By: Diane Benjamin City Manager Tim Gleason really wanted your property taxes increased. The main reason Alderman Boelen was against it was the water rate increase the Council recently passed. If you forgot: 33% increase for 3 years because the City needs to spend around $300,000,000. Gleason stated again last night that water rates haven’t […]
By: Diane Benjamin The City of Bloomington wants $1.1 million more from you, the library wants $309.4 thousand more all while your government is sitting on RECORD high reserves. Of course they use the same graphic as every other year to show they aren’t why property taxes chase people out of Illinois: It appears every […]
By: Diane Benjamin McLean County is already planning to massively raise your property taxes. Every other unit of government might be making the same plans, after all your property values increased substantially – you can afford it right? If you don’t stand up for yourself IN PERSON they will take more of your money. Emails […]
By: Diane Benjamin Tis the season to steal your money! Unit 5 will raise property taxes tonight. So will District 87. The District 87 levy is expected to increase 8.24% according to the Public Hearing notice: https://go.boarddocs.com/il/district87/Board.nsf/files/CLPP386222AD/$file/Notice%20of%20Public%20Hearing%202022%20Tax%20Levy.pdf Illinois school districts have received more than $7 billion in Elementary and Secondary School Relief Funds (ESSER) to […]
By: Diane Benjamin Watch the fresh meat tossed in the water – it’s YOU. City of Bloomington, District 87, and Unit 5 are all holding property tax hearings because they want more of your money! What do all 3 of these have in common? Easy. The people who represent the citizens for all 3 are […]
By: Diane Benjamin Proving yet again government doesn’t care how high property taxes go, Unit 5 will tax next year far above the inflation rate. According to the Board website, the owner of a $175,000 house will be paying $160 more. https://meetings.boardbook.org/Public/Agenda/1482?meeting=431457 Wasn’t it just a year or two ago taxes were raised $400 on […]
By: Diane Benjamin Pepsi hasn’t paid for naming rights at the Ice Center for years. That doesn’t keep Bloomington from still giving them free advertising: PDF page 196 of the annual financial statements: http://www.cityblm.org/home/showdocument?id=20281 “Pepsi” is also on PDF pages 32 and 33. Grossinger Motors does pay for naming rights of the former US […]
In January of 1776 Thomas Paine published a pamphlet titled “Common Sense.” In it, Paine advocated for the cause of what later that year became the American Revolution. Originally, Paine published “Common Sense” anonymously. And so it is that I come to my fellow residents of Normal as a concerned citizen and taxpayer with a […]
By: Diane Benjamin It wasn’t that long ago the data pertaining to City functions was available. We used to know what the tax receipts were – now we don’t. We used to know traffic at the library has been declining – now we have no idea. Traffic isn’t included in Library Board reports either. The […]
By: Diane Benjamin The story below appeared in the Pantagraph on October 21, 2003. It is available on microfiche at the Bloomington Public Library. Normal raised your property taxes this year by blaming pensions. They used the same excuse in 2003 and every year since. Instead of budgeting for expenses they have to pay, they […]
The right video is below! By: Diane Benjamin I enjoy hearing the train whistle load and clear on the Normal Council videos. I guess when you take federal money for a new train station, then decide to put the Town offices and Council chambers above it, they deserve have the meetings interrupted by trains. Three […]
By: Diane Benjamin Besides everything else I’ve already written about, the Colonial Plaza + TIF District is on the agenda. Here is the report you paid $36,600 for: http://www.cityblm.org/Modules/ShowDocument.aspx?documentid=9514 Start on page 244. There is a map of the proposed TIF on page 250. The City of Bloomington wants to claim they have a better […]
