Bloomington Tonight – 11/25/2024

By: Diane Benjamin Agenda: https://d3n9y02raazwpg.cloudfront.net/cityblm/f73ab5c8-5bbe-11ee-ae13-0050569183fa-791fe512-602c-4d20-98c8-ecdbbed39134-1732227412.pdf More License Plate reader cameras: You will be seeing this on east Fort Jesse: Regular Agenda: The financial statements from the year that ended almost 7 months ago will be presented. This will merely be a celebration of all the numbers are in the right columns. The Finance Director will […]

Tax rate Monday: Bloomington

By: Diane Benjamin Three more Performance Fees at the BCPA are on Bills and Payroll tonight: https://www.cityblm.org/home/showpublisheddocument/27250/637727480979430000 On 11/12/21 there was only 1 show: The Brubeck Brothers Quartet The 11/17/21 was Shake & Holla Only two items are on the Regular Agenda: FY2021 ended 4/30/2021. Seven months later the Financial Statements are released. I wonder […]

Normal tonight

By: Diane Benjamin http://normal.org/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/3733 Before the 7:00 meeting the Council is holding a Work Session. At 6:00 they will discuss raising the gas tax. The Town wants more money for Connect Transit, a service most will never use and those that need it no longer can. Expect other items, the “professional staff” and Koos need […]

Normal needs transparency!

By: Diane Benjamin This statement is in the Town of Normal code: No the Council can’t “waive” disclosure requirements, but that’s not the important part. The Open Meetings Act states they can’t vote on anything not disclosed 48 hours in advance. The code states the City Manger must know a week in advance what will […]

Update: Town of Normal employee compensation

Since a couple readers questioned this post, how about this: There are 318 people on the list.  With benefits the total compensation is $35,905,792 $35,905,792 / 318 = $112,911 per person.  Happy now? By:  Diane Benjamin According to City Manager Pam Reece at the last meeting, the financial statements for the year ending March 31, […]

Everybody travels – Bloomington

By:  Diane Benjamin Bill and Payroll for 10-18-2018  http://www.cityblm.org/Home/ShowDocument?id=20190 Since the auditing bill is being approved, the financial statements are done.  Of course, they aren’t being released yet.   Coliseum continues to bleed taxpayers: More PCard fraud-should be easy to see where it happened: TRAVEL: ICMA (City Manager) $866.04 +685.00 and $777.61 last month = total […]

Have some fun HERE

By:  Diane Benjamin I reported yesterday about the Comptroller’s Warehouse website.  The Bloomington information from last year is available there when the City hasn’t bothered to release it to you yet. I found a fun page that recaps all expenditures in a succinct format that’s easy to understand.  Want to know where your money goes?  […]

It takes guts!

By:  Diane Benjamin Your elected aldermen in Bloomington really have guts!  On the same day they found out at least $1 Million was stolen from you – they voted to slap higher sewer and storm water rates on the victims of their ineptness!  Yes, that would be Bloomington taxpayers. The conversation was really amusing.  Scott […]

Normal’s (Funny)Business Tuesday

By:  Diane Benjamin Tuesday night the Normal Council will accept the audited financial statements.  Once again, required disclosures are not included  See page 82:  http://www.normal.org/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/2708. The Government Accounting Standards Board issued a statement in June of 2015 requiring the disclosure of future liabilities for post-employment benefits (healthcare).  Since the financial statements being released are as […]

Pravdagraph propaganda

By:  Diane Benjamin CLEAN audits mean nothing! Dixon Illinois got taken for $50,000,000 with CLEAN audits.  Forensic Audits find fraud, regular yearly audits only mean the numbers are in the right columns. Thanks Pantagraph for printing what you were told. Why were the Bloomington financial statements released REALLY late?  Tonight the Council will hear information […]

FRAUD!

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 […]

Pantagraph prints propaganda

By:  Diane Benjamin The local purveyor of government propaganda has reported VenuWorks lost $674,000 in the 7 months since they took over. The only reason this story is out now is because Tuesday night the Coliseum Executive Director will make a presentation to the Council. _______________________________________________________________________ Side note:  This is also Tuesday’s agenda: 2017 ends […]

241 days and counting

By:  Diane Benjamin The taxpayers of Bloomington have no idea how much the Coliseum LOST last year because the City doesn’t want you to know.  The year-end for the Coliseum was April 30th, no income and expense information has been released.  (normally it is released in October) The Coliseum was a mess, so the City […]

What is Bloomington hiding?

By:  Diane Benjamin The 2016 fiscal year for Bloomington ended April 30, 2016.  The only financial information issued so far is the treasurer’s report:  http://www.cityblm.org/index.aspx?page=21&parent=36 Issuing financial reports normally takes a ridiculous 6 months.  That would be October.  It’s now the end of November and still nothing. Did the City finance department screw up the […]

Miscellaneous stuff

By:  Diane Benjamin The Year End for the City of Bloomington and the Coliseum was APRIL 30, 2016. More than 6 months ago! The financial statements for both are still not available.  Any private sector business wouldn’t tolerate this behavior.  Last year the financial statements were presented to the Council at the first meeting in […]

More taxes without facts

By:  Diane Benjamin Mayor Transparency wants his Budget Tax Force to report to the Council in September.  Gee Mayor, how are they putting everything on the table when nothing is on the table yet? The audited financial statements for the Coliseum, which will show a much bigger loss than previously reported, won’t be out until […]

Why September?

By:  Diane Benjamin Tari’s Budget Task Force is going to report to the Council in September.  The Council will then be told to vote YES on whatever is proposed, most don’t realize the effort was a setup and will gladly comply. Other than raising the Sales Tax has to be approved by October 1 to […]