By: Diane Benjamin

At tonight’s meeting a budget hearing is being held. Likely no one will show up to speak. Nice. Below are a couple things I found while not looking very hard.

https://normal.org/DocumentCenter/View/19713/2022-23-Proposed-Budget

PDF page 95:

That 10.00 is the percentage increase from this year.

What is the Town planning to spend $55,000 on?

Jump to PDF page 124:

Hold On!

Look at 19-90 on both pics. The Town is going to spend $266,000 on gifts for retirees!

A pension paying 80% of their final salary that increases 3% every year isn’t enough?

Inflation ate that last one up, but It is still far more than mere mortals get when they retire. I guess they expect you to be excited by the tiny drop in funding next year.

Note $60,000 is back in the budget for Harmon Arts grants. Harmon isn’t paying for them, taxpayers in Normal are.

The $45,000 for Small Business Development Center is I think IWU. There is no proof this program works. I have no idea what the $25,000 COMPACT Workforce Development is.

Seems like government thinks they have to help people develop jobs these days.

Didn’t we do that for at least HUNDREDS of years without government funding?

It’s called capitalism – see a need and fill it.

(are public schools making people really stupid?)

.

.

.

.

.

.

.