By: Diane Benjamin
Remember when the Attorney General’s Public Access office found Bloomington guilty of violating the Open Meetings Act concerning the Metro-Zone agreement with Normal? https://blnnews.com/2017/06/07/laws-are-immaterial/
That was in 2017. The City of Bloomington appealed the decision, the Circuit Court ruled in their favor, but the Appellate Court just reversed that decision:
See the entire ruling here:
Why Bloomington is wasting money appealing the decision is a mystery. Hopefully they quit now.
The best part is always at the end, Tari Renner and Council didn’t head the advice from their lawyer during the Executive Session:
Tari Renner violated the law. The Council didn’t walk out like Judy Stearns did years ago when the discussion violated the law.
Do laws matter? Not to Tari Renner and those who sat through the illegal meeting! That includes Mboka Mwilambwe, everybody else is gone. Karen Schmidt was also present, if she wants appointed to her old seat in Ward 6 this should prevent that from happening.
The court’s conclusion:
Of course, there are no consequences!
(No justice, no peace?)
This is a ploy for Normal to claim the decision to end the Metrozone agreement was done illegally and thus invalidate the vote that ended the Metrozone. This would allow Normal to collect the years of Metrozone payments that they have lost.
This is another funding source for the Underpass.
I think they like it now that Rivian is growing the area. They don’t have to share!
Normal did not “lose” any payments from the MetroZone agreement. Bloomington was paying Normal $1M annually for 7 years prior to deciding to end the agreement.