UPDATE:  Normal – Just Can’t Say No

If course they didn’t say NO.  Details tomorrow. By:  Diane Benjamin http://normal.org/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/3633 The big item on the agenda tonight is this: Did you have flooding this weekend?  There were videos on line showing nearly impassable streets in Normal, evidently that’s not unusual. Instead of essential services at a time when revenues are way down and […]

The entitled show up to shame 

By:  Diane Benjamin Public comment last night was loaded with those who think they are entitled to tax dollars.  Yes people have lost jobs and yes paying bills is next to impossible, but that doesn’t make them entitled to anything.  The good socialists showed up en masse to criticize the FIVE Council members who voted […]

Bullies!

By:  Diane Benjamin Received by FOIA. On March 13th Jenn Carrillo tried to call an emergency meeting with the County, Bloomington, and Normal:  https://blnnews.com/2020/04/08/hey-jenn-carrillo-you-got-379-votes/ Since that didn’t work out, plan #2: She invited tons of elected officials to “her call” without telling them who the community groups were.  Turns out they were all her radical […]

United Way Tax Returns

By:  Diane Benjamin For the year ending June 30, 2017 United Way collected a $1,000,000 less than the previous year.  Total revenue was $2.1 million, so a million less is huge. 22% of the Revenue went to salaries and benefits.  The previous year only 18% went to employees. See page one of the tax return […]

Sit down Normal

By:  Diane Benjamin http://www.normal.org/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/2784 Town of Normal payments for tonight:  (Click on any pics to enlarge) Would you take your kids Trick-Or-Treating in Uptown if you knew you paid for the candy? The ICMA conference was in Texas, looks like a FOIA for all credit card charges is needed. Sit down if you aren’t already: […]

Normal’s spending tonight

By:  Diane Benjamin Why is your money going to the Chamber of Commerce?  So they can buy an election when the Chamber endorses candidates? MCLEAN CO CHAMBER OF COMMERCE     ANNUAL DUES   $2,172.00 MCLEAN CO CHAMBER OF COMMERCE    ANNUAL GALA    $1,000.00  . Koos took a trip to Pittsburgh for the National League of Cities conference + […]

Normal thinks your money is theirs

By:  Diane Benjamin Remember that anonymous letter I received:   https://blnnews.com/2016/10/27/i-cant-stop-smiling/ I filed this FOIA request based on the information in that letter.  Note:  This was NOT a Town of Normal employee who gave me the tip, it was a fed up taxpayer. Per the Constitution of the State of Illinois:  http://www.ilga.gov/commission/lrb/con8.htm You work hard or […]

UPDATE: Normal: How your money is spent

The taxpayers of Normal seem to be waking up!  This story has MANY reads because you are sharing it!  Keep it up and I will do more investigating in Normal. I bet one reader was surprised by my reporting on United Way.  It is a total coincidence that your letter arrived today and I wrote […]