By: Diane Benjamin
This WGLT article misses a huge point taxpayers should notice: https://www.wglt.org/local-news/2026-09-01/path-to-resolution-of-shared-sales-tax-dispute-remains-unclear
The County, Bloomington, and Normal can’t agree on funding local mental health initiatives. Keep in mind your SALES TAX was increased to fund it. It is your money they are fighting over.
Quote:
Bloomington City Manager Jeff Jurgens said even after a recent audit of the county fund that receives the money, the city and town still think the underlying issue is the county is getting too much sales tax money — more than the city and town thought they would ever pay.
“Because the laws changed, the town and the city are sending substantially more money to this fund,” said Jurgens.
Jeff, if the County is getting too much money it is because you are taking to much money!
Lowering the sales tax rate so you get to keep more of your money won’t be on the table. Government thinks once it is in their pocket it no longer belongs to you. Both Bloomington and Normal have an endless list of projects needing that money. Your needs are immaterial.
Is there anyone with a brain who thinks the County should keep the interest income earned on your confiscated tax dollars and not spent? Evidently the County is funding operations with it. So, they make money by NOT spending the money stolen from citizens. Brilliant.
You can see where the money has been allocated on this page, many of the groups awarded money aren’t spending it either:
Behavior Health Coordinating Council: https://www.mcleancountyil.gov/BHCC
First, you need to memorize the Acronyms! Study up, there will be a test.
MHPSF: Mental Health and Public Safety Fund
BHC: Behavioral Health Coordination
IGA: Intergovernmental Agreement
BHAP: Behavioral Health Action Plan
BHCC: Behavioral Health Coordinating Council
FAC: Mental Health and Public Safety Funding Advisory Council (FAC)
Who gets your tax dollars? Is local mental health getting better after 10 years of you paying more?
Pay off the jail and the record management system and be done with it. Cancel the tax. Those were the only two tangible agreed upon use cases for the tax revenue, some vague nebulous “mental health” is clearly not working and is where most of the conflict is from. The cities and county are receiving record amounts of property tax revenue, grocery tax, etc, and are all running annual surpluses. They don’t need this tax revenue.
People keep electing progressives that will never roll taxes back
Either they should adjust and/or REMOVE the tax or use it as it was intended. Giving the monies to the various (Jails, Dept of Health, mental Health agencies) to be utilized correctly. Not locked away.
I can only imagine the planning that’s being done behind doors for all the money and ways they can access it for their other plans. They just haven’t figured out how to do it.
The tax revenue is not locked away in some fund. The 20 million mentioned is actually already allocated and is composed of future obligations to be fulfilled by future tax revenue that hasn’t been collected yet. Nothing is locked away. The “fund” is technically in a current deficit. How are they earning interest on a non-existent fund made up of future uncollected tax revenue that is technically in a deficit? This is literally the gayest intergovernmental dispute I’ve ever encountered: Effeminate, emotional, limp-wristed, flamboyantly loud, and insufferably annoying.
“According to Mateas (the 3rd party fund auditor), the $20 million fund balance is not a surplus, but rather money that is earmarked for use down the line…Accounting for those future, contractually obligated expenses, the fund is technically in a deficit. However, that doesn’t mean the county is in the red. Much of the “deficit” will be covered as shared sales tax comes in.”
https://www.wglt.org/local-news/2026-08-10/audit-suggests-mental-health-and-public-safety-fund-has-a-deficit-not-a-surplus
The hubris and audacity of Jurgens to make this statement:
“Because the laws changed, the town and the city are sending substantially more money to this fund. ”
The city and town do next to nothing to receive taxpayer funded sales tax revenue. The businesses file periodic sales tax reports with the State Treasury and remit their sales tax revenue to the state. The state then processed the sales tax and periodically sends the appropriate percentages to the relevant local governments. The city and town take the money the State Treasury sends them and then simply remits the appropriate amounts to the county.
It’s not the city’s or town’s money, they did nothing to earn or receive it. It’s sales tax revenue taken from working families and seniors when they shop for necessities locally or online. His statement reveals he thinks it’s his, that he and the city are entitled to it somehow. Typical self engrandizing bureaucrats thinking only of themselves. “I am the city!” What a joke of a man. Pathetic.
This is the guy who insisted the city raise the 1% grocery tax too. Why does he hate the citizens who pay for his lavish salary and luxurious pension?
Most of the council is just like him