By: Diane Benjamin

1)

The Connect Transit website shows a vacancy for Bloomington Trustee. https://connect-transit.com/board-of-trustees/meet-the-trustees

The current mayor may try to stack that board like past mayors, but if you are interested in serving apply here: https://cityblm.seamlessdocs.com/f/MayoralAppointmentApplication

There were two public comments at the April Connect Transit Board meeting. Just hit play below. The lady in the wheelchair actually stood for the Pledge of Allegiance (earlier). To most people it matters, just not the voters in Ward 1 evidently.

2)

The maximum income limitation for low-income senior citizens to freeze their homestead exemption hasn’t been raised in years.

Meanwhile inflation has raised social security payments and the deducted medicare coverage. Even though seniors never receive the full amount because medicare is deducted, the income is counted at the higher amount. Many seniors are going to lose the property tax freeze if the limitation isn’t increased.

SB2086 has been introduced to raise the income limit: SB2086

This bill has ZERO Democrat sponsors. This bill will die or be voted down if Democrats don’t support senior citizens. This will be fun to watch!

3)

More on this story from yesterday: Bloomington Past Due Water Bills

I had FOIA’d this information on February 26th. The list I received had names illegally redacted, except for businesses. Next John Kraft, Edgar County Watchdogs, FOIA’d the same information. The City avoided a lawsuit by giving him the complete list with names.

See this story from November 18, 2015: https://blnnews.com/2015/11/18/more-than-a-year-past-due/

This time, it was a reader who FOIA’d past-due accounts. I saw a large write-off on the financial statements and asked about it.

I was told the City doesn’t write off specific accounts; they write off a percentage every year. That means uncollectible accounts remain on the books forever. It must also mean these accounts aren’t turned over to a collection agency.

Does the City still have the same policy?

Look up some of the worst offenders by address here: https://mcleanil.devnetwedge.com/

Many show that property taxes have been sold for the last two years. From memory, property taxes sold for three years in a row become the property of the tax purchaser. I looked up the first property in yesterday’s story. The Recorder’s records show the City of Bloomington placed a lien on the property in 2022 for $55,903.88.

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Keep in mind: During COVID, renters were told they didn’t have to pay rent. Landlords were told they weren’t allowed to evict anyone. As a result, landlords weren’t paid, water bills went unpaid, and some renters lived for free until the eviction ban was lifted.

I don’t know why anyone would want this property with a huge lien on it. Maybe they plan to negotiate the amount. This isn’t the only property involved in tax sales.

I could conduct an entire investigation based on just the worst offenders. I’m pretty sure government policies created the problem. The people who provided housing paid the price. These properties could have eased the housing shortage. My guess is they aren’t.