By: Diane Benjamin
Citizens of Bloomington-Normal not only pay BNWRD monthly through water bills but also through Property taxes.
The Bloomington-Normal Water Reclamation District is charged with processing waste water.
Evidently they are now in the business of creating a “Wildlife Sanctuary Outdoor Recreation Enhancements Project”.
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The State of Illinois gave them authority. Since citizens don’t attend BNWRD meetings, it’s easy to get a 50% state grant and slide the other 50% spending in.
If this was at a County Board meeting someone would question it. Nobody will be there Thursday. Nobody at BNWRD is elected either. Expanding what government does, instead of sticking to why they exist, increases taxes. It never ends. Note: They have “sufficient funds”. Why do they have money for a “Recreation Enhancement Project”?
The 5 year project cost is $6.4 million. They are starting with a grant of $285,000 and BNWRD is matching that. PDF Page 7 claims future work will depend on private contributions and grants. This special meeting is needed because the grant deadline is 8/31/2026. Try to remember this for the future when more “matching funds” will be required.
If you’ve never heard of Kenneth L Schroeder, see his obituary: https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/bloomington-il/kenneth-schroeder-7731145
Meeting documentation:
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Don’t forget – I have BNWRD Board Packets back to 2023 posted here: https://blnnews.com/bnwrd-docs/
In case you didn’t realize it there is already a Kenneth Schroeder Wildlife Sanctuary at the southwest wastewater treatment plant. There are walking trails, a blind to watch wildlife from, and other natural areas.