By: Diane Benjamin Agenda: https://bloomingtonil.portal.civicclerk.com/event/4103/files/agenda/12675 I don’t have time today to analyze, read it yourself. The only regular agenda item is exchanging some property with IWU: . Just so you don’t forget, the City has $1,400,000 in that part marked 807. https://blnnews.com/2025/07/16/flashback-to-2016/ The City bought it in 2016 to control development. So far no one […]
By: Diane Benjamin Filing a Statement of Economic Interest is required by law to reveal conflicts of interest. Evidently the fines of $100 a day don’t start the day filing is past due. Fines should start immediately to cover the cost of Certified Mail and the staff time it takes to process mailings. Filing was […]
By: Diane Benjamin On December 8, 2025 the Bloomington City Council heard a presentation on Proactive Property Maintenance Enforcement Update: . Since I didn’t write much about this, I asked GROK AI when it happened. I remembered it, just not when. Grok gave me the answer in 10 seconds. PDF page 5: https://bloomingtonil.portal.civicclerk.com/event/1012/files/agenda/9377 As long […]
By: Diane Benjamin For awhile yesterday this video was not in the story: https://blnnews.com/2026/05/05/nchs-violence-reason-for-evacuation/ Evidently some people don’t understand that students acting like animals at school wouldn’t hesitate to call in a fake bomb threat to get out of going to school. . Today is Data Center Day: . Did you know the United States […]
By: Diane Benjamin The was sent to parents parents today – it’s also in Spanish: . There have been a number of fights in recent weeks. Did these have anything to do with the evacuation? If I had kids at NCHS they wouldn’t be there anymore. Your property taxes at work. YouTube thinks kids being […]
By: Diane Benjamin The McLean County League of Women Voters claim they are nonpartisan. https://www.lwvmclean.org/ It’s easy to tell they aren’t. Using the terminology: Defending Democracy is a giveaway they aren’t. Democracy is mob rule, we are a Republic. It’s the same terminology Democrats have used in the last few elections to con voters while […]
Update: It is legal for townships to pass budgets late. Evidently lawmakers in Illinois think township officials aren’t capable of better. by: Diane Benjamin Remember this one? . Doesn’t this sound like Krystle needs a lot of time off? Why until August 15th? Who gets paid for doing the Supervisor job if the elected Supervisor […]
By: Diane Benjamin This property was randomly picked and is the same one from previous stories: https://blnnews.com/2026/04/30/congrats-how-much-is-stolen-from-you-is-posted/ The Bloomington house increases are in this story: https://blnnews.com/2026/05/01/taxing-bodies-in-bloomington-increases/ Total taxes paid in 2025 vrs 2026: . Congrats go to the Normal voters who fell for the “property taxes will go down” if you vote for a 1% […]
By: Diane Benjamin Same property as previous stories – picked at random. https://blnnews.com/2026/04/30/congrats-how-much-is-stolen-from-you-is-posted/ For context on the airport tax: Bloomington and Normal properties are still being taxed by the airport — see Central Il Reg Airport Auth. In 2025, it appeared on bills as “BLM-Nrm Airport Auth.” This year’s 2026 in-town bills now show $0.00 […]
By: Diane Benjamin In other words, the new property tax bills have been posted. You will never own your property, you are renting it from government. If you live in the County you will be charged for the airport without a vote by you. Springfield elected officials passed it because Dave Koehler presented it. Taxation […]
By: Diane Benjamin Wall Street 24/7 issued a report yesterday showing the top 43 cities losing the most population from 2017-2022. I don’t know why 2022 was used, it should have been a little more current. https://247wallst.com/population-and-social-characteristics/2026/04/27/the-u-s-cities-losing-residents-the-fastest/ The list includes Illinois cities: Champaign-Urbana, Kankakee, Danville, Decatur. All of them were behind this one: I’m sure […]
By: Diane Benjamin From Bills and Payroll: https://www.bloomingtonil.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/32515/639124583137330000 Another spiked pension taxpayers have to cover: Why did Bloomington buy a lot? Tonight’s Agenda: https://bloomingtonil.portal.civicclerk.com/event/4115/files/agenda/12646 The Welcoming America Committee is being discontinued and absorbed by Human Resources. Failures to consistently have a quorum at meetings is blamed. The Empire TIF Fund needs $500,000 to pay the […]
By: Diane Benjamin April 28th Meeting Packet: https://connect-transit.com/file/4167/2026%2004%2028_BoT%20Meeting%20Packet.pdf Imagine earning this much revenue in March 2026: . Now imagine how much that $100,000 cost you to earn: . $1,624,319 taxpayer dollars were spent to earn $100,211. When that number gets to $2 million tax dollars every month will people finally realize they are being robbed? […]
It’s will be 14 years on April 28th since I started writing. I’m taking today off, maybe longer. If anyone is wondering, I don’t get paid for “clicks”. That is a story for another day.
