FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 13, 2017 Contact: Katie Simpson, City of Bloomington Planner, 309-434-2341 Tricia Stiller, Downtown Bloomington, 309-829-9599 PARKING DAY COMES TO DOWNTOWN BLOOMINGTON BLOOMINGTON, IL– On Friday, September 15, in cities around the globe including right here in Downtown Bloomington, artists, activists and citizens will transform parking spaces into temporary public parks […]
By: Diane Benjamin I’ve written MANY times about the joke that is Bloomington’s Enterprise Funds: Garbage, Water, Sewer, Storm Water, and Grossinger Motors Arena. All of these funds are expected to have positive balances, except the Arena of course that probably never will. If the others don’t have enough money in them – your taxes […]
By: Diane Benjamin From Monday’s bills and Payroll: http://www.cityblm.org/Home/ShowDocument?id=14534 Some of the more interesting spending: 1) Every non-profit in Bloomington needs to get their share of the free taxpayer money Bloomington hands out to their friends – this time the McLean County History Museum. It helps if you can claim you create Economic Activity: 2) […]
By: Diane Benjamin The City of Bloomington can’t legally withhold documents that existed before the State Police announced their investigation, but they are trying to keep me from finding the truth anyway. Did they really think I wouldn’t write about it? I filed a FOIA request for the all General Ledger Accounts pertaining to Sister […]
By: Diane Benjamin The following Press Release was sent today by the City of Bloomington. It has a couple of problems though! Who gave Tari the award? Did he award himself in his hotel room? I predict a GLOWING Pantagraph article! ___________________________________________________ From: Nora Dukowitz <ndukowitz@cityblm.org>Date: Wed, Aug 9, 2017 at 11:19 AMSubject: Press Release: MAYOR RECEIVES […]
By: Diane Benjamin Bills and Payroll got posted for Bloomington Monday night: http://www.cityblm.org/Home/ShowDocument?id=14211 Why is the City using your money for Rotary Club Dues? Library too! Bronner isn’t conducting an annual audit, are they helping the State Police? Did you get your picnic invite? See this story: https://blnnews.com/2016/09/28/consultants-another-one-that-slipped-by/ Yocum only bills the City every six […]
By: Diane Benjamin The contract between the City of Bloomington and Grossinger Motors is in the packet for the City Council meeting Monday night: PDF page 115 http://www.cityblm.org/Home/ShowDocument?id=14175 The City will use up to $75,000 of their first payment to offset changing the signage. One problem – page 121: Since the document is a legal […]
By: Diane Benjamin The ruling by the Attorney General’s Public Access office against the City of Bloomington is completely meaningless. Read the entire ruling here: 17-004 The only penalty for the Bloomington City Council violating the Open Meetings Act by holding an illegal Executive Session is: The tape of the meeting must be released The […]
The newer website is now back. The Council approved the website back in March of 2016: http://www.cityblm.org/home/showdocument?id=10583 ________________________________________________ By: Diane Benjamin I came across the name of the company I think the City of Bloomington hired to do their new website. I went to cityblm.org to research payments. Surprise – the new website was gone and […]
By: Diane Benjamin At every recent Council meeting Mayor Renner has appointed people to various boards and commissions. He is obviously transferring his agenda to every part of Bloomington and anywhere he can in the County. How many people didn’t want to stop serving, but were forced to? Monday night Renner has two appointments and […]
By: Diane Benjamin Last week I received this email from a patron of a downtown Bloomington business: When I drove down Main Street today, I noticed that several businesses had their doors wide open. I made a comment to an employee at the locale where I was conducting my business about the nice weather outside. […]
By: Diane Benjamin A few days ago a saw a biker on Veterans Parkway, he constantly looked over his shoulder to see if he was going to get hit. Yesterday a lady on a bike made a left hand turn in front of me without any signals. Remember when we were kids – left arm […]
By: Diane Benjamin Tonight’s Bloomington Council packet contains this statement on PDF page 4: http://www.cityblm.org/Home/ShowDocument?id=12802 Now jump to the Bills and Payroll for tonight: http://www.cityblm.org/Home/ShowDocument?id=12794 PDF page 107 The City if THROWING away money by allowing employees to spike their pensions! This payment of $64,859.95 brings the total to $1,877,252.40 since the law was changed in […]
By: Diane Benjamin First a medical update: Prayer does work! My husband has had people all over the globe praying for his recovery. Today he woke up, opened his eyes and responded to our voices and commands from the medical staff. He had a brain aneurysm that burst on Good Friday. The ICU neurology staff […]
By: Diane Benjamin One thing I’ve learned is Republicans never do what they say they will do in a campaign while Democrats lie over and over and over trying to get you to believe what they say. Just watch them for a while, you will notice it too. (Think: If you like your doctor . […]
By: Diane Benjamin Monday night the Bloomington City Council approved this: In case you forgot, the Council approved this payment at the March 27th meeting – PDF Page 253 http://www.cityblm.org/Home/ShowDocument?id=12448 The documentation for this meeting states the YWCA needs to money to continue operations until the end of their fiscal year. They are transporting people […]
By: Diane Benjamin I found this while looking for something else. The first time I remember writing about the Water Tower Bloomington built in Normal was August 2015: https://blnnews.com/2015/08/04/more-ineptness/ I have no idea how much money was spent on that project, but many MILLIONS is probably close. The only thing I knew for sure is […]
By: Diane Benjamin All the City of Bloomington had to do to prevent paying the penalties below was change when accumulated sick and vacation got paid to employees. David Hales, Steve Stockton, and Tari Renner refused to change their policies, so the below was paid as a penalty. These employees were allowed to spike their […]
