By: Diane Benjamin Bills and Payroll for Monday: http://www.cityblm.org/home/showdocument?id=21630 See the agenda for the US Conference of Mayors here: https://www.usmayors.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/USCM-Honolulu-Agenda-041519-WEB.pdf Note the “Best practices” sessions. They want everybody to think what works in Los Angeles will work in Bloomington. Only fools think “best practices” can be determined by people not familiar with local conditions. Tari […]
By: Diane Benjamin Below are the payments per year to the law firm in Springfield. In 2013 they got NO tax dollars because Bloomington has an attorney on staff. Normal still has their own attorney. Tari wanted an Administrative Court to squeeze the citizens into complying with his wishes. Remember when Tari used to tell […]
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 Since the biggest expense the City of Bloomington has is employees, I took a look at the employees in 2012 and four years later – 2016. The payroll was $6,196,593 higher in 2016 than 2012. But why? Total compensation per year is on the City website: http://www.cityblm.org/government/advanced-components/documents/-folder-170 2017 is really for the […]
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 […]
A. Aldag is either a current or former IWU student of Renners. So, what’s the public purpose here Tari? https://www.iwu.edu/news/2015/aldag-surveys-foreign-investments-in-DC-internship.html _____________________________________ By: Diane Benjamin PCard spending starts on PDF page 124: http://www.cityblm.org/Home/ShowDocument?id=14720 This is Tari’s “business lunch” as caught by a reader on 8/9 at Rosie’s. Tari is in the shadows. Maybe this explain why […]
By: Diane Benjamin When the Pantagraph appears to do a study of anything, it usually means Bloomington is up to something and using them to gauge public opinion. Today it was legal expenses and justifying the outrageous amount the City sends to Springfield every month while telling you not to buy on the internet – […]
By: Diane Benjamin From Monday’s Bills and Payroll: http://www.cityblm.org/Home/ShowDocument?id=12446 Employees are still allowed to SPIKE their pensions by getting paid for accumulated sick and vacation days. TWO courts have recently ruled that employers do not have to allow this, of course the rules haven’t been changed. It just cost you another $32,106.66. The City is […]
By: Diane Benjamin Thanks to Steve Vogel who today mentioned in his weekly column that Bloomington is in a recession. Moody’s Analytics reported that in January (and so did I), but the media has been ignoring it. Anyone who attended the Bloomington “Budget Workshop” today would have seen Bloomington is also ignoring that fact. If […]
Diane Benjamin Bills and Payroll for Monday night: For almost 4 years Tari Renner spouts “There are no free lunches”. Unless your name is Tari Renner: Page 107 http://www.cityblm.org/Home/ShowDocument?id=12212 I’m sure these were strictly business, especially the ones with nobody listed but Tari! Was the public invited and I missed it? My personal favorite: PCard […]
By: Diane Benjamin Eating at your expense and more: City Council Exp Arkansas Flag And Bann $ 100.96 8/15/2016 Banner pole for use by City Council City Council Exp Station 220 Inc $ 46.00 8/1/2016 Business lunch T.Renner & C.Koos City Council Exp Chipotle $ 14.95 8/2/2016 Business lunch T.Renner & M.Mwilambwe City Council Exp […]
By: Diane Benjamin 2013 is the budget Tari inherited when he took office. 2017 is all his. I hope the local media quits letting Renner state he isn’t doing anything new and the budget is just increasing 2% per year. Both are lies. Look at Legal expenses: 2017 Total Legal $1,325,308 FY 2017 Budget Detail […]
By: Diane Benjamin A reader made a terrific point: Did the Budget Task Force have a line item budget – like the one I’ve been posting? I suspect not since they only spoke of BIG spending items. Maybe they should meet again and prove they weren’t a joke because right now they sure look like […]
By: Diane Benjamin From Bills and Payroll for 2/22/16: http://www.cityblm.org/index.aspx?page=242&parent=9535 Another $57,721.33 sent to Springfield for Legal! How much of that is work on a downtown hotel? How much more will the City rack up at your expense? Yes, Giebelhausen’s proposal is costing you money. Speaking of Giebelhausen, he wants to change East Peoria’s […]
By: Diane Benjamin Yep, another Bloomington City Council meeting on Monday. Yep, more approving Bills and Payroll. Yep, Nobody on the Council will bat an eye at this one: $59,559.55 might be a new high for tax dollars being shipped to Springfield! Jeff Jurgens and Springfield assistants are mining your gold. The remaining budget (until […]
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 From tonight’s Bloomington City Council Bills and Payroll: http://www.cityblm.org/Modules/ShowDocument.aspx?documentid=9366 Three employees took advantage of Sick Leave Buy Back-the HOURS is blank, see pages 11 & 13: SLBB 12,195.20 ___________ ________________ ________________ Total: 12,195.20 Total Employees: 1 SLBB 12,192.35 ___________ ________________ ________________ Total: 12,192.35 Total Employees: 2 (From 10/12/15: SLBB 12,192.37 2 – […]
By: Diane Benjamin On Friday the City of Bloomington dumped a lot of documents on their. On was a vendor list and payments for the last fiscal year. You can see it here: http://www.cityblm.org/Modules/ShowDocument.aspx?documentid=9335 This morning I’ve got the first hearing on my court case against the City of Bloomington concerning the Coliseum. That means […]
By: Diane Benjamin From Bills and Payroll to be approved Monday night: http://www.cityblm.org/Modules/ShowDocument.aspx?documentid=9118 Contracted and Purchased Legal: CLARK BAIRD SMITH LLP CHECK TOTAL 15,122.10. ANCEL GLINK DIAMOND BU CHECK TOTAL 750.00 HEYL ROYSTER VOELKER & CHECK TOTAL 675.00 HINSHAW & CULBERTSON L CHECK TOTAL 2,340.00 MEYER CAPEL A PROFESSI CHECK TOTAL 587.50 SORLING NORTHRUP HANNA […]
By: Diane Benjamin Tari: Congratulate your Economic Development people for bring Hy-Vee to town. It just cost you a Cub Foods. I wonder who Green Top Grocery will put out of business? How many hotels were put out of business when Normal decided they needed a Marriott? What will happen when Normal’s second hotel opens? Still want a hotel in downtown […]
By: Diane Benjamin See all bills and payroll here to be approved at tonight’s Council meeting: http://www.cityblm.org/Modules/ShowDocument.aspx?documentid=7660 LYNN MONTEI ASSOCIATES (The lady who ran the Council retreat) CHECK TOTAL 10,419.94 A new law firm: HOLLAND & KNIGHT LLP CHECK TOTAL 43,613.62 Springfield Law firm – Jeff Jurgens CHECK TOTAL 54,686.98 (Note: The City does have […]
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