By: Diane Benjamin This is the final consultant report. Stories the last few days total the almost $6 million I reported by on March 18th: https://blnnews.com/2026/03/18/paid-consultants-inccrra/ Heartland Community College got $165,408.88 to run a pilot program to train childcare workers. My original FOIA stated Heartland got $169,408, maybe expenses were exceeded. All of the rest […]
By: Diane Benjamin The groups below got grants. Some grants say PLANNING and some say Implementing, but they all relate to the Birth to Five program: United Way (various locations) Spark $59,900, Northwest Consortium $44,309, Champaign $108,758 YWCA (various locations) Willowbrook-$90,228, Tri-Town (Villa Park)-$52,700, North Chicago-$75,000 The Collaboration for for Early Childhood care and Education […]
By: Diane Benjamin WordPress didn’t allow the title to show as intended! The real company name is 1o8 LLC. The zero isn’t a zero, it’s an “O”. A reader tipped me off to that one! That hasn’t been clear anywhere I’ve seen. It does make it easier to find information! See this website: https://www.inc.com/profile/1o8 Quote: […]
By: Diane Benjamin It took 3 weeks to get a FOIA from IDHS based on this story: https://blnnews.com/2026/03/18/paid-consultants-inccrra/ The delay was caused by 2 extensions. They had to get the information from the local INCCRRA office. That story includes a list of some of the paid consultants involved in the $17 million Illinois Network of […]
By: Diane Benjamin Definition: Illinois Network of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies (INCCRRA). This is an NGO located in Towanda Plaza. If this organization wasn’t shoveling Federal and State money to consultants and illegal aliens, I wouldn’t be spending nearly as much time on them. The 2024 INCCRRA tax return showed they spent $17,000,000 on […]
By: Diane Benjamin Previous consultants story: https://blnnews.com/2026/02/27/in-illinois-child-care-needs-a-translator/ Below is screenshot showing another part of where INCCRRA spent $17 million on consultants: . The total paid to 108 LLC during this time period is: $3,490,000. I believe the real name of this vendor is 108 Group LLC. The payment is listed as “marketing”, 108 Group LLC […]
By: Diane Benjamin Since the local INCCRRA office told me they can’t release information, even though the data request form is on their website, I sent a FOIA to IDHS (Illinois Department of Human Services) for the same information. That office extended my request an additional 5 days because they had to obtain the data […]
By: Diane Benjamin When Connect transit was trying to decide where the downtown transfer station should be, they stated many riders use the bus to get to the Laws and Justice Center or the Library. The location they picked is the farthest from either. Buses could have dropped people where CII East is now, it’s […]
By: Diane Benjamin The Board is meeting today. They will see another month of losing more than $1 million! Connect spent a lot of money on consultants: The below pays the Working Group consultant who didn’t finish the job – original cost $53,000 (This is the group where Chris Koos is on the Board of […]
Connect Transit is the best example of a government agency throwing away tax dollars. In the near future they will want more of your money to throw away. Marc Tiritilli posted the below to Facebook. Keep in mind he requested an appointment to the Connect Transit Board to fill the year long empty seat representing […]
By: Diane Benjamin October 2nd Board of Trustees Packet The September meeting was moved to October. August consultants: It only took 2 months to lose almost $2,000,000! PDF page 10: Cost per trip last August was $3.71, in August of 2018 it was $4.07. Cost per trip for Connect Mobility went up too, see the next […]
By: Diane Benjamin The below numbers are un-audited, but they do show an entire year’s worth of taxpayer abuse. Has anybody else noticed the bus windows are tinted darker now? I wonder if it’s an attempt to hide the emptiness? Should we celebrate they lost $1.2 million less than budgeted? Roads won’t be fixed because […]
By: Diane Benjamin Joni Painter was absent last night, so Ward 5 wasn’t represented. There was no presentation last night on employee compensation. HR is going to want around $20,000 to study more. Alderman Mathy used common sense when he asked where ending Sick Leave Buy Back is. It is nowhere. He also asked why […]
By: Diane Benjamin Consultants are always wrong. Human behavior can not be predicted, too many decisions are made under unforeseen circumstances. People and government keep wasting money on them anyway. The sports complex consultants will be wrong too, especially if they think people will drive from the far east side to the far west side […]
