In March the budget for the uptown underpass was $23.9 million.
In April the Town of Normal staff told the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) the “Project Cost” … “- “Revised for Inflation – For Use in BUILD Application Request” was $29.9 million. But Normal did not formally update its budget for the project at that time.
In the council report for the August 1, 2022 meeting town staff told council and the public that the budget was $23.9 million which while technically correct ignored the previously documented realistic expectation that the project will cost $29.9 million. It also ignored the fact that the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) was making another $1.9 million available to the town that the town stated could be used for the project.
The council report for Monday night’s meeting showed the budget as $27.1 million. This is because USDOT has made $3.2 million more available for the project in response to the town’s request for an additional $6 million. So at this time the town is telling the council and USDOT that the cost is $27.1 million.
Normal Playing Loose Again With Numbers Regarding Underpass.
Council member Stan Nord takes issue with the town’s inconsistencies when talking about the cost of this project telling cities 92.9, “The budget for this project keeps changing depending on the audience that the town is speaking to. Local taxpayers have been told $24 million. And then the federal government, at the same time, was being told $30 million. And now we are back to $24 million to the town. And then tonight it said $27 million. Literally the number keeps changing and the council has not voted to increase or change the budget from what it was originally.”
During the meeting Nord strove to make his point to his fellow council members saying, “It’s very wrong to tell government one thing and the taxpayer another. Nord later stated, “If us as citizens would play this game with the federal government and say we just want to get some more money for whatever benefit we’re trying to get, and we just pad the numbers. We’ll end up in jail. But for us to do that, the comment is ‘you’re just sensationalizing.”
Mayor Chris Koos told Nord he needed to take some time to learn more about the difference between a budget and a forecast.
City Manager Pam Reece told Nord, “I get tired of you telling us we are doing something wrong and going to jail.” Later she stated, “Nothing hasn’t been transparent.”
Nord summed the issue up this way, telling us after the meeting, “The problem is that everybody knows and expected this project would cost more money. But the problem we have now is the town staff. We’re telling the federal government it’s going to cost $6 million more while at the same time telling the local tax payers that the cost has not gone up. That is deceptive,” Nord concluded.
