By: Diane Benjamin Bloomington and Normal used to have an understanding both cities needed to have the same tax rates (except property tax). Bloomington Budget – Book 1 PDF page 90: I blacked out the other cities so you only see Bloomington and Normal: This chart is already updated for the Normal increases going into […]
By: Diane Benjamin This payment was approved at last Monday’s Bloomington City Council meeting: If you still don’t understand what Accelerated IMRF Payments are: SOME Bloomington employees are still allowed to SPIKE their pensions. Sick Days (possibly others too) are accumulated and then the employee is compensated for unused days when they retire. That compensation […]
By: Diane Benjamin If you live in Bloomington and haven’t reviewed the proposed budget, now would be a good time: https://www.bloomingtonil.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/32355/639074561303430000 PDF page 21: . Every chart in the budget would be more informative with a ten year history instead of just a comparison with the previous budget. First note: The population isn’t changing. What […]
By: Diane Benjamin Sometimes I think readers know what I mean when I say Accelerated Payments since I’ve been writing about them for years. Since 1 commentor asked what the numbers in this story mean, I will explain in detail: https://blnnews.com/2025/06/05/bloomington-is-still-spiking-pensions-2/ Bloomington employees are allowed to accumulate sick days (Sick Leave Buy Back). They collect […]
By: Diane Benjamin No reports are posted for Bison Games: https://www.bloomingtonil.gov/government/advanced-components/documents/-folder-2104#docan2735_6873_64 $421,948 – $344,167 – $32,301 – $841 = $44,636. $97,984 – $52,500 – $52,500 = <$7,016> It’s hard to tell if all the above applies to this show, but they apply to some show. It still looks like I’m missing some payment for this […]
By: Diane Benjamin PDF page 71: https://www.bloomingtonil.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/30862/638677145542530000 To pay off anything you can’t pay just interest. This is almost $300,000 of your tax dollars thrown away on interest. Bloomington taxpayers still owe over $21,000,000 almost 20 years after it was built: https://blnnews.com/2024/09/24/coliseum-spotlight-last-night/
By: Diane Benjamin Two event reports were posted without me having to FOIA. Looks like a loss of $10,924.83. This is the show Deputy City Manager Billy Tyus stated didn’t sell well but proves diversity: Looks at the ticket sales and tickets given away verses actual attendance. Make sense? $195,666.34 + $75,000.00 = $270,666.34 It […]
By: Diane Benjamin The BCPA reports are harder to match now with the artist fee because the description on payments is no longer clear. Someday I will get around to filing a FOIA for them instead of wasting my time trying to match them. The BCPA does at least post reports – minus the artist […]
By: Diane Benjamin The Finance Director’s report highlight’s some aspect of the City during every report. Last night was the arena. Did you know you still owe over $21,000,000 on the building that is close to 20 years old? Obviously the bonds require lots of interest payments and very little to principle. Alderman Sheila Montney […]
By: Diane Benjamin As of right now these are the only reports posted: https://www.bloomingtonil.gov/government/advanced-components/documents/-folder-2104#docan2735_6873_64 A WWE show happened on June 22nd. Accounting must be too difficult for the staff to create a report and post it. I’m dying to see how they explain this: Did this show make money? Is a loss why the event […]
By: Diane Benjamin More on this story from yesterday: https://blnnews.com/2024/06/06/foiad-bloomington-payments-coliseum/ That story showed a payment for the Disney on Ice show of $539,703.57. It also showed the event report wasn’t posted on the City website. This morning it is! In fact it’s posted twice: https://www.bloomingtonil.gov/government/advanced-components/documents/-folder-2104#docan2735_6873_64 Note: There used to be a tab to find documents, […]
By: Diane Benjamin I saw two payments on Bloomington’s last Bills and Payroll I wanted to know more about, so I filed a FOIA. No event reports are on the City website for either of the events even though one took place in early May and the other took place in April. https://www.bloomingtonil.gov/government/advanced-components/documents/-folder-2104#docan2735_6873_64 The lack […]
By: Diane Benjamin It sure would be nice to know if fees and payments are included in reports posted for “arena” events. Since the BCPA doesn’t include artist fees, I have to think they aren’t. Note: a LOT of tickets had to be given away to get 4318 people to attend this Riverman hockey event: […]
By: Diane Benjamin See this story: https://blnnews.com/2024/01/20/more-coliseum-event-reports-%f0%9f%98%ab/ I didn’t have the artist fee for this one: Now I do: -$20,988.67 A clean losing sweep!
