By: Diane Benjamin Who makes better choices on how to spend your money? You or Bureaucrats who don’t worry about running out of money because they know where to get more? It was very obvious at last night’s Bloomington City Council meeting that most of the aldermen have long wish lists for your money, not […]
By: Diane Benjamin http://bloomingtonil.iqm2.com/Citizens/FileOpen.aspx?Type=1&ID=1152&Inline=True PDF page 10 is a proclamation declaring the first week of February: National Gun Violence Survivors’ Week. Has Mboka figured out Chicago has moved downstate? This is part of the declaration: That is probably true in Chicago where crimes aren’t prosecuted and kids are frequently shot and die because criminals with […]
By: Diane Benjamin Maybe a better question is how much have citizens been charged for Bloomington to move from the Old City Hall to the Government Center? Council meetings used to be held on Olive Street. The City website doesn’t have that address anymore, it has been changed to Washington St. See the bottom of […]
by: Diane Benjamin https://www.cityblm.org/home/showpublisheddocument/27390 January’s meetings will be on Zoom, get ready for lots of “Can you hear me now?” Zoom isn’t free, but at least we don’t have to watch masks up to people’s eyes! (hopefully) Afraid of COVID, but staff is back to traveling: It would take a FOIA to find out who […]
By: Diane Benjamin Agenda for Monday: http://bloomingtonil.iqm2.com/Citizens/FileOpen.aspx?Type=1&ID=1150&Inline=True Bloomington wants to rehab these two water tanks off Fort Jesse. The NEVER used water tower in the same area isn’t mentioned: https://blnnews.com/2015/08/04/more-ineptness/ Money was budgeted for this project – WAY more than what the project will cost: PDF page 185 Monday they are already spending what they […]
By: Diane Benjamin https://www.cityblm.org/government/advanced-components/documents/-folder-114 No BCPA event reports have been posted to the City website. Evidently I have to FOIA all of them. From this year’s budget: $1,700,000 of the Revenue is from Home Rule Sales Tax. Of that $840,206 goes to bond payments. See the complete BCPA presentation in the budget starting on PDF […]
By: Diane Benjamin THREE more events – all losers: Report shows a profit of $142.68. With performance fee the loss is ($9,257.32). 192 attended Performance Fee: Report shows a loss of ($2,566.37), with performance fee the loss is ($33,066.37). 107 attended. Performance Fee: Report shows a profit of $3,944.97, with performance fee the loss is […]
By: Diane Benjamin One of the policies instituted by Tari Renner was limiting discussion at Council meetings. Pre-Tari there were no limits, Agendas are now issued with the amount of time the Council will spend on each item. Why are your elected representatives not allowed to talk as long as they want? The Council represents […]
By: Diane Benjamin Council is meeting tonight at 6:00 to clear the rest of December for Christmas. None of the event reports at the BCPA have been posted on line: https://www.cityblm.org/government/advanced-components/documents/-folder-114 Evidently I have to FOIA all shows. Is the City afraid to tell citizens how much is lost to subsidized entertainment for the well […]
By: Diane Benjamin At the Bloomington City Council meeting last night Jeanne Hamilton announced the State had given them a grant of over $5.6 million for the expansion. Of course, they won’t be using all of it to decrease the property tax increase. See 4:15. I might have lost track, but I counted 13 comments […]
By: Diane Benjamin Government is not capable of Master Planning because they are spending YOUR money not theirs. They use your taxes as a piggy bank to fulfill their wishes. Voters keep electing progressives who promise to make their lives better and of course not raise taxes to do it. Insert your own joke__________________. Proof […]
By: Diane Benjamin Good News for most residents of Arrowsmith, Bloomington, Dale, Dawson, and Old Town Townships who are served by Golden Prairie Public Library District: Your property taxes will not be going up if the Bloomington Library property tax increase is approved! These township residents have full access to the Bloomington Public Library without paying […]
By: Diane Benjamin Former Mayor Tari Renner often said Bloomington is down 100 employees. The City isn’t down 100 employees as the below shows. Starting in 2013 they changed how they count employees – see the note at the bottom of the page. Ignore the 2012 number because employees weren’t counted the same. Since 2013 […]