By: Diane Benjamin The City of Bloomington paid consultants before building the white elephant. They predicted revenues of $7,000,000 a year and net income of $2,319,000 a year. https://blnnews.com/2015/07/21/coliseum-the-jokes-on-you/ The City has now gifted the financial statements from almost a year ago – 4/30/2017. The Coliseum audited statements are included: http://www.cityblm.org/home/showdocument?id=15348 Revenue for the year was […]
By: Diane Benjamin Nobody checked into why David Hales left Bend Oregon after only 2 years and all the records were sealed. See this story: https://blnnews.com/2013/09/17/who-is-city-manager-david-hales/ Obviously nobody in Joliet did any independent research of David Hales either since the Council had no idea 5 people were charged with 111 felony counts while he was in […]
By: Diane Benjamin Even on sick leave, Tari can hold a business meeting at a bar and use the City PCard: http://www.cityblm.org/Home/ShowDocument?id=14856 The rest of the council still has no problem feeding themselves at your expense. Looks like the Chamber of Commerce is behind “Quality of Life” Monarch Group is Real Estate Development. Funny how WHO […]
By: Diane Benjamin From July 2016 through May 2017 they lost $9,428,569 (PDF Page 8 https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4zAZemF_qQuZzVIekJtLTVTN28/view ) May 2017 ridership was up over last year, but year to date is still behind and they are way behind projections – See PDF page 11. Are rides up because Bloomington-Normal now has more poor people who can’t afford […]
By: Diane Benjamin See this previous post: https://blnnews.com/2016/10/28/connect-transit-tears/ I made the list in that story quickly this morning – chances are good I missed some! The list was to make a point, not get exact numbers. I saw many other items I could have added, like THOUSANDS spent on HVAC. Isn’t the facility pretty new? […]
By: Diane Benjamin The video from last night’s Normal Council meeting is now available. People speaking during public comment are not required by law to give their address! Chris Koos told them they did, 3 speakers complied. Don’t comply in the future – it’s intimidation. No representatives from the Police and Fire unions showed up […]
I just found ANOTHER payment on 8/22/16 for $5,298.75. New TOTAL of $44,786.25. By: Diane Benjamin I’m doing some research I’d been thinking about doing for months but haven’t gotten to. I had to stop and show you this: This is from Bills and Payroll – 6/13/2016 http://www.cityblm.org/index.aspx?page=242&parent=9535 Who is Genesis Authority LLC? Note Yocum […]
By: Diane Benjamin This item is on the Agenda for Monday’s City Council meeting: At the August 8, 2016 meeting, Tari tried to abolish the liquor Commission and crown himself the only guy in charge. He took it off the agenda before anybody discussed it. See this post: https://blnnews.com/2016/08/09/tari-is-truth-too-difficult/ Jim Jordan is on the Liquor […]
By: Diane Benjamin Renner isn’t responding to the market, he’s trying to create one. Just like he claims bike paths and buses are the future, he continues to claim Bloomington’s future is downtown. Decades of massive spending haven’t been enough. Here’s a little Renner history. Not included are the Downtown Streetscape Plan and the Downtown […]
By: Diane Benjamin (Wait a little longer for the stories referenced yesterday) From Bills and Payroll for 6/27/16: http://www.cityblm.org/index.aspx?page=242&parent=9535 More Consultants: http://www.biddle.com/ _________________ Legal: _________________ This is the same consultant used to evaluate David Hales: https://blnnews.com/2016/06/22/bloomington-another-consultant/ _________________ Media: Now: Eating and traveling at your expense: City Council Expenses Station 220 Inc $ 30.47 […]
By: Diane Benjamin Evidently the Bloomington City Council is now acting like Congress. Do nothing, can’t make decisions, and they need guidance. They must not trust their own opinions. I received the following email yesterday under the Freedom of Information Act. I knew that many “secret” meetings (Executive Sessions) had been held to considering David […]
By: Diane Benjamin Below are some consulting items I’ve found in the 2017 Detailed Budget: FY 2017 Budget Detail There are others in Water Admin and Engineering that I didn’t post. Some items do require consultants. ________________________ ANNUAL COUNCIL RETREAT FACILITATOR SERVICES – $25,000.00 DEPARTMENT HEAD RETREAT FACILITATOR SERVICES – $12,000.00 LYNN MONTEI ASSOCIATES – […]
