By: Diane Benjamin

Connect Transit owns a property they don’t need in downtown Bloomington – PIN #21-04-389-006.

Connect held a special meeting on June 13th. This information is from the packet for that meeting: https://connect-transit.com/file/3675/06%2013%202025_BoT_Special%20Meeting%20Packet.pdf

Connect Transit’s Oakland Avenue property is the former site of Connect Transit’s operations and maintenance facility prior to our current location on Wylie Drive. The site was purchased by the Bloomington-Normal Public Transit System (BNPTS) in 1974 for $133,000 from National City Lines, the former private transportation provider for the area. In 1975, BNPTS purchased adjacent land for $60,000 to add space to the location. The total site included offices, bus storage, and a bus maintenance garage. In 2013, Connect Transit moved to its current location and had the facilities and tanks on Oakland Avenue removed for $209,155 of which $50,455 was paid by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency

Since Connect Transit can’t operate without tax dollars, the money spent to purchase the property in 1974 was likely grant money. Operations are currently subsidized at close to $1.5 million A MONTH.

Home Sweet Home Ministries wants to build a homeless village at that location. They are getting $1.3 million tax dollars – washed first through Sales Tax receipts, then the City of Bloomington, and finally the County. The Behavior Health Coordinating Council, the secret group who decides how “mental health” taxes should be spent, made the $1,300,000 request for HSHM and the County approved it.

Recap:

Connect Transit more than likely acquired the property with tax dollars.

Home Sweet Home is getting tax dollars to build the village.

How much money should Connect sell the property for they don’t need? Did you know they formerly rented it to the City of Bloomington?

Funny through all of the discussions and approvals in Bloomington and Normal a sales price was never mentioned. Connect received approval from both Councils to transfer the parcel to Home Sweet Home.

Connect Transit had the property appraised and a market analysis done. How many fees do you think they incurred with just that? How much did lawyers charge? Is a realtor getting a commission? If not, what is this mentioned in the packet? “6% of sales paid at closing.”

Both decided Home Sweet Home would pay $250,000 for the property. WGLT did a story but didn’t mention the absurdity of this transaction: https://www.wglt.org/local-news/2025-06-20/sale-of-site-for-proposed-shelter-village-in-bloomington-is-approved?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=facebook

Supposedly Connect Transit wins – from the packet:

Financial Impact:
This sale would provide revenue of $250,000.

One correction – in May Connect hit a new record deficit:

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Ridership continues to decline:

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PDF pages 9 & 10: https://connect-transit.com/file/3674/2025%2006%2024_Board%20Packet.pdf