Bloomington City Council met remotely Feb. 22, 2021.
The Bloomington City Council on Monday agreed to refinance some of its general obligation bonds, a move that’s expected to save about $560,000 in interest payments.
“We’ve done this before,” said City Manager Tim Gleason. “This is a relatively small bond refinance. But you’re going to be shocked at the amount of money we’re going to save.
Also at the virtual meeting, the council agreed to delay a decision on a Welcoming Cities ordinance draft to add clarification to the process, and heard reports on the John M. Scott Health Trust and on the upcoming budget.
ASHLEY BINKOWSKI / WGLT
Central Illinois nonprofits say now is the time to invest in, not undercut, social services.
There s $200 million on the chopping block for health and human services, as Gov. JB Pritzker tries to balance the state s budget in the wake of the failed graduated income tax amendment. It’s part of a larger blueprint to cut $700 million in state spending.
Human service providers say they understand the difficult financial position the state is in, but urge caution in cutting funding for programs that help everyone especially low-income communities.
Holly Ambuehl is with Illinois Partners for Human Service. The advocacy nonprofit recently sent a letter to Pritzker expressing the concerns of the group that represents more than 800 human service providers around the state, including dozens in McLean and Peoria counties.
Mary Cullen / WGLT
The John M. Scott Commission has announced a $485,000 wellness grant to assist health service agencies in McLean County.
The funds help agencies meet the various health and wellness needs of the community. Commission Chair Holly Ambuehl said funding is up from the last fiscal year to tackle health disparities in the community highlighted by COVID-19. She said this year’s grant is crucial for financially-strapped agencies.
“This year, fortunately, there s more available because of all the increased (needs) in the community. We re happy that there s more available,” she said.
Ambuehl said she discovered that people of color and low-income residents were the first to get COVID-19 and likely to die from it. She said the agency is asking applicants to pay close attention to local data to see where these health disparities exist.