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 In case you missed it, CIRA got a Federal grant for improvements: https://www.centralillinoisproud.com/news/local-news/federal-dollars-coming-to-cira-to-buy-new-safety-equipment-rehabilitate-runway/ “Bringing home the bacon” to buy votes wouldn’t be needed if the Federal Government wasn’t trying to control everything by spending $2 Trillion more a year than it receives from taxpayers. Like inflation? Unless the size and spending of […]
By: Diane Benjamin The email below shows where the problems started. PATH was not equipped to continue required paperwork after the death of their CEO. It appears no one was cross-trained to prevent the disaster that resulted. Many people lost their jobs when the paperwork to continue 988 service wasn’t submitted on time. Non-profits who […]
By: Diane Benjamin Review this story from yesterday: https://blnnews.com/2024/07/29/when-local-governments-celebrate-grants/ Next read this story: https://foreignaffairs.co.nz/2024/07/30/mil-osi-usa-following-sorensens-advocacy-mclean-county-receives-funding-to-extend-historic-route-66-trail/ Rep Eric Sorensen announced a grant to McLean County to design the final 9 miles of the Historic Route 66 Bike and Pedestrian Trail. $675,000 to DESIGN. Another grant will be needed for construction, I think in the past the feds […]
By: Diane Benjamin We are witnessing the destruction of McLean County at the hands of progressive socialists. Things that matter to citizens don’t matter to government. I have the roads survey done, results probably tomorrow. Last night the Bloomington City Council heard two presentations. One was from the McLean County Regional Planning Commission about the […]
By: Diane Benjamin EV owners don’t pay motor fuel taxes, even though they drive on the same roads as those of you who do. Buy an EV (that most people can’t afford) and the taxpayers will subsidize it with a tax credit. In 10 years, that EV will likely be junk because replacing the batteries […]
By: Diane Benjamin I had a HARD time getting past the Bills and Payroll report – here’s one more to see: Yes, staff wire transferred .30 to themselves. Agenda: https://d3n9y02raazwpg.cloudfront.net/cityblm/f6e3a861-5bbe-11ee-ae13-0050569183fa-d854eb82-3702-4140-9de6-ac3a8e3f379d-1704407204.pdf The regular agenda has nothing on it. Plenty of other stuff on the Consent Agenda though! 1) We hear there is severe housing shortage locally, but lets […]
By: Diane Benjamin More on this story: https://blnnews.com/2023/02/14/i-could-have-predicted-this-one/ Tim Gleason wasn’t at the meeting where hiring a federal lobbyist firm for $270,000 over 3 years was voted down. It wouldn’t have gone that direction if he had been there, he’s a master at changing the minds of council members. Tim Gleason is the employee of […]
By: Diane Benjamin Two landlords appeared at Public Comment a few meetings ago complaining about being billed for City water because their tenants didn’t pay the bills. These landlords have also not been paid rent for at least a year. This information is for landlords. Proving yet again Stan Nord is capable of working with […]
By: Diane Benjamin On June 22 the Town of Normal held a special meeting just to approve submitting a grant request to the State of Illinois for funds to fix West College: http://normal.org/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/3668 This plan also included extending the trail, the cost estimate just for the trail wasn’t listed – just the total: If other […]
By: Diane Benjamin The purpose of the meeting last night was only to approve the Town’s share of funding so a grant could be obtained to fix West College. The construction includes extending the trail. No details were allowed to be discussed like how a railroad track would be crossed and still be ADA compliant. […]
By: Diane Benjamin At Monday’s Council meeting at was announced they think the formerly $24,000,000 underpass can be built for $22,000,000. This Uptown vanity won’t allow a single car to avoid sitting at a crossing waiting for a train to pass. It won’t stop people from crossing the tracks on foot at other crossings. Compare […]
By: Diane Benjamin Yesterday WGLT did this story: Youth-Soccer-B-N-Preps-Multisport-Complex-Or-Not One thing is clear, YOU have to stop this complex if you don’t want yet another multi-million dollar money pit! The story contains this statement: Anybody see a problem? We are expected to believe it is so dangerous for the kids to play soccer at the airport […]
By: Diane Benjamin US representative Darin Lahood must know about the BILLIONS the federal government is throwing at public transportation. The local bus services only loses $900,000 every month, but many cities lose more. The federal government is wasting our tax dollars evidently for votes. Seriously folks, people can’t be transported locally for less money […]
