by: Diane Benjamin Aldermen Rob Fazzini really doesn’t like citizens. He especially doesn’t like them making comments at Council meetings. He also doesn’t bother to read the law (that he took training in) before commenting to the Council. Before every Council meeting aldermen can submit questions to the staff concerning items on the agenda. The […]
by: Diane Benjamin Tari Renner BELIEVES he can raise your taxes anytime he wants. He just doesn’t want you to remember he did. Sorry Tari, just because the Pantagraph and WJBC won’t remember or report, I will. The votes on the 3 new taxes for the City of Bloomington are shown below. The Aldermen who […]
by: Diane Benjamin Tari Renner is going to spend your money on downtown Bloomington! He isn’t open to any discussions or debate. Renner fervently believes Bloomington will cease to exist unless people move downtown. Hint Tari: Call some votes for spending more downtown – it will make it much easier to defeat your potted plants […]
by: Diane Benjamin Did you notice Alderman Rob Fazzini didn’t think the meeting was important enough to stay long? He had to run to Normal to testify before their Council about his new project – turning garbage into jet fuel. Instead of representing his ward, he left for personal reasons. He plans to make money […]
by: Diane Benjamin Monday I posted this story with links to 2 FOIA denials: http://blnnews.com/2014/07/20/whats-mayor-transparency-hiding/ Yesterday my request for emails To or From the New Communications Director Nora Dukowitz was partially denied. See the letter here: Dukowitz Denials The City of Bloomington needs to investigate further what can be denied. I’m done filing Request of […]
by: Diane Benjamin Alderman Rob Fazzini has been known to change his mind before. Remember when he stated he would never vote for the budget if roads weren’t funded at $14,000,000? $10,000,000 borrowed and $4,000,000 from the general fund? Somehow he managed to vote YES on the budget anyway. I hope he is smart enough […]
The guy’s name is Ken Hlebasko. He found me today. by: Diane Benjamin At last night’s City Council meeting, a guy spoke to the Council that has never been to a meeting before. I could hear his first name was Ken, not sure about the last name. He said he has watched Council meetings on-line, […]
by: Diane Benjamin As I previously reported, Aldermen Sage and Schmidt decided staff are leaving the City of Bloomington because of the Council. See this post: http://blnnews.com/2014/07/08/bloomington-who-is-hiding-what/ Sage and Schmidt no longer represent the citizens of their Wards. The same goes for the other potted plants who would jump off a cliff if David Hales […]
by: Diane Benjamin It was a dark Council that resumed open session last night after a much longer than scheduled Executive Session (Secret Meeting). The air was tense, it wasn’t hard to read between the tenacious exchanges what was really happening. David Hales lovers were playing CYA for him! I’ve reported before that employee morale […]
by: Diane Benjamin Nothing epitomizes what both Bloomington and Normal are doing to you better than this letter written by a resident of Austin Texas (the most liberal city in Texas): “I’m at the breaking point,” said Gretchen Gardner, an Austin artist who bought a 1930s bungalow in the Bouldin neighborhood just south of downtown […]
by: Diane Benjamin Mayor Renner summarized the Council comments concerning David Hales, and he added a few of his own. These comments were prior to the Hales evaluation which resulted in Hales receiving a 3% raise. The Council vote was 7-2 for increasing Hales’ salary. Hales is now paid $176,439, not including substantial benefits and car […]
by: Diane Benjamin Usually the public doesn’t get to know how the Council evaluates City Manager David Hales. These discussions take place in Executive Sessions – secret meetings – then the Council votes NOT to release the minutes to the public. Evidently they don’t want anybody to know what they think. Surprise – now you […]
by: Diane Benjamin We are not a Democracy! If any politician calls us that, it’s because: they are uninformed they are trying to act like they are being fair they are using the term to say they can’t change what the people want A Democracy is why Bloomington will soon have bike paths on major […]
