By: Diane Benjamin The Tri-Valley School District sent a classy new magazine to all property taxpayers in the district. It is on line too. See it here: https://www.journeytwelve.com/vikingvoyage I read every story, student stories show a lot about opportunities in the district. But one story shows government ideology at its worse: Built With Intention. TV […]
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 The below is from the Unit 5 agenda last Wednesday: https://meetings.boardbook.org/Public/Agenda/1482?meeting=722323 The Board held a Public Hearing on property taxes. This slide was included: . The highlighted number is what they plan on taking from property owners. We know the increase Equalized Assessed Values are mostly due to higher values assigned to […]
By: Diane Benjamin h/t a reader https://meetings.boardbook.org/Public/Agenda/1482?meeting=702240 . Remember when they promised to use 33% of the new Sales Tax Revenue to reduce property taxes? https://meetings.boardbook.org/Documents/WebViewer/1482?file=094c40a2-40b3-4c72-913f-21da99d1f3c1
By: Diane Benjamin Remember when Tari Renner’s rubber stamp Council passed a 1% Sales Tax increase? https://blnnews.com/2015/09/16/taxes-increases-would-be-easier-with-truth/ The County wanted a 1/4% for “mental health”. Instead Bloomington raised Sales Tax 1% and took 3/4% for themselves. I believe this tax was mostly to fund the jail expansion but since “mental health” is always the reason […]
By: Diane Benjamin It didn’t go national because it’s another government who demands more of your money. The issue got published by Just The News because there is alleged election interference by local schools: https://justthenews.com/nation/states/center-square/mclean-county-sheriff-investigating-alleged-election-interference?utm_source=mux&utm_medium=social-media&utm_campaign=social-media-autopost# If you don’t know John Solomon, founder of Just The News, read his bio. He has a LONG history of […]
By: Diane Benjamin School Administrators are so desperate to rake in pots of gold from the 1% Sales Tax ballet question they are going to nursing homes to “educate” the residents. If you have relatives in a local nursing home, it’s time for a visit. How many “English as a 2nd language” students are in […]
By: Diane Benjamin The 1% Sales Tax increase is on the April 1st election ballet because it has a better chance of passing when few people bother to vote. If Tri-Valley really wanted your property taxes to go down, they wouldn’t propose a new bond for the exact amount of the one being paid off. […]
By: Diane Benjamiin 1) I had a cup of coffee at my Bloomington church yesterday. It tasted like dirt, now I know what all the social media posts about the water quality are talking about. The church has to buy a filter just to drink the water we pay a fortune for? We use very […]
By” Diane Benjamin Early voting starts today. The only people who will show up to vote this early are the radicals. They want votes banked so they can get all people who might support them to vote early. They have 40 days to do it. Nothing about early voting is about giving citizens opportunities, it […]
By: Diane Benjamin A 1% Sales Tax increase will be on the April 1st ballot. An organized effort to defeat it needs to start now. Your property taxes will not go down. Schools soak up every dime they can and just change the rules on producing education results. Can you afford more taxes? https://www.usdebtclock.org If […]
by: Diane Benjamin This is a Bloomington road that school buses travel on. It’s also close to an apartment complex. (different section of the same road) The City budget only spends $3.8 million resurfacing roads when more than $9 million a year is needed just to keep the roads rated poor. Tonight the Council will […]
By: Diane Benjamin It was a pretty boring meeting except for the guy who probably showed up high and started verbally attacking an alderman. I say “high” because he has admitted in previous comments to being “high” and the police harassing him for no reason at all. He has also called himself from Mars. He […]
By: Diane Benjamin Local Sales Tax in both Bloomington and Normal was raised 1% as of last January 1st. Do you remember being told that 1/4% would go to the County for Mental Health? The below is from Book 1 of the 2017 Bloomington budget – page 384 http://www.cityblm.org/index.aspx?page=21&parent=9844 15% disappeared into the bureaucracy since […]
By: Diane Benjamin While Normal was raising the Sales Tax to provide more money for Connect Transit, CT was busy spending it. Have you noticed all the new green signs? Below is some of the spending approved at the September 22, 2015 Board meeting. Source: http://www.connect-transit.com/documents/September%2022,%202015%20Regular%20Board%20Meeting%20Binder1.pdf This is what happens to taxpayer money when the […]
By: Diane Benjamin Normal raised the Sales Tax 1%. Now the City Manager seems to have dropped plans for a soccer field. Sunday the rag reported they won’t be doing any projects for at least a year. Was soccer a rouse? The whole 1% was a setup, only 1/4% was needed for so-called mental health! […]
by: Diane Benjamin The citizen group organized to fight the 1% Sales Tax increase – and who won! – raised far less than the group trying to get it passed. Reports of contributors must be filed with the State – here’s a link to a list of the Pro-Sales Tax supporters from 1/23/2014 to 3/31/2014: […]