By: Diane Benjamin Today’s paper has an article listing every organization that will receive a grant from the Illinois Prairie Community Foundation. They are handing out $157,347 to 73 programs. http://www.pantagraph.com/news/local/foundation-awards-k-in-community-grants/article_15fc82c0-e843-5927-b376-ed42c1b68707.html Since the Pantagraph has a policy against investigative journalism, I did it for them. The Illinois Prairie Community Foundation tax return for the year ended […]
By: Diane Benjamin Bills and Payroll Monday night: http://www.cityblm.org/Home/ShowDocument?id=16320 The report shows paying 461 Bi-Weekly employees and 361 Weekly. That’s a total of 822 employees. January 2015: 458 Bi-Weekly and 335 Weekly Total 793 https://blnnews.com/2015/08/21/less-employees-at-the-city/ That’s an increase in employees of 29 in 2 years. SLBB: Sick Leave Buy Back (Pension Spiking) Ashley Furniture: We have NO idea where […]
By: Diane Benjamin Bills and Payroll: http://www.cityblm.org/Home/ShowDocument?id=16002 This is a wire transfer – no other information is available. Most likely it’s property downtown. The City is giving away more of your money: Remember when I reported on huge phone bills: https://blnnews.com/2018/02/23/they-had-to-have-bought-all-new-phones/ Sprint charges weren’t included in that story. The City has Verizon, Frontier, and now Sprint. […]
By: Diane Benjamin Monday’s Bills and Payroll: http://www.cityblm.org/Home/ShowDocument?id=15550 More spiked pension expense: More Interest-Free loans? I don’t care how great the cause is, what statute allows the City to hand out your money to people they chose? Most people call this vote-buying: More handouts: I’m guessing the City if buying tickets to a Chamber event for […]
By: Diane Benjamin Bills and Payroll for Monday night: http://www.cityblm.org/Home/ShowDocument?id=15410 This one is easy Patti Lynn – no need to belong to anything! 111 felony counts could have easily been prevented! With Tari now PCardless and David Hales gone, money saved. The City Council still ate at your expense: Why did Public Works need pizza […]
By: Diane Benjamin http://www.cityblm.org/Home/ShowDocument?id=15366 PDF page 118 NO Tari free lunches in October: (No expense report payments are included either) Buy local doesn’t apply to government – cordless blower for Administration? Why is Bloomington supporting a non-profit with your money? Are they buying votes? What about that Chili Cook-off? Do laws matter? Why does government […]
By: Diane Benjamin On 4/12/2016, the City of Atlanta took out a loan at the Atlanta National Bank for $495,000 to buy FIFTEEN ACRES – $33,000 an acre for undeveloped land with no water, sewer, roads or infrastructure. See the loan document here – PDF page 15 HERE That link is what the City of Atlanta […]
by: Diane Benjamin 1) Mayor Transparency is now not listing the cost of items on the agenda. See tonight’s agenda here: http://www.cityblm.org/Home/ShowDocument?id=13109. Go to page 114 to find out the Motor Fuel Tax is being raided to pay for street light electricity. This tax was passed as being for the streets – not lights: (Page […]
By: Diane Benjamin http://www.kfvs12.com/story/32481217/il-sen-durbin-announces-28m-in-funding-for-housingcommunity-development Dickie Durbin is throwing YOUR money all over the state. The war on poverty, launched under LBJ, should have completely eliminated it by now, but no. Instead it enslaved people IN poverty. Obviously throwing money at people doesn’t work. That doesn’t stop Dickie however. Bloomington got some, not enough to do […]
by: Diane Benjamin Grants, grants, grants. Every level of government in Illinois is looking for grants. They are more than happy to take State or Federal money, complete with the strings attached. Indiana Gov Pence just refused $10,000,000 from the Feds: http://www.pulaskipost.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3356:pence-wont-seek-federal-dollars-to-expand-pre-k&catid=31:election He realizes giving the Federal Government more years to indoctrinate kids is bad […]
by: Diane Benjamin Collecting money from government has turned millions of people into government slaves. Government is NOT being compassionate, they did it on purpose. The population must look to government to solve their problems or government is unnecessary. What better way to establish job security than having peons beg at your feet just to […]
This post if for citizens who understand America is on the wrong track. It is insanity to send our money to Washington and Springfield and then beg for some back – subject to their rules and regulations. Who is REALLY making local decisions? LOCAL control means the people have control, not far away bureaucrats attempting to socially […]
by: Diane Benjamin CPA, reg http://www.pantagraph.com/news/local/article_f82ad694-a293-11df-8558-001cc4c03286.html The total cost figures for the multi-modal transportation station vary from report to report – but I will use the ones listed in the Pantagraph above: Total Cost: $43,300,000 Tiger grant: $22,000,000 […]
