By: Diane Benjamin
The BN Economic Development Council should be using their own tools to improve Bloomington-Normal instead of supporting taxpayer subsidized housing in Normal. A calculator to compare the Cost of Living is right on their website: https://www.bnbiz.org/coli
Did you know the Cost of Living is higher in Bloomington-Normal than other cities? Both Bloomington and Normal justify tax and fee increases by what surrounding cities charge, they are looking at the wrong numbers. The local Cost of Living here is higher than Peoria, Champaign, and Decatur. Springfield is equal.
Enter some information yourself – below these results on the website is a list of reasons why here is more expensive. (housing, healthcare, transportation, etc) Note: Bloomington-Normal has a higher Cost of Living than the National Average in 3 of the 4 categories listed!
Unit 5 wants a tax increase and Normal will want to raise water rates. It will only get worse.
I noticed health care is 21% less costly in Washington DC than in Bloomington.
Still waiting for a thank-you letter from my Congress person.
RINO Scott Preston voted for every property tax increase that came before him except 1. He also voted to create the local gas tax. Taxes are a huge problem making B/N more expensive than our neighbors.
Spread the word. He has money, Jim Fisher doesn’t.
ya well the latest ISBE D-2 report shows that Chung has TWICE the cash on hand of Preston. And Preston is blowing thru cash on consultants and fees at a truly Normal Town Council kinda rate ..
Wow!!! Only Chicago is worse. Springfield was the same. Everywhere else in the state, including St.Louis, is better than B/N. I’m no marketing expert, but I don’t think the EDC thought through why they would want to advertise this.
The index in and of itself is useless when comparing values of what you get by living in BN versus another city of similar size. Although my housing is more expensive out of state than BN, I choose to live here more more than that reason alone. Lower property taxes, growth potential, geography, employment opportunity in several disciplines, lower monthly house payment, conservative values, low government corruption, vast entertainment options, cultural offerings, low crime, ease of access, dependable infrastructure and peace of mind are just some of the reasons I have chosen to live here. Due to leadership making sure Section 8 and low income housing is not butted up to SF and retirement subdivisions is also a plus. All combine to make my retirement pretty sweet. The value of living in any location is in the eye of the beholder. BN remains crime-ridden, the streets and city services are a joke, and it remains a one horse and little pony town devoid of economic diversity. Attempting to sell a rotten apple doesn’t change it from.being a rotten apple.
Now you know the number one reason we moved to Tennessee
Asv alluded to above, the real story is when you compare Bloomington/Normal to many other out of state locale. Then you get to see the real Pritzker tax advantage at work. You have to go to democratic hell-holes like California and New York to find comparisons that make B/N look good.