Common Council Committee/Deliberation Meeting

Bloomington Common Council- Deliberative Session Minutes Council Chambers, City Hall, 401 N. Morton Street, Bloomington, Indiana Wednesday, January 15, 2025, 6:30pm 1. CALL TO ORDER [6:31pm] Council President Stosberg called the meeting to order. 2. ROLL CALL (* indicates participation via Zoom) [6:31pm] Members: Isak Nti Asare (left at 7:15) At-Large Courtney Daily (absent) District 5, Council Parliamentarian Matt Flaherty At-Large Isabel Piedmont-Smith District 1, Council Vice President Dave Rollo* District 4 Kate Rosenbarger (arrived at 6:32) District 2 Andy Ruff (arrived at 6:31) At-Large Hopi Stosberg District 3, Council President Sydney Zulich District 6 City staff, officials, and guests present: Nicole Bolden City Clerk Lisa Lehner Council Attorney Kelly Murphy Technology Support Manager 3. AGENDA SUMMATION [6:33pm] Council President Hopi Stosberg remarked on Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday. She highlighted that Monroe County was still in the process of making history by recently appointing the first Black person, Jennifer Crossley, to serve as the Monroe County Council President. Stosberg then summarized the agenda. 4. ORDER OF CONVERSATION [6:34pm] 4.1. Committees in the Bloomington Municipal Code – Discussion of Standings and Descriptions 4.2. Internal Expectations of Committee Chairs 4.3. Internal Expectations for Reporting on Council Committees 4.4. Internal Expectations for Reporting on Boards/Commissions 4.5. Discussion of Existing Committees vs. Desired Committees The council committee deliberation session focused on evaluating and improving committee structures and processes. Key points included the need for a budget committee or task force to oversee budget processes and outcome-based budgeting, and the potential redesign of the climate action and resilience committee. The discussion highlighted the importance of clear documentation and expectations for committee members and chairs, as well as the need for more efficient meeting schedules. Additionally, the council considered creating a long-term financial planning committee and the potential for standing committees to divide work among council members better. Meeting Date: January 15, 2025 5. PUBLIC COMMENT [7:48pm] Terry Amsler emphasized the importance of good governance and effective processes, suggested adding to the purpose of the council processes committee, and spoke in favor of written reports. Christopher Emge discussed the potential benefits of a long-term financial planning committee that would provide recommendations on the city's fiscal outlook. Steve Volan highlighted the importance of having standing committees to divide work among council members and improve efficiency. 6. ADJOURNMENT [8:25pm] Stosberg adjourned the meeting. APPROVED by the Common Council of the City of Bloomington, Monroe County, Indiana, upon this ________ day of 16 __________________________________________, 2025. April APPROVE: ATTEST: __________________________________________ _____________________________________________________ Hopi Stosberg, COUNCIL PRESIDENT City Clerk Nicole Bolden Clerk’s Note: The above minutes summarize the motions passed and issues discussed rather than providing a verbatim account of every word spoken. Bloomington City Council meetings can be watched on the following websites:  Community Action Television Services (CATS) – https://catvstv.net  YouTube – https://youtube.com/@citybloomington Background materials and packets are available at https://bloomington.in.gov/council -2-