By: Diane Benjamin Ever hear old socialists claim socialism works, it just hasn’t been “done right” yet? https://indyfuelhockey.com/news/2024/01/echl-approves-expansion-team-for-bloomington-illinois?fbclid=IwAR0DUNbpdJRU-hb_t0NIK5p_tgmb_tv_VRZTwX0WuamFTEAcZIf43UKQ7zc Hallett Sports & Entertainment out of Indianapolis will be bringing a hockey team to Bloomington later this year. That story is still calling the Coliseum Grossinger Motors Arena. Grossinger quit paying years ago when they went out of business […]
By: Diane Benjamin The Council will take the final vote on raising your property taxes. Tis the season . . . The Finance Director will give his monthly report – he should present it before the property tax vote but won’t. The City has plans for your money. You aren’t allowed to keep and spend […]
By: Diane Benjamin Pic H/T a reader Since I try to never cross Veterans Parkway, I didn’t know State Farm was on the sign at the “arena”. I FOIA’d the City for the sponsorship agreement with State Farm, Grossinger quit paying years ago: Â https://blnnews.com/2023/03/14/grossinger-motors-arena-isnt-and-more/ The agreement with State Farm expired in May, the FOIA showed […]
By: Diane Benjamin Evidently the Arena doesn’t have a name, the City just calls it “arena”. Does the building still have Grossinger signs? Link to reports: https://www.bloomingtonil.gov/government/advanced-components/documents/-folder-2063#docan2735_6873_64 ISU rents the ice for hockey, the City actually makes a little money on those. Below is the report posted on line for the September 27th concert: Of […]
By: Diane Benjamin Where are the Event Reports for Coliseum events? Anybody have a problem with government entertainment? Instead of capitalism determining what people want, tax dollars are used to promote what government employees want. No event reports other than ISU hockey have been posted since September on the City website: https://www.bloomingtonil.gov/government/advanced-components/documents/-folder-2063#docan2735_6873_64 There was a […]
Not on this video is a drunk jumping on the stage. From a reliable source: Security attempted to restrain him until police arrived. Mustaine overreacted, security was not removed just relocated, the drunk was later arrested. Evidently this happens frequently at this type of shows. See this video. It sounds like at least 1 hired […]
By: Diane Benjamin Nick Leroy had a short-lived venue called The Stable in downtown Bloomington. Hopefully he knows shows that make money instead of subsidized entertaining for the elites. When is the City going to admit the Coliseum isn’t The Grossinger Motors Arena anymore? Too hard to take the sign down? In case you missed […]
By: Diane Benjamin This question was asked: So far there are 99 comments. Many pertain to the crappy roads and nowhere to shop. This one is my favorite, I’d like to know where to find it: . Many pertained to Connect Transit, nobody mentioned it costs taxpayers now $1.3 million a month to not take […]
By: Diane Benjamin 1) The stole/scarf type things the Council members were wearing were gifts from the visiting people from India. Most of that isn’t on microphone, so the purpose is unknown. See 11:20 on the video. . 2) I have reasons to believe the Danenberger/Henricks vote flip flops was a setup to make their […]
By: Diane Benjamin I will continue to call the arena the Coliseum until it has a real name. One note: I was told if parents left the arena after IHSA events their child participated in they had to pay again to re-enter later. If the goal is increasing traffic downtown, this policy prevents that from […]
By: Diane Benjamin This is just spending on Capital Projects. FY 2023 ends on 4/30/2023, FY 2024 is what matters. Asphalt and Concrete should have been $10M years ago, it needs to be that high for MANY MORE years. See the slide at 30:13. It’s not all roads however. The Coliseum will forever be a […]
By: Diane Benjamin FYI: The Council that hired Tim Gleason and that mayor are long gone. Gleason was hired to revitalize downtown because he revitalized Decatur’s (sort of). After 5:00 very little happens in the closed up downtown businesses. It is nothing like Bloomington’s downtown that exists for lawyers, people accused of crimes, homeless people, […]
