By: Diane Benjamin
Last Monday City Manager Jeff Jurgen announced there was plenty of parking downtown – Just hit Play:
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Mayor Brady is quoted in this WGLT story stating the opposite: https://www.wglt.org/local-news/2025-12-16/bloomington-considers-downtown-trolley-service-during-parking-crunch
Brady wants a trolley service when big events are going on because parking near the places holding events is limited.
Which is it guys?
Wasn’t the Connect Transit transfer station supposed to provide parking for the City to help replace the parking garage destroyed so the transfer station can be built? The building was estimated in 2021 to cost $18 million: https://blnnews.com/2021/01/28/18-million-for-a-transfer-station/
According to the WGLT story the cost is now $28 million, it’s also a stripped down version to save costs.
During the Council meeting Jurgens also mentioned staff has been cut to save money. Below are the facts they reported to the Illinois Comptroller.
Source Pre 2023: Comptroller Data Summaries
and
Source 2023-2025: Comptroller Bloomington AFR
Population back in 2021 shows the same as now. The City had 34 fewer employees. In 2011, when the population was 2,070 fewer people, the city had 129 fewer employees. That amounts to roughly 16 residents per employee.
In 2023, with a higher population, the City had 13 fewer full time employees.
Obviously part time employees skyrocketed.
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Jurgens also claimed the property tax “rate” hasn’t been increased in a couple years. 🤦♀️🤦♀️
The “rate” is immaterial to looking at property taxes. When people are taxed on a higher value the “rate” should go down.
Property taxes go up when government wants more money. Rates don’t go down when unrealized gains are taxed. The rates aren’t going down enough to prevent you from paying more. Media dutifully reports lower rates without saying your taxes are going up anyway.
Citizens aren’t going to like next year’s property tax bills. Not voting (or running) in local elections has consequences.