By: Diane Benjamin If you aren’t a subscriber to their emails, you should be: Subscribe here Last week the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) released its seminal, annual Rich States, Poor States report, which ranks all 50 states on their economic competitiveness using metrics like total tax burden, labor laws and the cost of debt service. Open […]
By: Diane Benjamin Besides raising water rates 100% over 3 years, the City of Bloomington raised your property taxes too this year. Excerpts from when the water rate increases were passed 11/27/2023: https://d2kbkoa27fdvtw.cloudfront.net/cityblm/9f871a978bec4858933e854eec3650e40.pdf The capital projects will include approximately: (1) $75M to $100M in systemwide distribution improvements; (2) $100M in lead service replacement; (3) $125M […]
By: Diane Benjamin In case you forgot, May 1st your water rates are going up again. https://www.bloomingtonil.gov/departments/water/resident-community/water-rate-increase-and-capital-project-updates
By: Diane Benjamin Awarding a new contract to build the underpass is NOT on Monday’s agenda: https://www.normalil.gov/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/5568 Did the Council finally come to their senses? Don’t count on it. Link to just one of numerous underpass stories: https://blnnews.com/2026/03/06/normal-doesnt-have-an-underpass-contractor/ That story says the grant deadline to finish the project is June 2027, but I also heard […]
By: Diane Benjamin https://www.wglt.org/local-news/2026-04-15/isu-takes-part-in-campaign-to-recruit-teachers-from-other-career-fields . In other words, if you are WHITE – don’t apply. Teaching skills, including the ability to connect with students, won’t be considered. DEI discrimination is alive and well in Illinois. The lie that students can’t learn from someone with a different skin color is evil. https://www.wglt.org/illinois/2026-04-14/house-speaker-backs-millionaires-tax-but-democrats-split-over-how-much-to-devote-to-property-tax-relief . The ruling party […]
By: Diane Benjamin One big difference between Mayor Mwilambwe and Mayor Brady: Meetings start at 6:00. I don’t remember time mattering to Mboka. Arbor Day got a proclamation. Trees are wonderful, I’ve got a bunch of them still dropping dead branches from the last ice storm years ago. I hope since Bloomington has two arborists […]
By: Diane Benjamin We spent the weekend in Wisconsin visiting our 4 months old adorable grandson. While northern Illinois is littered with solar fields and wind turbines, we saw none north of the border. We always go through Belvidere instead of Rockford. Besides avoiding paying to leave Illinois and come back, we need a driving […]
By: Diane Benjamin Link to tonight’s agenda Agenda: https://bloomingtonil.portal.civicclerk.com/event/4102/files/agenda/12569 I bet some local business is kicking themselves for not jumping on the naming rights for the Coliseum. You could have gotten free advertising forever—nobody else seems to want their name on the building. Just pay for a few years, cancel the contract afterward, and your […]
By: Diane Benjamin This is the final consultant report. Stories the last few days total the almost $6 million I reported by on March 18th: https://blnnews.com/2026/03/18/paid-consultants-inccrra/ Heartland Community College got $165,408.88 to run a pilot program to train childcare workers. My original FOIA stated Heartland got $169,408, maybe expenses were exceeded. All of the rest […]
By: Diane Benjamin See this story: https://www.illinoispolicy.org/waste-watch-illinois-gives-500000-to-health-advocacy-non-profit/ Type Bloomington in the SEARCH to see what Illinois budgeted. Wesleyan isn’t the only non-government entity getting money. Is Wesleyan discounting tuition to local residents too much to fund their own projects or did the local reps decide to gift them your money? . Next type Normal in […]
By: Diane Benjamin WordPress didn’t allow the title to show as intended! The real company name is 1o8 LLC. The zero isn’t a zero, it’s an “O”. A reader tipped me off to that one! That hasn’t been clear anywhere I’ve seen. It does make it easier to find information! See this website: https://www.inc.com/profile/1o8 Quote: […]
By: Diane Benjamin It took 3 weeks to get a FOIA from IDHS based on this story: https://blnnews.com/2026/03/18/paid-consultants-inccrra/ The delay was caused by 2 extensions. They had to get the information from the local INCCRRA office. That story includes a list of some of the paid consultants involved in the $17 million Illinois Network of […]
By: Diane Benjamin https://www.centralillinoisproud.com/news/local-news/district-87-superintendent-award The superintendent of District 87 schools in Bloomington has been named a Superintendent of Distinction by the Illinois Association of School Administrators. Enrollment is dropping while Mouser increased taxes. He’s on a spending spree with new projects including pre-school. Test scores are DISMALL! https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/district.aspx?source=trends&Districtid=17064087025 Then there is this gem: https://blnnews.com/2026/03/19/district-87-to-students-being-american-doesnt-matter/ Dr […]
