By: Diane Benjamin
City Manager Tim Gleason announced at last night’s meeting that next week’s Committee of the Whole is being turning into a special meeting to talk property taxes. He of course used the obligatory fallacy that the City portion of your tax bill is small, it’s the school districts that get the most money. His trying to claim a City increase won’t hurt you.
Gleason doesn’t understand property tax increases raise rents and mean citizens have less money to spend in the local economy. If every unit of government raises property taxes it takes a massive amount of dollars out of the local economy.
The City is not planning on taking all of the EAV increase like McLean County wants, Gleason claims it will be less than 5%. Bloomington currently has EXCESSIVE reserves, they don’t need the money – they just want it. Have you noticed the downtown plan the City approved spending $750,000 to create is still a secret except for some concepts? It won’t be voted on until taxes are increased. Keep in mind the City is sitting on tons of money, below are just funds and don’t include the General Funds reserves projected to be almost $40,000,000 at year end. Last year end it was almost $60 million! How did the “Arena” fund get $22,912,819? These numbers are as of 4/30/23:
PDF page 27: https://www.bloomingtonil.gov/home/showdocument?id=29768&t=638343020405529919
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Alderman Sheila Montney will be fighting any increase, more on that one in the next story. I suggest you plan to attend and comment – the City really doesn’t want to see you in person at this meeting.
Big shots getting ready to retire $$$$
The GIS and assessment system and planning process/players is a ridiculous joke
All over Central Illinois and state
“…the City is sitting on tons of money.”
“Bloomington currently has EXCESSIVE reserves,”
*****American citizen tax Dollars earning interest for the city of Bloomington instead of in OUR bank accounts.
*****”next week’s Committee of the Whole is being turning into a special meeting to talk property taxes.*****
*****They ALWAYS do this. They time this meeting for the week of Thanksgiving when many people are traveling to see their families or are getting ready for the holiday. Their hope is that everyone is distracted enough to not know about this meeting and vote.
I just know that they have assessed my house around $25,000 more than I would likely get for it, and then that would be pure luck. It just gets worse and worse and worse.
I would strongly suggest everyone appeal their assessment. It is a right afforded to you. Very few ever go through the appeal process, and govt counts on that fact.
Mason County. I purchased a home in need of work. 80000 Assessed at 149,000, Appealed and reduced to 81000. Worth the effort.
it will raise again systematically
disputed more than one years assessment process and data integrations are not right
the data and system
lacks integrity