By: Diane Benjamin Back when the City Manager did real Monthly Reports, the library traffic was easier to understand. It always included year-to-year comparisons. The summary now doesn’t. See this graph from October 2015: PDF page 43 http://www.cityblm.org/Home/ShowDocument?id=9452 This is what was reported for October 2017: PDF page 11 http://www.cityblm.org/Home/ShowDocument?id=15324 Several items are noteworthy: a large […]
By: Diane Benjamin TIF districts are like Greek to most citizens. If you don’t understand them, government will continue to redistribute money and call it Economic Development. TIF’s made easy: Government sets a Tax Increment Finance area. All government bodies in the area have to agree to forgo tax increases due to increasing property values. […]
By: Diane Benjamin Yesterday I did two stories on past due Tax Increment Financing reports: https://blnnews.com/2017/11/03/is-normal-hiding-tif-data/ https://blnnews.com/2017/11/03/bloomington-plays-the-same-tif-game/ First: It is ridiculous the citizens have to wait over 6 months after a year-end for financial information. Second: If you look under Finance on both the Bloomington and Normal websites, there are NO links to TIF reports. […]
By: Diane Benjamin Tax receipts are flat. The City of Bloomington is facing more “structural deficits” they created. What to do, what to do? Let’s hold a retreat Saturday at the Den where it can’t be video taped! The citizens have no right to know we are going to raise property taxes: Packet PDF page […]
By: Diane Benjamin Bloomington population: 78,005 Normal Population: 54,264 Bloomington Total Budget: $214,126,710 PDF Page 2: http://www.cityblm.org/home/showdocument?id=13155 Normal Total Budget: $107,133,177 PDF Page 15 http://www.normal.org/DocumentCenter/View/11571 Normal has 30% fewer citizens. Normal budgets 50% of what Bloomington does. Bloomington spends $2,745 for every citizens Normal spends $1,974 for every citizen Bloomington total debt 4/30/16: 270,629,828 http://warehouse.illinoiscomptroller.com/ProcessSearchResults.cfm?DisplayMode=GETAFR&AFRDesiredData=Indebtedness&Code=064/025/30&CFY=2016&Menu=Yes&PrintIt=No 4/30/17 information […]
By: Diane Benjamin The Council is going to vote next Monday to raise your sewer and storm water rates much faster than originally presented. After all, this Council is fixing what previous Councils ignored – essential services. Even though voting on items not on the agenda isn’t allowed, the council took a “straw poll” on […]
A reader sent me this: https://atlanta.curbed.com/2017/9/7/16264644/state-farm-atlanta-perimeter-dunwoody-development-construction He added this: It looks like we are headed for a chalk outline of BN taxpayer… See this story too: From a SF Employee ________________________________________________ By: Diane Benjamin State Farm announced to their employees they will be moving 7% of IT out of Bloomington and cutting management company wide […]
By: Diane Benjamin Media is reporting a slight drop in enrollment at ISU. Here’s the proof that numbers lie and liars use numbers. Incoming freshman – down 342 students (9.3%) Transfer students – down 239 students (11.7%) Those are huge percentage drops, the source is WGLT which happens to be part of ISU: http://wglt.org/post/freshman-enrollment-falls-illinois-state-university#stream/0 Incoming […]
By: Diane Benjamin Scott Laughlin clarified this morning on WJBC why the local media is useless. The host hates people who think government should do nothing. Scottie doesn’t realize “those” people don’t want government doing nothing, they want them doing only the things the population can’t do themselves. Like fix the roads! How are the Bloomington […]
Ask Tari to explain the contribution illegals make verses the cost: https://www.nationaleconomicseditorial.com/2017/07/04/illegal-immigration-cost-illinois/ _______________________________________________________________ By: Diane Benjamin Mayor Tari Renner wanted to lump 3 controversial items together at Monday night’s Council, but one got derailed. The Council will consider: Bike Lanes on E. Washington to create congestion Welcoming ordinance for illegals The Citizens Advisory Board to […]
By: Diane Benjamin The Illinois Senate needed one Republican to vote with the Democrats to override Gov Rauner’s veto of the income tax hike. They got one: Dale Righter. Madigan got MORE Republicans than he needed to pass the tax hike in the House – 15 of them. (Including Bill Mitchell and Mike Unes from […]
By: Diane Benjamin Follow-up to this story: https://blnnews.com/2017/06/02/b-n-is-getting-the-delphi-treatment/ (It won’t be the only one!) The Bloomington Normal Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) is trying to get out of complying with the Open Meetings Act. What does the Open Meetings Act say? OMA applies to all “public bodies”: http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs3.asp?ActID=84&ChapterID=2 I’d love to know what grounds they […]