By: Diane Benjamin The Code of Ethics Normal passed last night is really cute, but it has no enforcement mechanisms. Therefore it is meaningless. Four Council members will continue to ignore the citizens who don’t want money thrown away on a $40+ million underpass. Those four will continue to vote for spending whatever it takes […]
By: Diane Benjamin Subscribers: I don’t think the Weekend comics posts was sent on Saturday (WordPress problem!). See it here: https://blnnews.com/2026/04/04/weekend-comic-truth/ Illinois has the highest property tax rates in the country: https://smartasset.com/taxes/illinois-property-tax-calculator Those rates make homes and rental units unaffordable. This year they will be increasing again. The new assessed values for taxes this year […]
By: Diane Benjamin IRS form 990 for Brightpoint, formerly Children’s Home and Aid: https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/362167743/202521309349300107/full From their tax return: WE ADVANCE THE WELL-BEING OF CHILDREN BY INVESTING IN FAMILIES TO DISRUPT THE SYSTEMIC AND MULTI-GENERATIONAL CYCLE OF RACIAL, SOCIAL, AND ECONOMIC INEQUITY. This webpage shows they operate in 10 counties, but the majority of offices are […]
By: Diane Benjamin Are the electric buses alive now? Are these 12 buses really running? This page lists the bus fleet: https://connect-transit.com/about/our-fleet 6 hybrid. 32 other buses are listed as diesel. This was mentioned at the March 2026 Connect Transit meeting: The Gillig buses that Connect Transit already has are diesel. The documentation for this […]
By: Diane Benjamin This story was inspired by the following article: https://illinoisfamily.org/federal/the-hunger-industrial-complex-part-ii-the-six-figure-charity-racket/ You REALLY need to read that story before continuing. One excerpt: When you compare what food-bank executives earn to the work these organizations actually do, the picture that emerges isn’t one of modest, volunteer-driven charity. It’s a professional system of administration and logistics […]
By: Diane Benjamin Meeting is at 4:30 today. February statistics I care about, others are in the packet: See PDF page 11. New Fare Structure! And Evidently how it is collected: PDF page 4: PDF page 15: BUDGETED 2027 loss: Income: $1,752,000 Expenses: $27,632,170 27,632,170 – 1,752,000 = 25,880,170 25,880,170 / 12 = Connect Transit […]
By: Diane Benjamin PDF page 75: https://www.normalil.gov/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/5414 . The underpass is going to be even more expensive when a new contract is proposed for construction later in April. It’s possible the Town is stripping amenities to bring down the cost, all the fancy items will be added back in future years. Chris Koos, Kevin McCarthy, […]
By: Diane Benjamin The story below is the most comprehensive one I’ve seen. Mayors from more than two Illinois cities are headed to Rome on diplomatic mission that includes meeting with the Pope. Maybe Koos and Brady can give everyone a report on what they accomplished – other than site-seeing. What happened to separation of […]
By: Diane Benjamin Tomorrow Connect is holding 2 meetings. The first one is the annual meeting where officers are elected: https://connect-transit.com/file/4099/Agenda_Annual%20Meeting_03%2031%202026.pdf The second meeting is the usual monthly meeting, but this time they didn’t include any documentation: https://connect-transit.com/file/4100/Agenda_Regular%20Session_03%2031%202026.pdf . Was ridership and the monthly loss for February too ridiculous to provide? Are the Audit Results […]
By: Diane Benjamin Quote from the story below: While Bloomington saw more births than deaths, domestic outmigration of more than 1,000 residents led to overall population decline. Why are people leaving? Duh, taxes. We can quit worrying about a housing shortage. People will continue leaving since there is no reason to stay good enough to […]
By: Diane Benjamin This needs a re-visit: . This spending happened because the City website is not ADA compliant. The Department of Justice is requiring all cities with a population of more than 50,000 to be compliant by April 2026. How long has the City of Bloomington been looking at making their website compliant? I […]
By: Diane Benjamin If Illinois really wanted to “spur developments and create jobs”, most laws regulating and taxing businesses and their owners would be repealed. The Illinois exodus isn’t for better weather. Since everything is a secret, start connecting dots: 2023 Megasite Investment Press Release: https://www.chicagowestbusinesscenter.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/26898-_Governor_Pritzker_Announces_Recipients_of_Megasites_Investment_Program.pdf Excepts: What company agreed to provide $1,736,501? It’s a […]
By: Diane Benjamin If you haven’t, you probably don’t know you are funding it. This tip came from a reader. Their website: https://illinoismigrant.org/history Even though they claim to have been around since 1966, Propublica states they became a non-profit in 2024: You can see numerous tax returns at this link: https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/362597070 One thing to note: […]
