By: Diane Benjamin Meeting documentation: https://normal.org/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/4016 I hope the citizens who had sewage in their homes show up at public comment. I don’t see anything in the budget or community investment plan to keep it from happening again. Normal did nothing when it happened last year, it will happen again. Don’t be bullied into commenting […]
By: Diane Benjamin Somebody at the Pantagraph must read this site because they picked up and expanded the sewer billing fiasco between Bloomington and Normal. They even credited BlnNews for the story! You might want to read the comments: https://www.pantagraph.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/documents-bloomington-may-owe-normal-up-to-600-000-in-unremitted-sewer-charges/article_be624fb0-2c5f-50e4-8150-73c1f5824ac8.html#tracking-source=home-top-story-1 Link to both stories I wrote: https://blnnews.com/2021/04/21/return-to-civility-by-normal/ What they didn’t cover is: Pam Reece and […]
By: Diane Benjamin Stan Nord was on Cities 92.9 this morning talking about Mayor Chris Koos attempting to silence him Monday night. Listen at the top of the 8:00 hour: https://www.cities929.com/scott-robbins/ It wouldn’t be possible to locate all of the taxpayer fleeces I’ve written about under Chris Koos, but here’s a few: Normal lost $330,000 […]
By: Diane Benjamin Monday’s meeting is going to take more than one story! This is already #2. Previous: https://blnnews.com/2020/05/01/rivian-back-for-property-tax-abatement/ Normal will be holding multiple meetings Monday. At 5:30 two items will be discussed: http://normal.org/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/3619 If Normal claims the budget is fine when close to half of the population is missing they are either lying or […]
By: Diane Benjamin http://www.normal.org/Archive.aspx?AMID=47 Anybody see an agenda posted for yesterday’s meeting? According to the dead tree the Normal Town Council held a budget workshop yesterday. In the TWO stories they did, 5 of the 7 Council members are mentioned. Five is more than half, meaning it was a meeting. Open Meetings Act violation #6345. […]
By: Diane Benjamin Tonight: Town of Normal 7:00 p.m. Public Hearing on a proposed Property Tax Levy . I expect few citizens will show up to express outrage that their government is not capable of living within their means. The Council and the Mayor are counting on it. This hearing is required because the Town […]
By: Diane Benjamin Your elected aldermen in Bloomington really have guts! On the same day they found out at least $1 Million was stolen from you – they voted to slap higher sewer and storm water rates on the victims of their ineptness! Yes, that would be Bloomington taxpayers. The conversation was really amusing. Scott […]
By: Diane Benjamin Illinois increased income taxes again! The stack of unpaid bills increased! Since Illinois has “been there-done that”, and the unpaid stack still got bigger, that’s proof government doesn’t exist for anybody but itself. Monday Bloomington will do the same! PDF page 281. The City needs $136 Million over the next 20 years […]
By: Diane Benjamin Monday is RAISE your TAXES day! The fund balances aren’t enough! You must pay. Be compliant, stay home, cuss at the Council from the safety of your couch. Or, you could quit eating out as much and paying the outrageous food and beverage taxes. Or, you could buy more on-line and save those […]
By: Diane Benjamin The Bloomington City Council meeting last night was conducted without the mayor and without any accusations against citizens like “crazy”, “nasty”, and “small vocal minority”. Renner did hold another edition of his media blitz earlier in the day, but Karen Schmidt only announced he wasn’t there. According to media reports of the […]
By: Diane Benjamin The Town of Normal used to have their tax history on their website, they no longer do. Luckily I copied it back in 2012: https://blnnews.com/2012/05/30/normal-il-what-is-up-with-the-debt/ Rates were raised last Monday: http://www.normal.org/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/2689 To translate their Greek: April 1, 2017 – $1.27 per 1,000 gal, plus $2.50 per month August 7, 2017 – […]
By: Diane Benjamin Transparency must be dead: No Coliseum reports have been posted on-line since 4/30/15. (Meanwhile the media is instructed to report false information about real losses) City Manager Monthly Reports haven’t been posted since December 2015. Sewer rates will increase: This is from the Budget Work Session for 2017. Providing the sanitary sewer […]
