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Bloomington Back In Black

Michael Hill
/
WGLT

Bloomington Aldermen heard next year’s budget proposal from City Manager David Hales and Finance Director Patti-Lynn Silva. The plan includes $207 million in spending, with $9.7 million coming from the sales tax increase passed last year. The proposal also eliminates the $7.5 million structural deficit projected last year.

This year’s budget was classified as a “band-aid” budget, but Silva says the city is on the right path with next year’s budget.

“We’re addressing all of our major high points of concern; infrastructure, pension funding, holding the line where we can, going into addressing our programs in the year coming up and identifying those.”

Silva says several factors contributed to the positive outlook for next year.

“The 1% sales tax, really doing deep dives on our expenditures and programs that we’re still working on. Our economy is picking up. Our sales tax [revenue] is actually increasing.”

The council will take some time to consider the proposal and make changes. They’ll hold a work session and public hearing in March, with a final budget proposal planned for April.

On another matter, Aldermen approved an Economic Incentive Agreement to bring Kroger to a new location at College Avenue and Hershey Road. It will be the first Kroger Marketplace in Illinois. Alderwoman Buragas says she welcomes the opportunity.

“I think that’s an extraordinary thing that we are the very first community that they’re choosing to make this type of investment in.”

The city council also passed a TIF district for Colonial Plaza, which includes District 87 schools and Towanda Plaza.

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