By: Diane Benjamin
Juneteenth must not be important enough to delay meetings 1 day.
Bloomington Committee of the Whole: Agenda
I wonder if anyone will mention the police gun safe giveaway that will rust guns? https://blnnews.com/2023/06/14/dont-store-guns-in-the-free-gun-safe-you-got-from-the-bloomington-il-police/
Minister Ward should already know why gun violence exists and is increasing. A commission won’t solve moral decay, kids with no dads, and no respect for life.
Normal’s Agenda: https://www.normalil.gov/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/4674
Bids are being waived on a number of items.
PDF page 30:
I assume Bloomington knows they have committed $71,000. I don’t think it has been before Council yet. Normal is using ARPA funds.
On the Omnibus Agenda which means it probably won’t be discussed:
$126,000 salary for a Housing Navigator. That’s an obscenely ridiculous salary.
Why should ISU get to use that space rent free? There is still the cost of electricity, upkeep, water, heating, air conditioning, etc. Why should the taxpayers pay those daily expenses?
Docs don’t say how many years that will last, they had discussed 3. Mid Central Community Action doesn’t pay employees that much.
I can only say that M Ward is a fool. As a social workr for 50 years in Blm i know that the cause of gun violence here is the breakdown of the fmily unit. In the past the grandparents in town took over for the parents who became involved in alcohol and drug use. Sadly, the next generation of grandparents are those that failed as parents. They is no longer an extended family as there was in the past to act as a safety net or a control on the family. There are still strong families that can assist, but, the family is getting weaker. Social services and schools can try to take on the role of the family, but cannot do it. The breakdown of the nuclear family is a continuation of our failure as a society. !
The art gallery is rarely open, it is really unnecessary for ISU. There is no demand to rent space in Uptown so they give it away. (Subway left Uptown station and a sign says the seating is reserved for the Children’s Discovery Museum.) If Uptown was a success then the Town wouldn’t need to continue to give the space away for free.
In regards to Bloomington, here is why:
The city council meeting has wording for holidays.
The committee of the whole, does NOT have wording for the holidays.
(I have included the code for your convenience below)
There are 3 holidays that occur on the same evenings as potential committee of the whole meetings, Presidents Day, Martin Luther King day, Juneteenth.
You would think that SOMEBODY would fix the code.
But instead, let’s have an unwanted, completely unnecessary, ridiculous initiative to create a commission of people with delusions of grandeur that are seeking power in the community. This commission is going to ask criminals to not be criminals, hand over their stolen guns from safes that aren’t safe at all. Maybe, the city will fund this new commission using the millions of dollars of debt for unpaid water bills that are crippling landlords so they can have ANOTHER failed block party where they beautify the neighborhood, with dead flowers.
COUNCIL MEETING TRUNCATED CODE
Ҥ 2-203 [Ch. 2, Sec. 15] Meetings Рregular and adjourned.
A.
Beginning September 2018, regular meetings of the City Council of the City of Bloomington shall be held on the second and fourth Monday of each month … however, that should any such regular meeting fall upon any holiday recognized by and under the laws of the United States or the State of Illinois, then said regular meeting so falling on said holiday shall be held on the day following such regular meeting date at the same hour and at the place aforesaid.”
COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE NON-TRUNCATED CODE
Ҥ 2-203 [Ch. 2, Sec. 15] Meetings Рregular and adjourned.
C.
“On the third Monday of each month at 6:00 p.m., the City Council shall meet as a Committee of the Whole. The agenda for such meeting shall be prepared by the City Manager in consultation with the Mayor. A portion of the meeting shall be dedicated to previewing upcoming non-routine agenda items, including a standing item for the consideration of Agenda Initiatives as set forth in § 2-210A(2). A time for public comment shall be conducted the manner set forth in § 2-501 of this chapter. No final action, beyond action on setting future agenda items and/or Agenda Initiatives, may be taken at a meeting of a Committee of the Whole unless it has been called as a Special Meeting as required by § 2-204 of this chapter. To the extent appropriate, the Rules set forth in § 2-208 of this chapter shall govern the proceedings of meetings of a Committee of the Whole. For purposes of this section, a nonroutine agenda item shall include: (1) the expenditure of money over $250,000; (2) development agreements; (3) amending the City Code; and/or (4) the implementation or modification of policies. The failure to preview a non-routine agenda item at a Committee of the Whole shall not prohibit its consideration and/or action at a future meeting.
Bloomington City Council approved $1M ARPA funds in the form of grants for local nonprofits. Two grants @ $250K, two grants @$150K, the rest distributed through the application process. The grant application process began May 1, 2023.
The original request by United Way for the housing navigator (brain child of Kathleen Lorenz) was for a total of $400K split between the City & Town. MCCA applied for the housing navigator but failed to submit their application in a timely fashion resulting in the $71K distribution.
You want to see the breakdown of the family unit just look at what is going on at the coleen hoose school. very sad!
Th Housing Navigator is a needless position. Realtors already help people find rentals and HUD helps lower income people. Paying someone over $100k/yr is not going to help with the housing shortage. The money would be better spent giving incentives for developers to build. I’m sure the real reason for this new position is to give a friend of government a cush and pensioned job.
Of course
This is a job created for one of ‘them’ or their family member or relations.
As for Uptown Normal , it is very nice. Looking nice however does not negate the fact that it is an economic loser. Giving away space screams desperation.
Not sure whether to laugh at or pity the poor schmucks paying full lease/rent ! So I’ll do both.
Pantagraph gets it right. “BPD BOTCHED safe give away” Now, I am not blaming those hard working officers out on the streets. No, the blame lies with administration including the “community engagement officer”. Rumor has it that as people waited in line to get a safe, Mr. Community Engagement spoke to people about the gun by back program. These are legal gun owners. Worry about the criminals with guns.
We are fighting McLean county weekly against the purposeful breakdown of family, in particular, fathers rights.