By Heart of Illinois ABC

BLOOMINGTON – A Bloomington Council member is advocating for the city to use some of its reserve funding for their own version of a local stimulus check.

The city has roughly 22 million dollars in surplus.
It’s about a decade’s worth of taxes saved for a rainy day.

Councilman Jeff Crabill said about 15% percent of it should be saved for emergencies, while a large chunk should be allocated to ensure Bloomington can always pay police, fire and continue essential city services.

Now more than ever he however, Crabill believes some of that money should be given back to families who are struggling to survive during the Coronavirus pandemic.

“When they go to the grocery store, when they pay income taxes…it’s their money and if they need it we should provide them that during this unprecedented time. People have lost their jobs and as this crisis progresses, people are going to become more and more dependent and needing of funds.” Crabil shared.

He said he ran for council to support residents and if he can’t do it in a time like this, then it defeats his purpose.

The stimulus plan is in its early stages, with no set dollar amount outlined yet. But Crabill did state this money should only be going to families who need it, adding he would entertain the idea of criteria or eligibility parameters to ensure that.

During Monday’s virtual Bloomington City Council meeting, members will vote to add this as a discussion item on their April 27th agenda.

Heart of Illinois ABC can be reached at [email protected].