By: Diane Benjamin
Normal is taking MLK Day off, the Council meeting is Tuesday night. https://normal.org/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/4204
Were you invited? Get your gift card?
Pam Reece keeps paying the ridiculous rent at 1 Uptown Circle 2 years after the council told her to fix it:
Chemberly Cummings continues to feed kids at your expense:
Think Normal isn’t jealous Bloomington beat them to a new library? This is an architect:
More bike trails paid for:
Accelerated payment = spiking a pension:
Remember no so long ago when Heartland Community College claimed they would never need a campus? Ever get tired of being lied to? Check your property tax bill.
PDF page 55:
A presentation on Smart Cities will also happen – PDF page 137:
I don’t want government creating “exciting new services”. They do it at taxpayer expense whether they are wanted or not. Government is the least effective provider of any services.
There will also be a visual art presentation. Another Master plan on the way, those plans end up planted in cement and must be followed regardless of changing conditions. PDF page 163.
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I’m fully expecting this year in the town of Normal lots of proposals to expand electoral charging stations all over town and I’d expect that the smart cities presentation will be the beginning of it. I think it’s time for Rivian to step forward and cough up some money instead of digging into my pockets. But, in saying that it will probably end up being another one of Normal’s many public / private partnerships.
Agreed that Rivian should cough up the dough, but they probably won’t. Rivian has the Town of Normal by the shorthairs in my opinion. All they have to do is threaten to leave Normal (and Illinois) for a tax and regulatory favorable environment. Since that doesn’t exist in Normal (or Illinois), to balance out the equation, Rivian can and most likely will ask for whatever they want, whenever they want from the Town and its proxies (e.g., EDC, Chamber, BN [insert buzzword here], etc.) When a government relies on and makes a deal with tax incentives and perks, they assume a lot of risks. This includes the old ‘give an inch, take a mile.’ Odd as it may sound, I actually don’t blame Rivian for asking for things or leveraging its seat at the table. You can ask for anything you want; it’s up to the other party to say “no.”