By: Diane Benjamin
Tonight’s meeting got changed from a Committee of the Whole to a Special Meeting. Besides the below there is a presentation on Community Development Block Grant spending. https://d2kbkoa27fdvtw.cloudfront.net/cityblm/75de54c5ef363097fbab4d251ab6c43a0.pdf
Of course funding pensions is the reason (always) for raising property taxes. Government knows they are required to fund the lavish Illinois pensions but they never budget adequately. Why budget when property taxes are so easy to seize? Better yet, state the additional funding is for police and fire. Public Safety funding is meant to tug at your heart and make this fleece easier to swallow.
https://d2kbkoa27fdvtw.cloudfront.net/cityblm/01b2bc3f4c3ec11e0a4b302815e207bd0.pdf
PDF page 3: Finance recommends the Council adopt the tax levy estimate of $26,320,384 for the City of Bloomington.
Last year: City Levy Request of $23,420,384. PDF page 1: https://d2kbkoa27fdvtw.cloudfront.net/cityblm/f7a47b58830c29ba5563ac9a3739649c0.pdf
The City isn’t done, they have to pass the library levy too: https://d2kbkoa27fdvtw.cloudfront.net/cityblm/e89dcddcaa162da7b1b38a96cb71c1c70.pdf
Tonight: Bloomington Public Library Levy Request of $6,827,275
Last year: Bloomington Public Library: Levy Request of $6,580,000
PDF page 2: https://d2kbkoa27fdvtw.cloudfront.net/cityblm/f7a47b58830c29ba5563ac9a3739649c0.pdf
Documentation for tonight has the audacity to state:
The Library proposes a decrease in the rate for this year’s Levy.
Your taxable value increased again. Of course the rate will decrease even though the library wants more money. The pot to tax got a lot bigger so the rate needed to seize more is easy to make lower.
Property taxes in Illinois will continue to increase because every level (too many) of government wants more money every year. Nobody is willing to make hard choices like pension reform and eliminating units of government – start with townships.
The budget and leadership/gurus……”But how will we survive without our lavish free money from “public service” and benefits for life plus taking every double dip positions/jobs in county/state upon early retirement?”
While most taxpayers/workers get little to nothing and neither do kids/students.
The pie is big and gets bigger every year it seems.
Well guess what? Just saw where Heartland Community College wants to increase the tax levy. There will be no end to the money grab until there’s no one left with money to grab. You can’t squeeze blood from a turnip.
I still remember when they said they would never need a building
more “green” Ag and Brandt backed and manufacturing partnerships no doubt….
and bad Chicago system implementations in McLean County and state….(no thanks)
Normal passed a property tax levy and my next question now is, did tent city move next to Autozone by the creek? More and more tents show up each day. That may be off topic but as a taxpayer this is infuriating! I am really considering moving out of the county, moving out of state is out of the question for me right now.