By: Diane Benjamin Let’s start with the City finally releasing the financial statements: https://www.cityblm.org/home/showpublisheddocument/27129/637709284831130000 This note was written by the auditors: Proving yet again laws are immaterial, November 22, 2021 is past SIX MONTHS. The City has now used the same auditor for 6 years. Since the audits aren’t looking for fraud, using the same […]
By: Diane Benjamin Bloomington Council meeting last night – comment at the end of the meeting from small business owner Alderman Jamie Mathy: Jamie ran down some stats for how much money stays in the local community if you buy from a local business, a chain store, or on-line. He ended with buying on line […]
By: Diane Benjamin I FOIA’d the City of Bloomington for communication about the John Butler/CIAM case. That FOIA I have, I also FOIA’d the County. I haven’t received that one yet. I found some interesting emails, the City was thrilled the case was over. I’m not thrilled because no one employed or representing the citizens […]
By: Diane Benjamin The below are screen shots from the Illinois Comptroller’s website. Bloomington data is from 4/30 of 2019, 2020, and 2021. Normal is from 3/31 of the same years. To see the data yourself, start here: https://illinoiscomptroller.gov/financial-data/local-government-division/local-government-data/ From Select Report Name choose Annual Financial Report. Type the government unit you want to see. […]
By: Diane Benjamin The new Bloomington Police Chief announced he wants 30% female officers by 2030. Does that mean white males or even black males shouldn’t bother to apply? Ditto Hispanics and any other people that aren’t the right gender? Will transgender females qualify under the 30 by 30 plan? I have zero problem with […]
By: Diane Benjamin There were two public comments last night – both worth listening to. The radicals stayed home. See 1:40. The presentation by the Western Avenue Community Center starts at 11:00. This organization has been doing good work for 95 years on the west side. If you know nothing about them, the presentation is […]
By: Diane Benjamin I had to FOIA the event reports for all BCPA shows, they still aren’t posted to the City website. Below are 6 shows, every one of them lost money. The performance fee is not on the reports because the BCPA thinks other acts will want more money if they see what some […]
By: Diane Benjamin The City of Bloomington’s year end was 4/30/2021. The financial statements have yet to be released. If they were a corporation with investors they would all be fired, but they are government so it’s fine. Luckily they also have to submit information to the Illinois Comptroller’s office. Bloomington’s information is available there! […]
By: Diane Benjamin 1) Water is now being shut off in Bloomington for not paying the bills. Government created the problem by allowing tenants to not pay rent and bills with no consequences. Landlords and taxpayers bore the brunt of this socialist policy: Everything is free! It gets worse! Landlords were not notified their tenants […]
By: Diane Benjamin h/t a reader with a REALLY good dash cam Note the color of the stop light! This should be enough evidence for a ticket! Does this help:
By: Diane Benjamin The neighborhood I went to yesterday is East of Evergreen Cemetery. It is adorable with many of the homes rehabbed which proves these residents care about their community. Many American flags were flying and lots of dogs where being walked. This community also had basements wrecked with raw sewage. It wasn’t a […]
By: Diane Benjamin It’s not what you are thinking! The Public Comment below is from Chris Collins who started a non-profit called HOPE – Housing Our People Everywhere. HOPE has a website: https://etihw34.wixsite.com/website-1 This organization wants to build homes for the local homeless. He has talked with the Community Development Department, they told him he […]
By: Diane Benjamin FOURTY TWO Minutes of the meeting were wasted last night by Jeff Crabill attempting to make changes to the Welcoming America commission that will be established. His comments start at 43:10, the final vote wasn’t over until 1:25:30. The alderman meet in small groups with the City Manager, they know what is […]
By: Diane Benjamin Two performance fee bills were paid last night for the BCPA: 9/29 was: Escape to Margaritaville 10/8 was: When Disco Was King Two other events were held earlier in September. Meanwhile, an events tab hasn’t even been created yet on the Bloomington website: https://www.cityblm.org/government/advanced-components/documents/-folder-114 In previous years I had to FOIA these […]
