Common Council - Departmental Budget Hearings

MEMORANDUM Bloomington Common Council-Budget Hearings for 2025 City Budget Bloomington City Hall, 401 N. Morton Street, Bloomington, Indiana Monday, August 26, 2024 NOTE: Formal minutes are not produced for budget hearings; the following summarizes actions taken at the following meeting of the budget hearings. Meeting called to order: 5:31pm Chair: Matt Flaherty Councilmembers present: Isak Nti Asare, Courtney Daily, Matt Flaherty, Isabel Piedmont-Smith, Dave Rollo, Kate Rosenbarger, Andy Ruff (left at 7:23pm), Hopi Stosberg, Sydney Zulich Councilmembers absent: None Councilmembers present via Zoom: None City staff and officials present: Deputy Mayor Gretchen Knapp, Jessica McClellan, Sharr Pechac, Matthew Frische, Roger Kerr, Matt Litwin, Mike Diekhoff, Cheryl Gilliland, Jane Kupersmith, Shatoyia Moss, Colleen Williamson, Ash Kulak, Chief Deputy Clerk Sofia McDowell City staff and officials present via Zoom: Mayor Kerry Thomson Topics Discussed: This week’s budget hearings will include budget presentations from each city department. Each night, department heads will present on their proposed 2025 budgets along with the goals and outcomes they hope to achieve for their departments in 2025. These presentations are a preview of what each department is hoping to see reflected in the 2025 budget as a whole. There will be no council votes taken this week on each department’s proposed budget because the adoption of the 2025 budget will not include department-by-department votes. Instead, councilmembers will make comments during council comment periods as to what changes they wish to see in each individual department’s budget before later this fall, when the Council is scheduled to consider the budget as a whole through a vote on three appropriation ordinances and three salary ordinances. The three appropriation ordinances include the civil city budget, the Utilities Department budget, and the budget for Bloomington Transit. The three salary ordinances will include salaries for officers of the police and fire departments, salaries for appointed officers, non-union, and A.F.S.C.M.E. employees for all the departments of the city, and salaries for elected officials. Council discussion and a public hearing on these items of legislation is scheduled for September 25th beginning at 6:30pm. The budget adoption meeting is scheduled for October 9th beginning at 6:30pm. There may still be changes between this week’s presentations and the six budget ordinances that come to Council later in the fall. Throughout the remainder of August and September, the administration will work with the Council and various departments to prepare a final version of the 2025 budget for the City. 1 ACTION: Flaherty gave a land and labor acknowledgment. MOTION: Stosberg moved and Ruff seconded that, for the duration of budget week, to limit councilmember questions and answers to a maximum of 3 minutes per councilmember, per presentation, and to limit councilmember comment period to 3 minutes per councilmember per presentation, and to limit public comment to 2 minutes per speaker per comment period. ACTION: The motion was approved by a voice vote. 2025 Budget Introductions: Deputy Mayor Gretchen Knapp, Controller Jessica McClellan, Human Resources Director Sharr Pechac. Fire Chief Roger Kerr presented the Fire Department 2025 Budget. Police Chief Mike Diekhoff presented the Police Department 2025 Budget. Director Shatoyia Moss presented the Community and Family Resources Department 2025 Budget. ACTION: Flaherty adjourned the meeting until August 27, 2024 at 5:30pm. Meeting ended: 9:11pm Memorandum prepared by: Sofia McDowell, Chief Deputy Clerk City of Bloomington 2