by: Diane Benjamin In order to pass a Utility Tax, Mayor Renner claimed every city within 120 miles of Bloomington already charges higher rates than Bloomington. See the 37 second video below. The City had already passed a 4% Amusement tax and a $.04 a gallon Motor Fuel Tax. The Utility Tax is in 3 […]
by: Diane Benjamin Below is a 30 second clip from the last City Council meeting. This is Renner’s lead-up to his attack on Alderwoman Stearns. Healthcare? Gay marriage? When were these part of the budget discussions Tari? Anybody have a clue where he got his information? He is reading the attack, so obviously he thought […]
by: Diane Benjamin Since Mayor Renner completely controls the Pantagraph, today a Starcom story appeared. In case you forgot, Mayor Renner viciously attacked Alderwoman Stearns Monday night for even suggesting the program should be looked at. The Pantagraph did a nice job covering for the City, no mention of interviewing Alderman Lower about his comments […]
by: Diane Benjamin The Place: Bloomington City Council meeting 4/28/2014 Topic: 2015 budget Mayor Tari Renner got everything he wanted – 3 new taxes and almost no discussion of spending cuts. 2 Aldermen presented a list of cuts to be considered, the cuts were never discussed in open session. Mayor Renner spent the Friday and […]
by: Diane Benjamin Robert’s Rules of Order – Summary Version For Fair and Orderly Meetings & Conventions http://www.robertsrules.org/Provides common rules and procedures for deliberation and debate in order to place the whole membership on the same footing and speaking the same language. The conduct of ALL business is controlled by the general will of the whole membership […]
by: Diane Benjamin Mayor Renner loves to compare taxes in Bloomington-Normal with surrounding cities. He loves saying the City get only 24% of the local real estate taxes. Is Bloomington a cheap place to live? Maybe he should see this link: http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-04-27/these-are-americas-10-most-and-least-expensive-cities-and-361-cities-inbetween This is a ranking of cities across the country. Bloomington ranks 153rd on […]
by: Diane Benjamin Last November the Bloomington City Council held a 2 day retreat. This morning I couldn’t find the retreat minutes at the link I previously had, but I did finally locate them: Retreat Minutes Mayor Renner has publicly claimed the budget has been discussed for 9 months. This morning he claimed the budget […]
by: Diane Benjamin Let’s get some facts on the table first. Alderwoman Stearns is out of the country Mayor Renner sent her more than one email yesterday inferring her budget numbers were incorrect and not contributing to the discussion Mayor Renner did an interview with Rachel Wells at the Pantagraph conveying the same to her […]
by: Diane Benjamin Mayor Tyranny had been threatening for at least a week to veto the budget if the tax increases he wanted didn’t pass. He has the City legal staff at his disposal to research the veto, but evidently he didn’t consult them. TT’s veto at the Monday night meeting has been declared illegal […]
by: Diane Benjamin Below is the survey completed by the alderman showing what cuts and revenue they would support. It was obtained under the Freedom of Information Act. It also shows what David Hales and Mayor Renner are thinking. It is difficult to read since each section is on 2 pages, it needs to be […]
by: Diane Benjamin See part 1: http://blnnews.com/2014/04/21/council-recap-if-you-arent-watching/ THERE WILL NEVER BE ENOUGH MONEY FOR GOVERNMENT 2 tax increase and they are still $1.2 MILLION short. Just wait until next year and the next year when pension payment go even higher. Fazzini proposed cutting 2 stop light installations, otherwise Lower and Stearns are the only aldermen […]
by: Diane Benjamin The meeting started with public comments. One citizen arrived late (from working all day), Alderman Lower had to make a motion to allow him to speak. Alderman Fazzini voted AGAINST letting him speak, all other members voted YES. Nothing else had been started before the vote – nice way to silence the […]
by: Diane Benjamin The City Council had a 2 day retreat last November – the topic was Culture Change. It was never defined, but the Council was told to have David Hales back. Instead of discussing the budget, the City hired a lady to teach them how to all get along. In other words, every […]