By: Diane Benjamin http://bloomingtonil.iqm2.com/Citizens/FileOpen.aspx?Type=1&ID=1136&Inline=True This could be a short meeting! Remember when the Council voted to join Welcoming America instead of declaring Bloomington a sanctuary city? This is on the agenda, after it passes apply here: https://cityblm.seamlessdocs.com/f/MayoralAppointmentApplication Other Boards and Commissions might have openings too. Apply! Private Sector Entertainment! They see a need and want […]
By: Diane Benjamin 1) Pantagraph article on the Normal Town Council meeting: https://pantagraph.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/watch-now-mural-controversy-raises-new-questions-about-disconnect-in-normal/article_9ea2ebcb-99b6-55e9-8798-76e5962bb873.html Excerpt: Did the reporter watch the meeting? A “number of people” were disrupting the meeting. Was the reporter told not to mention the only reason Public Comment was moved is because Stan Nord made a motion to let them speak? It wasn’t […]
By: Diane Benjamin I couldn’t find what I was looking for on the Bloomington website, not surprising – it’s a BAD website. Instead, I found something I wasn’t looking for! https://www.cityblm.org/home/showpublisheddocument/26749/637628729553900000 The people who have believed for years that just millions more will get people downtown did a study. Keep in mind, the COVID shutdowns […]
By: Diane Benjamin I talked to a Bloomington resident yesterday who lives in an area that was severely affected by sewage spewing from drains in his basement. He is more interested in getting the problem fixed than financial help. I sent him the links below to information to share with his neighbors. Amazingly most citizens […]
By: Diane Benjamin 1) 2 more things from Bloomington Council meeting last Monday: Tim Gleason thinks he has to obey whatever Pritzker utters, of course getting money is involved. Gleason is going to require all fire department personnel to be vaccinated or test twice a week. No mention of people who have had COVID and […]
By: Diane Benjamin The meeting, including Township before Council, was over 3 hours. Your representatives look ridiculous behind masks. Normal doesn’t wear them at Council meetings, citizens deserve to see your faces! Of course the camera operator makes seeing faces difficult since it always isn’t in the right location. It was much more fun seeing […]
I emailed Mboka last night about this vote. He answered a few minutes ago. This is the explanation he provided on why a re-vote will be taken: The Illinois Municipal code requires 5 votes one way or another for an ordinance and that’s why it will come back. Had 5 voted against it last night […]
By: Diane Benjamin Jamie Mathy was not at last night’s Council meeting, Ward 6 is still vacant. Therefore, only 7 alderman took part in discussions. The Council had 3 options for how to assist residents that suffered flood damage: (copied from the documentation) Option A: A Resolution in Support of Utilizing the Illinois Housing Development […]
By: Diane Benjamin https://www.cityblm.org/home/showpublisheddocument/26961/637679239022670000 Evidently what is charged on Credit Cards in Bloomington is now a secret, details used to be listed: The BCPA event report tab doesn’t even have a spot yet for this year. When do we find out how much each show lost (or made)? In 2 days there is a show […]
By: Diane Benjamin Tonight Bloomington will increase funding to help defray the cost to residents for installing an overhead sewer system. Current funding is $40,000, it will increase to $250,000. Residents are eligible for up to $4,500 after navigating the bureaucracy: https://www.cityblm.org/government/departments/community-development/overhead-sewer-grant-program-application What is an overhead sewer? I found this article from a plumber in […]
By: Diane Benjamin http://bloomingtonil.iqm2.com/Citizens/FileOpen.aspx?Type=1&ID=1134&Inline=True The 2.5% raise is on the Consent Agenda which means nobody will talk about it unless it gets pulled: Tim Gleason’s new salary isn’t reported unless you go to the ordinance to be approved: One more change: Instead of receiving the $550 a month car allowance, the City will be paying […]
By: Diane Benjamin Monday night the residents with damaged property due to flooding last June didn’t show up at Council. They have been to every other Council meeting since June making Public Comments. Maybe they were too appalled the Library would claim $20 million+ was all they need for GLORIOUS while their homes remain damaged […]
By: Diane Benjamin This meeting will take more than one story, it was another 2 hour assemblage. The expansion to the library has been taking shape for years, it will not be stopped by this Council. Tari Renner made sure the library stayed downtown, he appointed people to the Library Board who believed it should […]
