By: Diane Benjamin
Follow-up to the same information about Bloomington: https://blnnews.com/2020/10/28/shrinking-bloomington/
From information the Town of Normal submitted to the Illinois Comptroller’s office:
3/30/2020
3/30/2019
This data shows a decrease of 273 people in just one year. Keep in mind Bloomington’s population decrease was mostly in the last fiscal year too.
The link for 2018 is not working, I just talked to an employee at the Comptroller’s office about it.
Luckily I have the information in this story – it goes back even farther: https://blnnews.com/2019/10/10/did-normal-decrease-employees/
Overall since 2016 the population decrease is 96 people.
Don’t forget that many of the people counted in Normal are ISU students. They came back this year only because they signed contracts last fall for housing. Many are sitting in their apartments attending online. There is no guarantee they will be back next year if classes are not held in-person.
Normal should be worried about the trend in the last year. The exodus from Illinois is not exempting local. I know people who escaped to better run states, I bet most of you do too.
My family represents 8 taxpayers who left Normal in the past 12 months. 6 are now in TX, 2 in FL. I wrote Koos an email and copied Stan, explaining why we left.
Just curious, what part, if any, did Illinois taxes play in these families leaving Illinois?
Local governments are even worse
And JUST today, BUSEY bank announced they are CLOSING their bank in uptown. BYE BYE uptown and as for mr koos, what say ye?? Is YOUR uptown STILL vibrant or just in the swamp?
Hopefully Vitesse and Often Running join that group!! Later Simon Bar Sinister!
Busey moving out… Koos has his eye on their property already. Normal will buy it for 2X market value and expand the library nextdoor. This is a perfect temporary fix until the underpass is finished.
As a former library board member, I can tell you that’s not gonna happen. Other than maybe the buy it at 2x market – that seems to just be standard Town of Normal procedure.