By: Diane Benjamin See the detailed budget here: FY 2017 Budget Detail The document can be searched – if you want more information on any item Click Edit – Find and type the exact words in the Search Box. This looks like more signs pointing downtown: Wayfinding signage – adding $100,000 More consultants: Downtown Parking […]
By: Diane Benjamin Government in this country has never created prosperity. Every dollar they spend they stole from people who worked for it. Capitalism requires government to get out of the way so individuals can create their own success – or fail on their own. Bloomington government believes they can create economic development by throwing […]
By: Diane Benjamin Tari Renner was quoted in today’s paper: “No tax dollars that we’re currently getting will go to this project”. Judy Markowitz said the same thing about the Coliseum. She hired consultants – they were WAY OFF projections: https://blnnews.com/2016/02/11/the-tale-of-the-coliseum-tari-a-hotel/ Tari, please explain where the money to pay SB Friedman to consult came from? […]
By: Diane Benjamin From Bills and Payroll for Monday night: http://www.cityblm.org/index.aspx?page=242&parent=9535 More consultants: http://www.ajg.com/industries/public-sector/ Real Estate Appraiser: ____________________ These groups (plus BN Advantage) get your money for Economic Development, but are completely unaccountable for how it’s spent: Downtown Bloomington Association was supposed to pay for itself years ago. Budgeted for 2017: (Because government economic […]
By: Diane Benjamin Total spending by vendor is NOT available on the County website. This means nobody at the County really knows where taxpayer money is spent! Numerous committees approve their own bills for payment. The only place we can see them is by month and by committee. NO totals – even by committee. The […]
By: Diane Benjamin On Bills and Payroll for Monday night: http://www.cityblm.org/index.aspx?page=242&parent=9535 HR and the Water department needed more auditing? Sikich did the City audits. Consultants: Only $47,000+ US Conference of Mayors?!? Pantagraph: only $9300+ Yeah! Bike Trails. Remember SLBB? (Sick Leave Buy Back) Remember how they were going to fix it? . .
By: Diane Benjamin See previous story: http://blnnews.com/2016/03/01/connect-transit-sucks-up-more/ Today I only looked at the packets from 2016: http://www.connect-transit.com/about/trustees/packet.asp November and December are in January’s packet. January is in February’s packet. As of January 31, 2016 the Operating loss is up to $5,128,0879 . . . In 3 months – almost $25,000 on Travel and […]
By: Diane Benjamin According to the BCPA website, seating capacity is 1180. I don’t know if that includes the balcony. Only tiny people can fit in those jammed together rows. Maybe it’s been fixed, I haven’t been there for years. On Bills and Payroll for approval Monday night: http://www.cityblm.org/index.aspx?page=242&parent=9535 RT PRODUCTIONS LLC INV PERF FEE […]
By: Diane Benjamin Legal Expense: ANCEL GLINK DIAMOND BU 00000 INV 12/16/2015 47428 131775 CHECK TOTAL 1,031.25 CLARK BAIRD SMITH LLP 00000 INV 12/14/2015 6618 132830 CHECK TOTAL 14,190.81 DAVIS & CAMPBELL LLC 00000 INV 12/14/2015 82344 131614 1 10011410 70632 HR Pro Develp 3,875.00 Invoice Net 3,875.00 CHECK TOTAL 3,875.00 A law firm with […]
By: Diane Benjamin Back in 2009 a company called Lyle Sumek Associates, Inc out of Florida was hired as a consultant. From their website: http://lylesumek.com/ Lyle Sumek Associates, Inc. is a consulting organization that specializes in team building, strategic planning and goal setting for local governments, developing more effective governing bodies and governance processes; assisting […]
File a Freedom of Information Request if anything strikes you as weird! By: Diane Benjamin I’m continuing this post: http://blnnews.com/2015/11/02/legal-expense-why-have-staff/ It’s very difficult to figure out what some of the payments on the 2015 Treasurer’s Report are for. I’m sure something got missed or I didn’t get something quite right, but this is close. Thanks […]
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 The following information was received by a reader under the Freedom of Information Act. Remember Lynn Montei? She’s the facilitator who leads retreats. The goal is getting the Council to all agree with David Hales. Montei led last November’s retreat and the one this summer. (maybe others) I thought Alderman Hauman was […]
By: Diane Benjamin It’s pretty obvious that David Hales can’t make a decision without hiring a consultant to tell him what to do. The list never ends. Everything is studied by someone outside of government, even where to put benches and lights downtown. Now rates you are charged for water, sewer, garbage etc are being […]
