Township Looks to Increase Living Assistance

The Pantagraph Bloomington, IL › April 10, 2006

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Summary

BLOOMINGTON - More local residents are turning to the City of Bloomington Township for assistance in paying for a place to live. Thats why Township Supervisor Ruth Ann Sikora is increasing the townships general assistance budget by about $190,000 for the coming year. Sikora presented the budget Monday to the Bloomington City Council. The council members also serve as township commissioners. The $1,146,000 budget for general assistance will cover the 2006-07 fiscal year that begins April 1. "The demand for general assistance continues to increase," Sikora said. "The good part is we are housing people. Most of the demand for general assistance has been for rent assistance."The difficult part is being able to project just how many people will need help in the coming year," she added.The township has spent $904,000 for general assistance this year, and it still has a little over three months left on its current budget. Last year, the township spent $959,206.Projecting costs for the townships general town fund is a bit easier to predict, Sikora said, because everything is pretty much a fixed cost.Sikora presented a $1.56 million general town fund budget to the council. That is up slightly from the 2005-06 budget of $1.44 million.A public hearing on the townships general assistance and general town budget is set for 6:15 p.m. March 27 at Bloomington City Hall.---------------At a glanceWhat does this mean to you?More people in need are reaching out to the City of Bloomington Township for general assistance help to pay for rent. BackgroundIn a preliminary budget for 2006-07 presented to the City Council, Township Supervisor Ruth Ann Sikora added nearly $190,000 to increase the general assistance budget. What is next? The City Council will hold a public hearing on the budget at 6:15 p.m. March 27. The council is expected to vote on the budget when it meets as the township board that night.

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Township Looks to Increase Living Assistance

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