By: Diane Benjamin On the agenda for Monday night: Packet PDF page 124 http://www.cityblm.org/Home/ShowDocument?id=12448 The City is planning to donate a van to the YWCA – value is between $3,414 -$5,115 What State statute gives the City the right to give away a taxpayer owned asset to a non-profit? Aren’t they discriminating against every other […]
By: Diane Benjamin Illinois Open Meetings Act Law: http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs3.asp?ActID=84&ChapterID=2 Monday night the Bloomington City Council is approving minutes dated between 1998 and 2009. http://www.cityblm.org/Home/ShowDocument?id=12450 Not approving minutes as required by law isn’t just something the City did a long time ago. Here is another example from April 11, 2016: September 21, 2015 just happens to […]
By: Diane Benjamin First: A question: How can Tari campaign on increasing diversity on the Boards and Commissions when for the 2nd meeting in a row he is re-appointing the same people? http://www.cityblm.org/Home/ShowDocument?id=12448 Monday night the current Bloomington City Council is being asked to approved ancient minutes from when most of them were not members […]
By: Diane Benjamin Everything is scripted in the City of Bloomington to make sure citizens only know what the City wants them to know. Unlike Tari Renner’s claims of transparency, very little exists. Try filing a FOIA request and see how long it takes, what is denied, and how much is redacted. It has gotten […]
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 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 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 2017 numbers are from PDF page 120 http://www.cityblm.org/home/showdocument?id=10626 2018 numbers are from PDF page 108 http://www.cityblm.org/home/showdocument?id=12224 . . . . Total revenue projections are down from last year $211,282, but the entire budget increased $6,000,000 . .. . . . . . Personal income in 2015 was less than 2014 […]
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 I can’t believe the comments on Facebook from people saying they never vote in primaries because they don’t want to say what party they are voting for. Aside from the FACT yesterdays primary didn’t have parties, that is the lamest excuse possible. The GREAT candidates lose in the primaries because of that […]
By: Diane Benjamin I get delicious free water from a well. You folks in town have to pay for it. I bet you think your government priced that water according to what it cost them to bring it to your house. You might even be okay if they added a little to the price to […]
By: Diane Benjamin I started this project to show how much David Hales has increased spending on Administration. The 2017 budget numbers could be immaterial since spending over budget could be happening. The 4/30/2016 financial statements are still a secret, the 2017 statements won’t be available until at least October. All of the page numbers […]
By: Diane Benjamin By now readers know sometimes laws matter, sometimes they don’t. It all depends on how the people who are charged with enforcing them “feel”. Remember these signs popping up in yards and schools? (Do the schools still have them?) What does the Bloomington City Code say about signs in yards? (The website […]
By: Diane Benjamin From: http://www.cityblm.org/Home/ShowDocument?id=11982 Tari Renner is right – the City is paying around 750 employees! Look through the list and note all the temporary labor purchased! Big government will never have enough employees, meanwhile service gets worse because BIG is inefficient. Local businesses need to ask why “Buy Local” doesn’t apply to the […]
By: Diane Benjamin The west-side police substation is back on the agenda of the Bloomington City Council Monday, but now it’s called a community center: Black Lives Matter still isn’t happy. Even though the City changed the name, BLM is still calling the house a substation on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/240524299725464/ BLM is organizing people to attend […]
By: Diane Benjamin From Monday’s Bills and Payroll: http://www.cityblm.org/Home/ShowDocument?id=11904 The US Conference of Mayors was January 17-19 in Washington DC. I wonder if Tari stayed for today’s inauguration? Funny, he isn’t listed as attending the conference: mayors attending . What is an EAC event and why are your taxes paying for prizes? . The Pepsi […]
By: Diane Benjamin Citizens deserve to know what’s happening in their city. This post is meant to inform voters. Is BLM trying to run the Bloomington police force themselves? You decide. Why Bloomington and not Normal? The proposals below were created by the local Black Lives Matter movement. You can see the entire document that […]
By: Diane Benjamin Yesterday the Pantagraph did a story about County union employee salary increases: http://www.pantagraph.com/news/local/mclean-county-highway-workers-get-raises/article_e1a807b1-6dcc-535b-83dd-f39b4b00079f.html This paragraph is in the story: Two problems: The City of Bloomington has been hit by at least 24 penalties amounting to around $1.6 million. (it could be more by now) That’s not “several”. Second, the County negotiated with […]
By: Diane Benjamin All of the information below is from the Illinois Comptroller’s website. See it HERE Would you invest in a company that fails to issue Financial Reports? Why would anybody invest in Bloomington – they haven’t issued last year’s statements yet. Tonight there will be a presentation on how this year is going […]
By: Diane Benjamin Monday night Mayor Renner is giving his “State of the City” address. I bet everything is wonderful and under his leadership Bloomington is making great progress toward bankruptcy, oops – I mean prosperity for all! I wonder if he will inform the people paying the bills why the financial reports from almost […]
By: Diane Benjamin http://www.cityblm.org/Home/Components/Calendar/Event/5746/17?backlist=%2Fhome . For New Year’s, all employees get a day and a half off. . . . . Make sure you are sitting down, stay calm, if not – walk away now. You were warned! http://www.cityblm.org/government/advanced-components/calendar . . Yes, Virginia -Santa brought City employees all day […]