By: Diane Benjamin The local area has THREE agencies coordinating economic development: B-N Convention and Visitors Bureau, BN Advantage, and the Economic Development Council. There is MUCH more to this story – but not today. The Bloomington Normal Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) has another committee nobody has ever heard of: Sports Commission Board The Board […]
By: Diane Benjamin Mark Peterson – Normal’s City Manager – talked to WGLT yesterday: http://wglt.org/post/public-private-partnership-lacking-establish-sports-complex#stream/0 Peterson thinks taxpayers should pony up $20-$30 million for a sports complex! The total cost will be $50 million, but it’s not a Public-Private partnership. He doesn’t say where the rest of the money will come from or who will […]
By: Diane Benjamin On this Memorial Day weekend, we remember those who have fought and died for us. America began with a war for freedom and many wars have been fought since to protect it. We would not enjoy this legacy today without the sacrifices of those willing to lose their life in our defense. […]
By: Diane Benjamin The media did leave the Committee of the Whole meeting early. I didn’t see any reporting on the most important item on the agenda: Burying you in taxes and/or debt! Here’s the plan: PDF page 65 http://www.cityblm.org/Home/ShowDocument?id=12980 The City wants to spend $285.82 million over the next 5 years with only $59.78 […]
“I’m mad as hell and I’m NOT going to take it anymore!” This is a quote from the movie, Newsroom. When did the use of the word NO become unacceptable in civilized society? The norms of our society include NO lying, stealing or cheating. NO infringement on the rights of others. Police D.A.R.E. officers tell […]
Who is telling the truth? Buzzing around I saw plans for a huge complex on the west side. It wasn’t only soccer fields. Some people think if they get elected it’s their ticket to do whatever they want, some don’t. Pick wrong tomorrow and you have Coliseum 2.0 . . .
By: Diane Benjamin The ballot will say Sue Feldkamp or Jamie Mathy for Bloomington’s Ward 1. Mathy owns two businesses downtown, but I’ve heard he claims Bloomington’s attorney Jeff Jurgens doesn’t see a problem with him voting on downtown issues. I bet the taxpayers will have a problem with him voting to enrich himself! Conflict […]
By: Diane Benjamin Chris Koos was on WJBC this morning. Hear the interview HERE Did you know that Uptown is NEVER going to be finished? Yep, Koos said that. He is running for a 4th term because he isn’t done with his vision. Bloomington-Normal will be paying for a new sports facility if Koos and […]
By: Diane Benjamin Connect Transit is the biggest FRAUD ever perpetrated on the citizens forced to pay their bills! Before I show you the offensive February financial statements, see these notes included in the packet: http://www.connect-transit.com/documents/March%2021,%202017%20Regular%20Board%20Meeting%20Binder1.pdf See PDF page 17 of the link above. The General Manager can spend up to $50,000 without Board approval. […]
By: Diane Benjamin This morning I attended the GOP breakfast because it featured the candidates for the Normal Town Council and Normal Township. Chris Koos made a comment about Uptown 2.0 I find hard to believe. He claims there isn’t enough retail and office space in Uptown now, so Uptown 2.0 is to provide more. […]
By: Diane Benjamin Bill’s and Payroll for Monday night: http://normal.org/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/2581 I don’t know what arrangement Normal made to get Home Depot to build here, but this is the perfect example of why Sales Tax receipts are declining: Menards isn’t getting rebates, so they are at an unfair advantage. It’s called crony capitalism, picking winners and […]
By: Diane Benjamin Cities 92.9 held a debate last night between mayoral candidates Kevin Lower and Tari Renner. Listen to it HERE The picture below is the back side of a mailer sent by Tari Renner. I’ve been holding it for a couple of days because I knew he would use these talking points during […]
By: Diane Benjamin Citizens need to know why there is no money for government to do their job without constantly raising taxes. Retired employee PENSIONS, in addition to Social Security and Medicare, and spiked pensions are the problem. Below are just some of the Monthly pensions payments retired City employees are currently receiving. Note, it […]
By: Diane Benjamin A reader asked me yesterday what the debt for the City of Bloomington looks like since Tari Renner became mayor. Another reader did the research for me. Below are two tables he sent to me: Source: PDF page 36 http://www.cityblm.org/home/showdocument?id=12330 . Source: PDF page 33 http://www.cityblm.org/Home/ShowDocument?id=7479 The biggest difference between the two […]
