By: Diane Benjamin
According to this story the Normal Council held a special meeting last night: https://www.wglt.org/politics-and-government/2025-10-30/completing-uptown-normal-underpass-to-require-tax-hikes?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=facebook
The project is unaffordable, so staff wants to raise taxes. Drivers stuck behind trains blocking the tracks can watch walkers and bikers go under the tracks. Keep in mind Normal could have had a FREE overpass years ago but that wasn’t good enough.
This paragraph is in the story:
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Math must be too difficult, so I will throw some into the discussion.
Years in a Quarter of a Century
A quarter of a century is consistently defined as a period of 25 years. (According to AI and anyone with a little math sense).
Normal plans on paying $875,000 for 25 years. Multiple those numbers to find out how much that $12 million bond is going to cost:
$21,875,000
That means Normal will be spending $9,875,000 on interest.
Interest makes the bondholders richer and everyone funding Normal’s government poorer. Staff wants to increase food and beverage taxes plus hotel/motel taxes. Eating out will be unaffordable for those without high salaries. Bloomington will be the beneficiary. I wonder if Pam Reece has asked Jeff Jurgens to raise their rates too?
WGLT should fact check this paragraph:
Only part of the TIF was extended. They could ask how much interest that debt has cost since those bonds were established. Since the original amount was WAY over $57,000,000, the total cost of the bonds plus interest is ridiculous. That’s how Normal rolls however. You are their piggy bank and they don’t mind paying interest for their legacy.
Normal has to spend the grant money by September 2027. It can only be spent building the underpass. Since backing out now will never be considered, expect a big hole under the tracks next year.
Here is some more math. We have lived in our home in Normal for 23 years. We are moving out of state next year for much lower taxes. IF we were to live in our house for 30 years we would end up paying more in property taxes than it cost to build the house. We don’t essentially own our house. We rent it from the government in the form of property taxes. Sad. Enjoy the underpass.
Congratulations. Moving from BN and Illinois is the only possible solution for those that know 2 plus 2 equals 4 no matter how you try to justify it. You will find our quickly that there are much better places to live with much more to offer than any Illinois location. In the short and long run, you will be getting much more for less and be happier for it. There is no sense being miserable for the rest of your life. Many more BN residents should smarten up and follow your example.
Why do you care? You left!
To encourage more people to do the same. No one should have a problem seeing other people being happy and content instead of miserable. Not many people in McLean County seem happy anymore. I wander why?
Every day is getting old
Pea…They call you the Wanderer, you roam around around around. Nobody wanders why you are happy in Indiana.
Elections have consequences!!!!
Even more with no opposition
This is sickening and has been from the start! And really for the purpose of Mayor Kooks having pedestrians directed to the front doors of his bicycle shop… 😠
I left too and I still care. Is there something wrong with that?
Got kids and a lot of friends there.
He comments every day!
He is also very demeaning with personal attacks.
King Koos, building his “legacy.” That’s all this is, nothing more.
Normal is getting destroyed on social media