By: Diane Benjamin I have stated many times I rarely cross Veterans Parkway. I also avoid driving Veterans Parkway. Is anyone seriously thinking of reducing it from 6 lanes to 4? Why does that make me think of the people who wanted to build an East side bypass? Do planners want people crying for a […]
By: Diane Benjamin Bloomington Agenda: https://d3n9y02raazwpg.cloudfront.net/cityblm/f7056f24-5bbe-11ee-ae13-0050569183fa-791fe512-602c-4d20-98c8-ecdbbed39134-1716574900.pdf There are two annexation Public Hearings for land on W Washington. On the regular agenda is approving the annexations. I have no idea why a solar farm wants to be inside the City limits. https://d2kbkoa27fdvtw.cloudfront.net/cityblm/2216655a5d132afd5554038e390ffa4c0.pdf Road resurfacings for next year won’t be bid since the City thinks only Rowe […]
By: Diane Benjamin Packet: The City will be spending $5,220,438.92 on general street resurfacing. Of course that isn’t nearly enough to even begin catching up. See PDF page 245 and following for a list of streets. Bills and Payroll: https://www.cityblm.org/home/showpublisheddocument/28184/637951356778730000 Number of employees is now 947. The meeting looks pretty boring. Maybe somebody can liven […]
By: Diane Benjamin The Town of Normal is getting almost $11 million in American Rescue Funds over 2 years. Remember this slide from the Town of Normal Work Session on spending the windfall? https://blnnews.com/2021/12/07/normals-work-session-lack-of-transparency/ See the $3.5 million for the Savannah Green neighborhood. I have a map of that area below, but first you need […]
By: Diane Benjamin Proving yet again the priorities of staff have nothing to do with what citizens expect: The Town is going to fix West College, it needs it! The problem is they aren’t just going to fix it. So far just DESIGN is budgeted at $1.45 MILLION. DESIGN Nothing is going to be built […]
By: Diane Benjamin If Normal passes an ordinance tonight to punish small businesses just trying not to close permanently here is what they are doing: Ignoring where COVID does kill people There is no proof bars and restaurants spread the virus but there is lots of proof nursing and group homes do. We know what […]
Former alderman Jim Fruin lives on Thornwood. By: Diane Benjamin I received this email today: Diane, we live on Thornwood lane which is a 1 block street off Airport Road in Hawthorne Hills. The street has been on the city’s schedule for repaving last year and now this year. It was never done last year, […]
By: Diane Benjamin Back in 2015 I did a story with this screen shot from the City website: https://blnnews.com/2015/05/13/karch-what-used-to-be-on-the-website/ Who was Mayor in 2000 when ZERO was spent on roads? Judy Markowitz. Mike Matejka was on the Council, and Tom Hamilton was City Manager. Minutes are not available on the City website. Of course the […]
By: Diane Benjamin When Tari ran for re-election in 2017 he promised to fix the streets, he forgot to add one line to his campaign card: Tari created a Gas Tax in 2014 to fix the roads, he raised the Sales Tax in 2015 to fix the roads. NOTHING is being spent on road resurfacing […]
By: Diane Benjamin Jim Karch has posted a list of the streets that are going to be resurfaced in the new budget. You can see a map and the list here: http://www.cityblm.org/Home/ShowDocument?id=21169 Get ready for a shock – Hershey isn’t on list. Neither is Prospect which is getting as bad as Hershey. Most of […]
By: Diane Benjamin http://www.normal.org/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/2996 Tonight Normal may prove government destroys affordable housing. On the agenda is mandatory recycling for all multi-family housing. Non-compliance fines are $100 per day! Who MUST recycle: Attacking the poor is so easy when ideology rules over common sense. Affordable housing will become even less affordable. Where is the League of […]
By: Diane Benjamin http://www.cityblm.org/Home/ShowDocument?id=15932 Now for the meat of tonight’s Bloomington City Council meeting! Finally we have arrived at the tax increases. Solid Waste – AGAIN! PDF page 130 The Council will get a choice – all of them cost you more: Ordinance 1: “High Service Level, High Fee Increases” Ordinance 2: “Medium Service Level, […]
By: Diane Benjamin Only a tiny group of citizens want bike lanes. Tari Renner ran for office twice pledging to fix the roads. He obviously isn’t as serious as the people with damaged vehicles are. This is from 2015: http://www.cityblm.org/government/departments/public-works/streets-sidewalks/street-resurfacing The table shows how much money per year is required just to have TERRIBLE STREETS. […]
