Renner: Task force should have ‘open mind’ on budget solutions

Posted on May 27, 2015
Tari Renner
Bloomington mayor Tari Renner says he wants to give the city’s new budget task force as much leeway as possible to come up with solutions to address a $7 million shortfall. (WJBC file photo)

By Eric Stock

BLOOMINGTON – Mayor Tari Renner said the task force working on solutions for the city’s multi-million dollar shortfall should leave nothing off the table.

Renner told WJBC’s Scott Laughlin, there’s no room for sacred cows, otherwise nothing will get done.

PODCAST: Listen to Scott and Colleen’s interview with Renner on WJBC.

“If you have parameters you have very little left and there are liable to not do anything,” Renner said. “Hopefully we all go into this with an open mind.”

The group of alderman and community members held its first meeting Monday. Renner said if the task force presents budget ideas the city council supports, he will sign the budget they helped produce.

“If (the task force) proposes it and the council votes for it, I will not veto anything that closes this gap,” Renner said. “I won’t try to pick it apart (by line item veto).”

The city has a more-than $7 million shortfall, which could go up if the state moves to withhold the local share of income tax revenue which Gov. Rauner has proposed.

Bloomington could lose up to $4 million annually, but as Renner pointed out, many communities would feel the pain from that cut.

Eric Stock can be reached at [email protected].

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