By: Diane Benjamin Check out the P-Card spending starting on PDF page 157: https://www.bloomingtonil.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/28645 Staff is back to traveling, two people went to the IML conference in Chicago. Somehow they didn’t spend as much as the Town of Normal people who went. HR is on an advertising spree for new employees. Currently that link shows […]
By: Diane Benjamin Proof COVID is over, Bloomington employees are back to traveling: https://www.cityblm.org/home/showpublisheddocument/27940/637884879474800000 Go to PDF page 130 and following see for yourself. Don’t miss this one: $6754.00 for ONE Conference. I could say I hope more than one person went for that price, but then I’d have to ask why more than one […]
By: Diane Benjamin Keep in mind many of Normal’s professional staff don’t live in Normal: https://blnnews.com/2020/12/14/guess-where-town-of-normal-employees-dont-live/ They have no reason to keep taxes low, make the roads drivable, or the water drinkable. The Council will be meeting at 5:15 to hear the status of the underpass project. Public opinion is immaterial. The fanciest properties will […]
By: Diane Benjamin Bills and Payroll: https://www.cityblm.org/Home/ShowDocument?id=22497 Indoctrination camps, the Illinois Municipal League represents cities, not taxpayers: The Coliseum continues to bleed taxpayers: This is year THREE for the Small Business Development Center. Is anybody asking what has been developed? https://blnnews.com/2018/01/03/knuckleheads/ Option 1 (50/50 split): That the Resolution approving the Small Business Development Center funding […]
By: Diane Benjamin Two new trustees will be sworn into office at 7:00. They were elected because Chris Koos did not want them on the Council. Stan Nord and Karyn Smith will need the support of citizens to stop this madness! http://www.normal.org/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/3285 Look at this spending. Get the idea government and quasi-government agencies know how […]
By: Diane Benjamin http://www.normal.org/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/3274 Lots of travel and food! Note the funeral flowers – nice but not an expense government should be using your money for. Accountants take credit cards? Most send an INVOICE! Pension Spiking: Was this event free? More waste:
By: Diane Benjamin Link to the Monday packet: http://www.normal.org/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/2990 Another 10 minute meeting with not much on the agenda. None of these items will get discussed. At the June 4th meeting $25,000 of Harmon Grants were approved – PDF page 27 http://www.normal.org/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/2973 Monday night they are paying the grants, but the total is $26,500 – PDF […]
By: Diane Benjamin Bills and Payroll for 5/29/2018 http://www.cityblm.org/Home/ShowDocument?id=17800 See page 86-93. All the NEGATIVE numbers mean they spent more than was budgeted for that area. It’s illegal to spend what isn’t budgeted without Council approval. If I have time I may investigate further. Note: Remember all Tari’s free lunches he claimed were for City business? […]
By: Diane Benjamin I filed a FOIA request for details from Connect Transit – Travel & Meetings: $10,272.18. Original story here: https://blnnews.com/2017/10/23/connect-transit-september-fleece/ I received 106 pages: Travel and Meetings Everyone that traveled must not have their own credit card, so the statements are a maze of charges on one card for someone without one. The statements also contain […]
By: Diane Benjamin From July 2016 through May 2017 they lost $9,428,569 (PDF Page 8 https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4zAZemF_qQuZzVIekJtLTVTN28/view ) May 2017 ridership was up over last year, but year to date is still behind and they are way behind projections – See PDF page 11. Are rides up because Bloomington-Normal now has more poor people who can’t afford […]
See this story for the totals: https://blnnews.com/2016/10/28/connect-transit-totals/https://blnnews.com/2016/10/28/connect-transit-totals/ By: Diane Benjamin I didn’t attend the Connect Transit meeting last night, but I have reports from people who did. Of course people spoke that rely on buses, but people also spoke about BUDGETING a $12,000,000 loss when the country and the State of Illinois both have no […]
By: Diane Benjamin It’s typical of government to throw more money at services they want instead of looking for alternatives. Connect Transit is a perfect example. I can’t think of words to describe what a disaster they have created. See the Income Statement below. (March 22 packet: http://www.connect-transit.com/about/trustees/packet.asp) Budgeted Revenue: $1,611,719 Budgeted Expenses: $11,511,000 Budgeted […]
By: Diane Benjamin Last night David Hales revealed his proposed budget with HUGE increases in spending. If the Council has a death wish they will pass it as proposed. History says the Council will tell David Hales to cut it. Hales already has the cuts lined up, citizens are being played. The Council just […]
How did I forget? 5 years ago Tari, Bloomington wasn’t sending around $50,000 PER MONTH to Springfield for legal! By: Diane Benjamin Renner on WJBC: http://cdn.stationcaster.com/stations/wjbc/media/mpeg/Tari_Renner__Bloomington_mayor-1442412227.mp3 Renner on WGLT: http://wglt.org/wireready/news/2015/09/01831_09-15Renner_070330.shtml Tari Renner: We aren’t doing anything today that we weren’t doing 5 years ago. Inflation is causing the need for tax increases. 5 years ago […]