By: Diane Benjamin Local CPA Carl Woodward injects himself occasionally in local government when he sees something everyone is missing. You should know he supported and funded Tari Renner 4 years ago, he no longer supports him. (I tried to talk sense to him, he didn’t listen) Within the past week or two he has […]
By: Diane Benjamin Cuts could be easy, but nobody at the City wants to cut! It is impossible to suggest specific budget cuts for Bloomington because the data isn’t available. The City issued hundreds of pages saying where the money is being spent without any details. Was there a line item last year for the […]
By: Diane Benjamin The Coliseum audited financial statement from April 30, 2016 is still not available. The local media and candidates are pretending the ongoing State Police investigation of Coliseum operations isn’t happening. Naming rights expired close to a year ago, obviously nobody wants their name on the Coliseum if they have to pay for […]
By: Diane Benjamin Bloomington finally released the financial statements for April 30, 2016. The TIF report still hasn’t been released and neither has a separate audited statement on the Coliseum. Maybe another year? Two? At this point, what difference does it make? It’s much easier to read the information from the Comptroller’s site. Total Full […]
By: Diane Benjamin I’ve heard that one guy running for re-election on the Normal Town Council is telling people as he campaigns door to door the debt isn’t a problem. I believe he is actually calling other candidates liars for questioning the debt. Hit play on the video below from last Monday’s meeting. The speaker […]
Note: The meeting video is missing! I will change the link when it’s available. Video is back, maybe Koos didn’t like Marc Tiritilli on the opening screen! By: Diane Benjamin The Normal Town Council met last night to approve the budget and talk about Metro Zone. The ruling proletariat is feeling the election heat. They […]
By: Diane Benjamin I really hope you enjoy seeing huge empty or almost empty buses running all over Bloomington-Normal because you are paying for them! The January finances are on online: http://www.connect-transit.com/documents/February%2028,%202017%20Regular%20Board%20Meeting%20Binder1.pdf Income in January was a whooping $110, 632. Expenses were $1,052,685. Anybody see a problem? Anybody see the same problem connect Transit has […]
By: Diane Benjamin Charlie Schlenker did a great job moderating the forum last night between Chris Koos and Marc Tiritilli. Listen to the one hour broadcast HERE Both the Pantagraph and WGLT coverage called Tiritilli a District 87 teacher. Both failed to mention he teaches PHYSICS. Marc obviously needs exceptional intelligence for that job and […]
By: Diane Benjamin The budget Tari Renner inherited when he became mayor was $167 million. (2014) Page 3 http://www.cityblm.org/Home/ShowDocument?id=5104 2015 budget was $180.4 million Page 3 http://www.cityblm.org/Home/ShowDocument?id=7075 This took 13.4 million out of the local economy 2016 budget was 186.3 million Page 15 http://www.cityblm.org/Home/ShowDocument?id=9210 This took another 6.3 out of the local economy for a […]
By: Diane Benjamin Normal people would think a GOP breakfast would be for members of the GOP. This morning it wasn’t. Evidently the local GOP is pretending local elections are non-partisan even though Renner has proved Democrats have no spending limits when they have taxpayers wallets to rob. Most of the candidates for the Bloomington […]
By: Diane Benjamin Chris Koos has been mayor of Normal since 2003. Voters claim to want term limits – isn’t 14 years enough time to enact one? More reasons exist to dump Koos though. At the end of FY 2016, the Town was $99,974,191 in debt! Almost $100 MILLION! The population reported to the State […]
By: Diane Benjamin Can $20 million be cut from Bloomington’s budget? David Hales thinks disaster would strike Bloomington if the tax increases were rolled back. (The media happily reports it!) Here’s a better question: The 2012 TOTAL budget was $165.3 million (Pre Tari) The 2013 TOTAL budget was $167 million (Pre Tari) That 2017 TOTAL […]
By: Diane Benjamin Of course Illinois doesn’t have enough money! Springfield has no interest in a balanced budget and spending cuts. Democrats want more of your money and the Republicans may help them get it because they are desperate. Your income tax could be going up 40%. In exchange you get a two-year property tax […]
By: Diane Benjamin It’s not me saying Bloomington is in a recession, it’s: . The report doesn’t go into details about Bloomington – just this statement on page 4: . See the entire report HERE Next month’s primary election just got serious. Liberal progressives think they need to keep spending money in a recession, conservatives […]
