By: Diane Benjamin
The City of Bloomington wants to condemn the Front and Center building since it’s been sitting empty for a long time. WGLT reported: https://www.wglt.org/local-news/2024-02-29/bloomington-condemns-landmark-downtown-building-at-front-and-center
If the current owners object, taxpayers get to fund a court battle. With or without legal fees taxpayers will get the demolition cost which includes asbestos removal. Keep in mind that isn’t the only empty building downtown.
I tried to look up the property in the Assessor’s records. GIS appears to be showing the wrong parcel number. Clicking those 3 links produce errors.
From here I descended into a rabbit hole of PIN numbers and Tax Sales. It appears the building had been divided into numerous unit numbers each with their own PIN.
If all the Unit PIN #’s listed for 102 N Center (and retired in 2023) were consolidated into PIN #21-04-337-060, expects the Huff’s to object. The taxable value is listed as $236,099 for a building that hasn’t been occupied in years and is full of asbestos. That PIN is listed as part of the Downtown TIF.
The owner of that address is listed as Front N Center Inc. A search on the Secretary of State’s website reveals the owners:
I know CEFCU used to hold a loan on this property. I hope somebody at the City checked to see if they still do. The new PIN# doesn’t appear in the Recorder’s records so I can’t tell.
Tim Gleason was hired as City Manager by a Council possessed with revitalizing downtown. The current council continues that desire. If you want a different City focus with your tax dollars, vote better. Many more just need to vote in local elections. Early next year you have another chance. By then most are so sick of national elections they don’t bother to vote locally.
The address came from Google maps.
Property tax information came from here: https://mcleanil.devnetwedge.com/
Secretary of State information came from here: https://apps.ilsos.gov/businessentitysearch/businessentitysearch#getDetails
GIS information can be found here: https://mcleancounty-mcggis.hub.arcgis.com/
GIS wrong? Surprise Surprise 🙂
This has been for years, and continues to be, a long drawn out stand off. The Huff’s have neglected their responsibility of upkeep of this building as well as others properties in Bloomington. Why should they maintain it if the city of Bloomington is going to eventually step in and bail them out by demolishing it for them? It may take years to get it done, but that’s the whole point of the stand off. This is an all too real scenario scattered among many property owners in the twin cities. Normal does this all the time. The only difference between Normal and Bloomington on these matters is that Normal moves faster than Bloomington on it.
Ask not what you can do for your country, ask what your country has done for you lately.
Normal bought buildings for ridiculous prices
Gleason is in a salary shakedown right now – threatening to leave us high and dry for Florence AZ (pop. 26k) if we don’t raise his salary again.
Let him go. His ‘value added’ is mainly to his own brand. Literally any public administration graduate student can do as good as Gleason at 1/3 the salary.
The shameless never ending greed of these unelected leaches is amazing.
The shameless never ending supplication of OUR elected representatives is equally amazing.
agree totally!!!
Best if Gleason departs and we get a better qualified person. Gleason will collect an IL pension and collect an AZ salary. A common approach with highly-compensated government employees who earn far better compensation than the private sector they compare themselves too.
Here is a heads-up: the private sector, especially as pensions have been done away with, earns less than these overpaid bureaucrats. It’s not a bad thing if a good amount of these folks move elsewhere.
I’m guessing there is no recourse against the Huffs personally. It is likely a corporate entity that will go under as they walk away.
Maybe a huge tax write off
indeed- truth
Gleason was in Washington IL, Decatur, IL and now Bloomington. If he leaves, his replacement will undoubtedly be worse. And I feel sorry for the taxpayers in the Arizona town he goes to.
Will his stooge corp go with him or can we keep them!