Common Council Committee/Deliberation Meeting

Bloomington Common Council- Deliberative Session Minutes Council Chambers, City Hall, 401 N. Morton Street, Bloomington, Indiana Wednesday, April 09, 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 (absent) District 5, Council Parliamentarian Matt Flaherty At-Large Isabel Piedmont-Smith District 1, Council Vice President Dave Rollo District 4 Kate Rosenbarger 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 Eric Murillo Technology Support Specialist Kelly Murphy Technology Support Manager 3. AGENDA SUMMATION [6:31pm] Stosberg remarked on the 50th Anniversary concerts of the Indiana University African American Dance Company scheduled for the upcoming weekend. Stosberg then summarized the agenda. 4. COUNCILMEMBER REPORTS [6:32pm] Rollo announced an upcoming constituent meeting. Piedmont-Smith reported her attendance at a rally and announced an upcoming constituent meeting. Zulich announced the upcoming publication of her newsletter, CivicZoo. Stosberg noted an upcoming Town Hall at City Hall sponsored by the Indiana Democratic Party. 5. COUNCIL DISCUSSION ON BUDGET PRIORITIES FOR 2026 [6:35pm] The Common Council committee deliberation session focused on various budget priorities and community needs. Key points included the importance of affordable housing, public safety, transportation, and economic development. Specific budget items proposed were a bond for a southwest fire station, increased funding for sidewalks and multi-use paths, and support for a form- based code to improve housing development. Councilmembers also emphasized the need for a high- performing government, better pay for city employees, and increased funding for community engagement and equity initiatives. Councilmembers underlined the need for a prioritization list, with a special session scheduled for April 30. The transition to outcome-based budgeting was highlighted, requiring a new mindset and format. Specific tasks included consolidating notes, using Meeting Date: April 09, 2025 survey data, and preparing worksheets. The importance of focusing on enhancements and increases in the budget rather than all outcomes was stressed. 6. PUBLIC COMMENT RELATED TO 2026 BUDGET PRIORITIES [8:04pm] Daniel McMullen highlighted concerns about road closures and suggested designated Uber/Lyft pickup spots near bike lanes and bus stops to improve safety and traffic flow, especially for students. Christopher Emge noted that budget constraints necessitated prioritizing essential services such as housing, transportation, and park maintenance, while also leveraging private investment and ensuring fiscal accountability. Gerhard Glomm commented that misinformation distorted key economic issues and invited the council to a free talk about economic policies at the downtown library. Stephen Volan recommended reviewing departmental transactions to identify inefficiencies and proposed funding an independent council auditor to analyze city spending. Greg Alexander noted sparse sidewalks in low-density areas were unaffordable to maintain and linked housing shortages to inflated costs, stressing that more housing would stabilize taxes and enable better services. 7. COUNCIL SCHEDULE [8:32pm] Upcoming meetings were noted, including a fiscal committee meeting on April 16 and a Budget Task Force meeting on April 16. 8. ADJOURNMENT [8:35pm] 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-