Common Council Committee/Deliberation Meeting

Bloomington Common Council-Deliberative Session Minutes Council Chambers, City Hall, 401 N. Morton Street, Bloomington, Indiana Wednesday, February 12, 2025, 6:30pm 1. CALL TO ORDER [6:30pm] Council President Stosberg called the meeting to order. 2. ROLL CALL (* indicates participation via Zoom) [6:31pm] Members: Isak Nti Asare At-Large Courtney Daily District 5, Council Parliamentarian Matt Flaherty At-Large Isabel Piedmont-Smith District 1, Council Vice President Dave Rollo District 4 Kate Rosenbarger (absent) District 2 Andy Ruff 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 [6:31pm] Council President Hopi Stosberg read a poem, “Life Doesn’t Frighten Me”, by Maya Angelou. Stosberg then summarized the agenda. 4. ORDER OF CONVERSATION [6:34pm] 4.1. Collective Bargaining: Council’s Rights and Responsibilities Lehner and Stosberg discussed the upcoming collective bargaining agreements, with negotiations expected to start in May 2026. The American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) and other unions' contracts were set to expire on December 31, 2026. Zulich said she would be interested in observing the negotiations and offered to help draft legislation to update the code related to contract negotiations. 4.2. Council Finance Committee v. Budget Task Force Stosberg intended to form a special finance committee of four council members at the next meeting. She said the committee would meet at least quarterly, work with the controller on the budget, and work with council staff on the council budget and elected officials’ salary ordinance. She referenced Resolution 2024-12, and the need to establish a Budget Task Force. Stosberg outlined her proposed framework for the task force. She asked councilmembers to send her an email or text message to indicate their interest in participation for both groups. 4.3. Proposed Expansion of Convention Center Speakers: Sarah Hempstead Schmidt Associates Jeff Underwood CIB Controller Meeting Date: February 12, 2025 Deb Kunce Senior Vice President, J.S. Held Chris Ciolli Weddle Bros. Construction Companies Buzz Krohn O.W. Krohn & Associates Margie Rice Corporation Counsel, Bloomington Tenley Drescher-Rhoades* Faegre Drinker Law Firm, Special Counsel Geoff McKim CIB Board of Directors Jessica McClellan Controller, Bloomington 4.3.1. Building Plans and Construction Information The convention center expansion project was presented with a $70 million budget, including $52 million for construction. Financing would use $20 million from existing food and beverage cash balances and $50 million in lease rental bonds. The project aimed for a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver rating, including a green roof and sustainable features. 4.3.2. Discussion of Lease Terms and Related Legal Matters Discussion of the financing included discussion of lease financing in Indiana, which enabled political subdivisions to avoid hitting their constitutional debt limit. Rice explained the timeline for council action, including the need for a public hearing and passage of a resolution authorizing the execution of the lease. Drescher-Rhoades gave more information and details about the lease itself. 5. PUBLIC COMMENT [8:35pm] The public offered no comments. 6. ADJOURNMENT [8:36pm] Stosberg adjourned the meeting. APPROVED by the Common Council of the City of Bloomington, Monroe County, Indiana, upon this 16 ________ day of April __________________________________________, 2025. 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-