By: Diane Benjamin https://www.boxofficeticketsales.com/grossinger-motors-arena?msclkid=ac4450df0ccf192916d5331304eab1a2 Since the City of Bloomington now running the Coliseum, click on that link and check out ticket prices. It almost looks like every couple of seats has a different price depending on where it is. It must be too difficult just to have a few different prices, this event needs tons […]
By: Diane Benjamin If nothing gets pulled from the Consent Agenda the only item remaining is the Finance Director’s Report and comments. On the Consent Agenda: The gift that can’t stop giving – Coliseum, it isn’t Grossinger Motors Arena anymore: Looks like the Market Street Garage isn’t going anywhere soon: $10.52 a square foot. Normal […]
By: Diane Benjamin The Arena was renamed in 2017 when Grossinger Motors agreed to pay naming rights. See this story: https://blnnews.com/2017/06/23/arena-name-change/ The naming rights expired June 30, 2022. Grossinger Motors doesn’t even exist anymore so obviously they didn’t renew the naming rights. I would have to file a FOIA to see if they even paid […]
by: Diane Benjamin Evidently the City Council was told they can’t discuss approving the second pot dispensary or they might get sued. The State legalized it, the State handed a license to guys who mostly (if not all) live in California , the Zoning Board of Appeals approved the location, so the Council was expected […]
By: Diane Benjamin Proof COVID is over, Bloomington employees are back to traveling: https://www.cityblm.org/home/showpublisheddocument/27940/637884879474800000 Go to PDF page 130 and following see for yourself. Don’t miss this one: $6754.00 for ONE Conference. I could say I hope more than one person went for that price, but then I’d have to ask why more than one […]
By: Diane Benjamin 1) We now have proof Unit 5 teaches kids what to think, not how to think. Follow-up to this story: https://blnnews.com/2022/05/04/normal-your-taxes-funded-this/ Doug Fansler sent a video of a Ted Talk to Chemberly Cummings after her Youth on a Mission promoted EV’s without considering all sides. The students obviously didn’t look for facts […]
By: Diane Benjamin Recap: Grant Walch was appointed Ward 1 Alderman – Jeff Crabill and Julie Emig voted against him. Evidently they didn’t like replacing a self-identified progressive alderman with a more conservative one. Road funding isn’t close to what it needs to be. The $7 million was increased to $9 million, factor in inflation […]
March Meltdown was at the Coliseum, so the BCPA is still looking for their first show this year to make money. The Performance Fee below is from a show called the Adventures of the Tortoise and the Hare. I still don’t have that report. I was missing one report from the BCPA – March Meltdown. […]
By: Diane Benjamin’ I think the Grossinger Motors naming rights expire next year. It was a 5 year agreement in June of 2017. Expect something really original like Bloomington Arena to replace it. Of course that means new signage. Maybe the City can just paint the name on the building instead (don’t hold your breath). […]
By: Diane Benjamin More on last night’s meeting tomorrow, start with this. Tim Gleason announced last night the Council will consider honorary street names for: (you have to hear it for yourself – 8 seconds) First, Bloomington is completely incompetent at zoom. Tim Gleason is talking, see his face up there anywhere? Hold a meeting […]
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 Both of these shows were re-schedules from before Covid was a thing. One is listed as a rental, the other was co-produced meaning the City of Bloomington wasn’t assuming all the risk. Co-producing also means the profit is much less, but at least both show a profit. I had to FOIA both […]
By: Diane Benjamin On October 29, 2021 I submitted a FOIA to McLean County pertaining to John Butler’s case. After a couple reminders about the FOIA being late (they have 5 business days), I was told it’s taking so long because of staff shortages. I was promised I would receive the information on December 8, […]
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 […]
