By: Diane Benjamin
Let’s start with the City finally releasing the financial statements: https://www.cityblm.org/home/showpublisheddocument/27129/637709284831130000
This note was written by the auditors:
Proving yet again laws are immaterial, November 22, 2021 is past SIX MONTHS.
The City has now used the same auditor for 6 years. Since the audits aren’t looking for fraud, using the same auditor for years makes everybody’s life easier and too cozy. A new auditor might stumble on fraud the six year company missed. Maybe that’s why the same firm will likely audit again next year.
More on changing auditors: https://assets.kpmg/content/dam/kpmg/pdf/2016/08/CRT065495A_Changing_auditors.pdf
Auditor presentation starts at 1:04:00.
More auditor notes:
The auditor claimed the City could still function for FOUR months without any revenue.
All Bloomington’s tax increases are scheduled so a vote by the Council doesn’t have to be taken:
Storm water increases 3% every year
Sewer increases 3% every year
Garbage increases 3% every year
Library property tax increase passed.
Mollie Ward, Julie Emig, Jeff Crabill, Tom Crumpler, Jamie Mathy, and Dee Urban have lost the right to demand more spending be directed at the poor. They all voted for the tax increase which will raise rent and make the already ridiculous property taxes worse. (Illinois is #2 out of 50 states in this fleece)
Have they noticed inflation is already making their finances worse?
Listen to Nick Becker at 1:34:30 and Sheila Montney at 1:35:00. Both wanted another way besides raising property taxes. At 1:37:50 Donna Boelen motioned to split the vote into two parts since the City and Library are 2 different taxing bodies. That threw some of the leftists into a tizzy. The City vote was unanimous. The library was 6-3.
The funniest comment was by Mollie Ward – 1:37:30. Several Public Comments wanted a referendum, Sheila Montney also mentioned it. Mollie wanted to know the cost of a referendum. She evidently thinks a special election would be held instead of just putting it on the next ballot, that would be June.
The City and the library don’t want a referendum because they know it wouldn’t pass. There is no emergency requiring construction to start tomorrow. It could have waited for We The People to vote.
Remind the SIX yes votes the next time they cry about those less fortunate that they made them even poorer.
Two other items:
- The slides being discussed were rarely on the Live Stream video. Tim Gleason’s slides weren’t shown. The current finance data mostly wasn’t. It is now posted on the City website: https://www.cityblm.org/home/showpublisheddocument/27254/637729381390270000
- The Council will be meeting on the first 2 Mondays in December instead of the regular schedule.
