are getting a raise. Now let’s let them do their job. Finally, another month, another $35k check for 1 Unoccupied Circle (er, I mean…1 Uptown Circle). Imagine that, the government can’t find a restaurant interested in a space that bureaucrats design. Huh? It’s as if businesses know better than government what they need. Wonder how many fast-casual or not-so-high-end restauranteurs have inquired about the space. I bet a certain occupant of that building has some undue influence on the selection/vetting process.
The picture of our Police being led down the street by BLM still rankles me. BLM was formed by Marxist-trained people. AJ Barr calls them a Terrorist group and we need to keep in mind the purpose of groups such as this. Can we be led to destruction just like the Pied Piper?