By: Diane Benjamin I received a tip a few days ago about layoffs at State Farm. Employees were blindsighted in another department, not claims. It doesn’t matter how long they have been with the company, State Farm is picking who stays and who goes by skillsets. Retaining jobs in McLean County hasn’t been mentioned much […]
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 See Unit 5’s state report card here: https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/District.aspx?source=trends&Districtid=17064005026 Graduation rate is 90% 35% need Community College remediation 30% of 8th Graders pass Algebra 1 26% are chronically truant (90% graduate?) Unit 5 is currently spending $12,000 per student. Unit 5 now wants a tax increase expected to raise $20,000,000. h/t a reader: […]
By: Diane Benjamin 3 HUGE issues you need to consider before you vote: (other issues later) 1) The SAFE-T act is a pro-criminal bill passed by Illinois Democrats and signed by Gov. Pritzker. It will increase crime across Illinois. Any candidates that don’t REJECT this bill don’t need your vote. A DEMOCRAT State’s Attorney has […]
By: Diane Benjamin You have to watch the Kathleen Lorenz video in this story to understand Chris Koos wasn’t listening: https://blnnews.com/2022/05/03/kathleen-now-hears-what-we-hear-when-watching-meetings/ Directly after Lorenz called for unity and better leadership Stan Nord made a Trustee comment. I hope Kathleen was paying attention to Chris Koos’ snide remark when Stan was finished. Kathleen: You saw first […]
By: Diane Benjamin Unit 5 has held 2 events with citizens because they want a tax increase. The last one is virtual tonight: Question that needs answered: Why did salaries increase in 2020: https://blnnews.com/2022/04/01/unit-5-did-esser-funds-inflate-salaries/ The number of employees and students decreased from 2019 but salaries increased over 7%. Was that a planned increase to push […]
By: Diane Benjamin I was in the room yesterday when the 3 person McLean County Electoral Board issued their ruling. The first of the three members who gave her opinion was a Democrat – Assistant State’s Attorney Mary Koll. Koll was adamant that courts where there was clearly no fraud or intent to confuse voters […]
By: Diane Benjamin Just re-elected Normal Trustee Scott Preston has announced he wants to dump Normal for a higher office: He doesn’t live in the District now: Preston didn’t bother to tell voters last April he wasn’t planning on staying around if he wins. Worse, Preston claims to be a Republican while voting at least […]
By: Diane Benjamin Politicians love to hide how your property taxes keep going up. They even claim to keep the tax rate the same – that doesn’t keep your property taxes the same! You get a new assessment letter in the mail every year. Chances are pretty good it went up this year because the […]
By: Diane Benjamin The Democrat Party of Illinois isn’t going to reform pensions with a Constitutional Amendment. Next year they do have a Constitutional Amendment on the ballot to hand unions even more power. https://www.illinoispolicy.org/press-releases/what-is-amendment-1-an-illinois-constitutional-amendment-on-the-ballot-next-november/ If local elected officials across the State demanded a Constitutional Amendment to reform pensions, they would prove they care about […]
By: Diane Benjamin Local property values are rising which means your property taxes will be going up based on the new value of your home. Units of government claiming they are keeping the rate the same as last year want you to believe they aren’t raising your taxes. When you bill comes in the mail […]
By: Diane Benjamin You need to see this data for the story I am going to do next. We know property taxes are going up again, but property values are also going up. This will be a double whammy to your bill next year. I picked a random house on Towanda Avenue in Normal: Tax […]
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 […]
By: Diane Benjamin I hope the people around Lexington weren’t told their taxes would go down if a wind farm is built. They won’t, the letter below proves plans are already being made to spend the additional $1.3 million in new taxes. I wonder if the writers know that wind farm money decreases over time. […]
By: Diane Benjamin Attention Mayor Mboka: You don’t have a right to limit speech! Read up, Urbana just paid attorney’s fees to settle a lawsuit against them for doing exactly what you did last night: https://edgarcountywatchdogs.com/2021/10/urbana-settled-open-meetings-public-comment-lawsuit/ The comment Mboka objected to starts at 25:29. The lady could be called clueless, combative, obnoxious, and probably other […]
