By: Diane Benjamin
The majority of the Committee of the Whole meeting last night was justifying hiring consultants at $750,000 to create a downtown streetscape. Of course Tim Tilton showed up, also appearing at public comment was former alderman Jamie Mathy. (both downtown business owners)
Mathy claimed former City Manager David Hales cut 189 and most have not be filled since. At the end of almost every meeting Tim Gleason lists the new hires, last night there were 14.
Jamie talked about pension funding, the City now pays $14,000,000 a year but it will grow to $23,000,000. Of course those numbers won’t stay the same if the stock market keeps crashing. That is why the Constitutional Amendment on the ballot should have been changing define benefit pensions to something that doesn’t destroy budgets, instead we get to vote on Amendment 1 that hands all power to unions. (VOTE NO!)
Jamie claims the City can’t cut their way to prosperity, maybe he missed the massive reserves Bloomington has stockpiled. They are at least twice what David Hales thought was needed. If government spending created prosperity everyone in the country would be filthy rich since we passed $30 trillion in debt.
Of course Mathy wants the street scape project. Just hit play below to hear his comments.
Meanwhile, look at the employment history. I don’t see 189 job cuts Jamie, or maybe new employees just aren’t in positions you think are needed. All of these numbers are from the first meeting in August of each year.
8/8/2022: 942 employees https://youtu.be/OJ2Obp5Z9Wk
8/9/2021: 944 employees https://www.cityblm.org/home/showpublisheddocument/26779/637637470578200000
8/10/2020: 869 employees https://www.cityblm.org/home/showpublisheddocument/24978/637322334882770000
8/12/2019: 989 employees https://www.cityblm.org/home/showpublisheddocument/22407/637008487785530000
8/10/2015: 933 employees https://www.cityblm.org/home/showpublisheddocument/8974/636130888246430000
8/12/2013: 969 employees
https://www.cityblm.org/home/showpublisheddocument/5519/636130888246430000
Isn’t great that our City Council and school boards can “allow” public comment with no response. No discourse, question and response.
So as a citizen you should feel like you were part of a discussion and part of the process, because you were given 3 minutes to say some words, however, if you are bright enough you realize how one sided these proceedings are. To be given your 3 minutes is just to placate you. We need real discourse to come together on the issues for our citizens and our city as well as our schools. Real engagement. Let’s make that change !
I’m getting to that tomorrow!