by: Diane Benjamin A big part of the Bloomington Budget discussion has been pension funding. In November the City Council adopted an aggressive funding plan to save money in later years. The chart below shows the problem. The numbers come from this link: http://www.cityblm.org/Modules/ShowDocument.aspx?documentid=5930 Page 250. The Police and Fire pension funds were the worst funded. […]
by: Diane Benjamin I did not attend this Townhall, I’m relying on reports from people who were there. Citizens attending totaled around 100. One report I received said a good number of them were City employees. There is nothing wrong with that, other than their interest is to keep their jobs. They can’t be blamed […]
by: Diane Benjamin After Mayor Renner sent his last email (see link below), I sent the following to the Bloomington City Council and the City Attorney: Mr. Jurgens and City Council, Do you condone Mayor’s Renner’s personal attacks on a citizen? You were copied on his rant email, but it was also sent to numerous […]
by: Diane Benjamin It was more than obvious the Bloomington City Council members weren’t listening to each other. Mayor Renner didn’t want to hear about prioritizing spending. The have a May1st deadline, no time to look at the big picture. For another year the citizens will be funding Quality of Life while the actual job […]
by: Diane Benjamin City Manager David Hales released a revised budget: http://www.cityblm.org/Modules/ShowDocument.aspx?documentid=6592 11 (ELEVEN) pages are dedicated to raising the gas tax. Instead of comparing the gas taxes in cities all over Illinois, here’s all they need to know 1) Current gas prices are over $3.50 a gallon again 2) The last 5 year history […]
by: Diane Benjamin Start watching the last Bloomington City Council meeting at 2:12:15. Alderman David Sage says he has service cuts to propose, in fact he has been prepared all along to offer them. What are they David? Time is running out, the new budget has to be in place May 1st. Send them to […]
From Facebook: Hear Ye, Hear Ye! A Town Hall Meeting for Wards 4 and 1 will be held on Tuesday April 8th at 7:00 PM at the Launch Pad 315 E. Front, Bloomington, IL 61701. Parking is in the lot across the street. Everyone is welcome with your questions about the City Budget or any […]
by: Diane Benjamin This morning on Cities 92.9 Mayor Renner stated that most of what I write is fiction. Keep it up Mayor! Citizens can see right through your marginalizing of anybody who isn’t 100% behind you. Somebody has to hold you accountable, it obvious the Pantagraph and WJBC won’t do the job. Somebody has […]
by: Diane Benjamin The Bloomington City Council is seriously considering raising your motor fuel tax. They don’t care that not long ago gas was less than $2 a gallon. They don’t care the gas prices are headed back to $4 a gallon again. They don’t care because they DON’T want you to drive. Get on […]
by: Diane Benjamin Alderman Rob Fazzini spelled out exactly where Bloomington stands financially at the Budget Workshop on Saturday. Start watching at 3:08:00 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTvdmisMbPA&list=UUS8WR70NFd2XMmFYRDHEGEw While Rob did a great job spelling out how bad the city finances look, I don’t agree with Rob’s philosophy of borrowing more money to get out of the mess prior Councils […]
by: Diane Benjamin Why seven Council members voted to give David Hales a new 4 contract and big raise is baffling. He gets paid HUGE bucks to manage the city, not spend it into oblivion and participate in every left-wing study and conference available. The proposed budget is his latest masterpiece. By the way, at […]
by: Diane Benjamin The Bloomington Budget workshop is happening now. I’ve listened to enough to know where City Manager David Hales and Mayor Tari Renner want to take the city: down the same path of the State of Illinois The general theme of the budget discussion is serving the almost 80,000 citizens of Bloomington. So […]
by: Diane Benjamin Tomorrow the Bloomington City Council will meet ALL DAY to discuss the City budget. Mayor Renner and City Manager David Hales are presenting “Culture Change”. They want raises for City employees and 17 new employees. Those 17 new employees come with 17 new pensions. The City of Bloomington pension systems are severely […]