By: Diane Benjamin The below information is from the Illinois Comptroller website: https://tinyurl.com/w25h7sk9 Start with the Total OPEB Liability. In TWO years it increased 42.86%. What is OPEB? Other Post Employment Benefits, in other word promises to retired employees other than a pension. The Town of Normal pays these costs as incurred. Unlike the private […]
By: Diane Benjamin Chris Koos announced last night the next meeting could be back to in person. Zoom was way more fun except for public comments that couldn’t connect and the “Can you hear me?” chorus. Stan Nord pulled several items from the Omnibus agenda. One was the bills. Koos didn’t want to hear about […]
By: Diane Benjamin Since Chris Koos, Kevin McCarthy, Scott Preston, and Chemberly Cummings want your vote April 6th, does this look like something they would do to get it? The Normal Council held a 9 hour budget session yesterday. Surprise! They aren’t going to raise property taxes this year. Instead they are rearranging money they […]
By: Diane Benjamin Only one Public Comment is worth listening to. Go to 39:40. A guy is upset the Bloomington police post pictures of people of interest on social media hoping the public can help locate or identify the person. Worth listening to for another perspective. This re-zoning got sent back to the Planning Commission. […]
This is Kiplinger, not some conservative outlet trying to play politics: https://www.kiplinger.com/taxes/state-tax/601614/least-tax-friendly-states-for-middle-class-families?rid=EML-today&rmrecid=2482908579&utm_campaign=20210126-today&utm_medium=email&utm_source=today Before both Bloomington and Normal decide to raise property taxes, and Unit 5 does again – these were the rates: District 87: 5.144810 City of Bloomington: 1.090100 Unit 5: 5.355410 Town of Normal: 1.032630
By: Diane Benjamin Even though the Financial Statements (CAFR) have been finished for at least a month, they were finally presented last night. The data was uploaded to the Comptroller’s site many weeks ago, why the City couldn’t take the time to release the data is a mystery. The auditor stated Bloomington is overpaying into […]
By: Diane Benjamin http://normal.org/DocumentCenter/View/17188/CAFR20-FINAL-DOC From Normal’s just issued financial statements as of 3/31/2020: Note the Long-Term total debt – $224,909,947. It increased more than $25 million in 1 year. What makes up that debt? $84,320,000 is bond debt, the IEPA loan doesn’t have interest expense. PDF page 31 Below is a chart showing the biggest […]
By: Diane Benjamin The second installment of your property taxes are due on 9/17. The check you will be writing is higher because of many things, but a BIG one is Tax Increment Financing. TIF’s The Uptown TIF is Normal’s huge one. The 2020 comprehensive report isn’t available yet, so I have to use the […]
By: Diane Benjamin During Tuesday’s night Normal Town Council meeting much was made about the Financial Trends Reports and what a valuable tool it is. This year it isn’t. It recaps what happened from 4/1/2019 through 3/31/2020. Something happened around the time this report ends: Glance through the report. It contains little current information: http://normal.org/DocumentCenter/View/17189/Financial-Trend-and-Condition-Report-FY2019-20 […]
By: Diane Benjamin I wonder if Koos and Reece will admit the Executive Orders issued are now dead? Normal for Monday night: http://normal.org/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/3683 Is this in addition to what taxpayers already pay? Misc: It appears the discussion of paying property taxes by the Town of Normal on property that should be exempt must continue: I […]
By: Diane Benjamin Remember the property taxes Normal paid Monday night that Pam Reece, Brian Day, and Chris Koos couldn’t explain – or didn’t want to? https://blnnews.com/2020/06/12/more-property-taxes-normal-doesnt-owe/ The parking lot at 100-104 Beaufort is part of the Trail East project. From the Trail East documentation: A link to the above is not included on purpose, […]
By: Diane Benjamin Ever heard “Watch the pennies and the dollars will take care of themselves”? The Town of Normal is not only not “watching the pennies”, they aren’t watching dollars either. (YOUR DOLLARS) These bills are “presented” for Monday night – nobody is suppose to ask questions. Start with the One Uptown Circle Rent. […]
