By: Diane Benjamin

http://bloomingtonil.iqm2.com/Citizens/FileOpen.aspx?Type=1&ID=1164&Inline=True

Bloomington will hear from Connect Transit tonight concerning their budget. You will hear it’s essential to lose at least $1 million a month.

Next the Council will contemplate 4 Council initiatives.

1. Brought by Jamie Mathy who is no longer on the Council. He wanted incentives from the City (your money) to encourage “regeneration and preservation” around downtown. He justified it with the Bring It On Bloomington survey that had dismal participation. Tim Gleason will present this since Jamie is gone. No word on fixing the roads so people in these areas have some motivation to make their properties more attractive.
2. Nick Becker wants the City and Council to focus on opportunities “for consolidation and cooperation between entities and departments to gain the cost reductions and efficiencies”. Nick mentions consolidating the Township, Bloomington Election Commission, and 911 call center.
3. Julie Emig wants a Green Infrastructure Commission. She cited IEPA’s description: “any stormwater management technique or practice employed with the primary goal to preserve, restore, mimic, or enhance natural hydrology”. Does she think average citizens can do what the City pays engineers to draft plans for now?
4. Molly Ward wants a comprehensive plan to reduce gun violence:

“That a Special Commission be created to develop a comprehensive plan to address the issue of gun violence locally by analyzing the scope of the issue and making recommendations for how to make our community a safer place for all. This commission would be culturally diverse and multi-disciplinary, drawing on the wisdom of experts and community members alike and including representation from non-profits, academia, and faith communities as well as governmental agencies.”

A commission can’t address the heart of those who have no respect for human life. It’s surprising Rev. Ward doesn’t know where the real problem lies.

---

Normal: https://normal.org/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/4281

Chris Koos is making two appointments tonight. Normal taxpayers won’t know who he wants to appointment until after the Council votes to approve them. Normal proves over and over they don’t believe in representative government.

The Council will approve a Memorandum of Understand with Eagle View Partners to build Trail East and West in Uptown. Koos and Reece will then negotiate the Town’s “contribution” to the project and Council will have to pass that plan since they voted for the MOU. It will of course give away the land and include tax incentives. With rising interest rates I wonder if subsidies for that will be included.

Meanwhile the first floor of 1 Uptown Circle is still empty, Normal is still paying ridiculous rent for the 2nd floor, other store fronts in Uptown are empty. Since this project includes housing, start calling it Normal’s subsidized housing for the well off. Taxpayers are already subsidizing luxury rents at 1 Uptown Circle, taxpayers will be forced to subsidize more to fulfil Koos’s dream. Parking will be eliminated too, take the bus of get a bike.

.

.

.

.

.

.