By: Diane Benjamin Follow-up to this story: https://blnnews.com/2020/05/06/pam-reece-needs-to-pay-this-herself/ On May 6th when that story was written both the Adelaide property and the empty lot on Ft. Jesse were labeled taxable on the McLean County Assessor’s website. Ft. Jesse still is, Adelaide has finally been changed. Evidently Normal will continue to pay property taxes on an […]
By: Diane Benjamin Hitler was elected. The people of Germany voted for a socialist because he promised to save them. Democratic Socialism. Those wanting to re-write history don’t want you to know his party was called: National Socialist German Workers’ Party. Socialists always come to power promising equality and free stuff. It’s easy to get votes […]
By: Diane Benjamin For many years the Town of Normal has raised property taxes by telling you the increases were necessary to fund pensions. They left out one fact. All of the increased taxes for properties located in TIF Districts don’t go to pensions – they go to the TIF. Follow along: This isn’t complicated. […]
By: Diane Benjamin The Town of Normal owns a building at 102 W. North. ISU used it for awhile, the front is now rented to Ohmfit. You might not know the back is rented to Friends of Dan Brady for a campaign office. Since the building is being rented, property taxes should be paid, the […]
By: Diane Benjamin Problem 1 The property the Town of Normal owns at 1217 S. Adelaide still shows as taxable. https://mcleanil.devnetwedge.com/parcel/view/1432279011/2018 See this story, the Town has known since Stan Nord was elected they don’t owe the taxes: https://blnnews.com/2019/08/11/normal-like-paying-property-taxes-you-dont-owe/ Is it that hard to fix problems? Problem 2 These is a screen shot of video […]
The buzz: Normal is raising property taxes on Monday! Will the fake Republicans vote to take your money? Will Democrats tell you they have no alternative? Will Chris Koos resign? Lyle Sumek doesn’t allow budgeting pension expense? Will Marxist Illinois ever fix the pension crisis? Only New Jersey has higher property taxes, is Normal trying to […]
By: Diane Benjamin I’ve heard from numerous sources State Farm is not done downsizing their workforce. If local governments don’t tighten their belts, the flight of residents will do it for them. These numbers were complied from what Normal reported to the Comptroller’s office: Source: Normal – Warehouse Note the number of employees. Remember […]
A reader sent this link: https://hibid.com/catalog/182487/102-s-east-st–bloomington–il/ An auction is underway until 9/23. The listing claims it is gutting and cleaned inside. By: Diane Benjamin Lovely “Welcome to Downtown Bloomington”. 102 S East. I can’t find the listing, but the property taxes will be sold for the second year on November 1st. Last year the taxes […]
By: Diane Benjamin Not many people have. The chart below shows the multiplier that will be applied to the bill you get next year. If you live in a township with a ∗, your taxes will be higher even if your assessment remained the same. Only one township is lowering the multiplier, of course it was […]
By: Diane Benjamin Update to the story on Normal paying property taxes they don’t owe: https://blnnews.com/2019/08/11/normal-like-paying-property-taxes-you-dont-owe/ Every day that Normal fails to file the PTax 300 form to change the taxable status of properties that should be exempt means more taxes. Normal will get billed next year for the number of days it was taxable […]
Update: https://blnnews.com/2019/08/13/assessor-response-received/ By: Diane Benjamin Evidently the Town of Normal does. This property is at 1217 Adelaide: The Town of Normal bought it in 2015 and has been paying property taxes on it ever since. The property should be EXEMPT – not rocket science! So far the Town has wasted: Pam Reece knows and has […]
By: Diane Benjamin The local Democrats shared this on Facebook: Of course they had to pretend the Republicans are the party of the rich, facts don’t matter when talking points to keep the minions uniformed work better. Since democrats don’t bother with history before legislating, Pritzker and crew think the rich will hang around and […]
By: Diane Benjamin When the Pantagraph didn’t need their huge building anymore they sold it. Anything happening there with the new buyers or is it just another empty downtown building? Since they realized they didn’t need that much space and probably couldn’t afford to keep what isn’t absolutely necessary, they moved to a small space. […]
