Common Council Organizational Meeting

Bloomington Common Council-Organizational Meeting Minutes Council Chambers, City Hall, 401 N. Morton Street, Bloomington, Indiana Wednesday, January 08, 2025, 6:30pm 1. CALL TO ORDER [6:33pm] Council President Piedmont-Smith called the meeting to order. 2. ROLL CALL (* indicates participation via Zoom) [6:34pm] 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* 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 Ash Kulak Deputy Council Attorney 3. AGENDA SUMMATION [6:35pm] Council President Isabel Piedmont-Smith gave a land acknowledgment and summarized the agenda. 4. REPORTS [6:38pm] 4.1. Councilmembers: Rollo wished everyone a Happy New Year. Zulich wished everyone a Happy New Year. Ruff thanked Piedmont-Smith and Stosberg for their work in the previous year. Asare thanked all of the workers who had cleared the streets of snow and acknowledged that there was more to come. Stosberg gave shout-outs to city staff for their work during the snowstorm, people who stayed home for safety reasons, the snow buddies program, and Dr. Markay Winston for her new role as school superintendent. Piedmont-Smith highlighted the accomplishments of the previous year and thanked her colleagues. 4.1.1. Pending litigation: Stosberg moved, and Asare seconded to approve the Agreed Order as it was presented in the revised packet and authorize the president of the council to sign it. The motion received a roll call vote of Ayes: 9, Nays: 0, Abstain: 0. 4.2. The Mayor and City Offices: Meeting Date: January 08, 2025 Jennifer Crossley, Deputy Clerk of Communications and Outreach, spoke to the council about her new role working with boards and commissions. 4.3. Council Committees: There were no council committee reports. 4.4. Public: Greg Alexander discussed the dangers of bicycling and walking in the snow and urged the council to take action to ensure the implementation of its plans. Adrian Thomas discussed making police cars more visible and his claim of disparate treatment from the Bloomington Housing Authority. Christopher Emge (via Zoom) looked forward to collaboration between the Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce and the city. He also thanked city workers for their cleanup efforts during the recent snowstorm. Deputy Attorney Ash Kulak read a written comment submitted via Zoom chat by Sam Dove, noting the upcoming meeting with the mayor to discuss the future location of the police headquarters. Joe Davis objected to the city’s use of general obligation bonds, the food and beverage tax, and the convention center expansion. He also noted the loss of safety due to snow on the sidewalks. Darel Ruble commented that the street department did a great job clearing the streets. He noted that his daughter was in jail custody, but he did not know where she was being held. 5. ELECTION OF OFFICERS [7:15pm] Ruff moved and Zulich seconded to elect the following slate of officers: President: Hopi Stosberg Vice President: Isabel Piedmont-Smith Parliamentarian: Courtney Daily Ruff noted that serving as an officer was additional responsibility, time, and effort and thanked those who agreed to serve. Daily said she would do her best. Stosberg thanked Ruff for the nomination and said she was willing to do the extra work. Piedmont-Smith commented on her confidence in Daily and Stosberg and the reluctance of other council members to serve as officers. Ruff said that he thought several councilmembers wanted to serve but could not dedicate the time they needed to do so. The motion to elect officers received a roll call vote of Ayes: 9, Nays: 0, Abstain: 0. -2-  Meeting Date: January 08, 2025 Daily took presented a commemorative gavel to Piedmont-Smith in recognition of her service as president in the preceding year. Incoming Council President Hopi Stosberg presided over the remainder of the meeting. 6. ASSIGNMENTS TO COUNCIL COMMITTEES [7:28pm] Stosberg announced the new seating order for the council, and the council moved into their new seats. Stosberg appointed the following councilmembers to the Climate Action & Resilience Committee: Flaherty (Chair), Stosberg, Rollo, Zulich. Stosberg appointed the following councilmembers to the Jack Hopkins Social Services Funding Committee: Asare (Chair), Daily, Ruff, Rollo. Stosberg continued the Special Committee on Council Processes and appointed the following councilmembers to the Special Committee: Piedmont-Smith (Chair), Flaherty, Zulich, Daily. Stosberg appointed the following councilmembers to the Council Sidewalk Committee: Rosenbarger (Chair), Ruff, Zulich, Piedmont-Smith. Stosberg made the following assignments to the Board and Commission Interview Committees: Interview Team A: Asare, Rosenbarger (Chair), Stosberg Interview Team B: Daily (Chair), Piedmont-Smith, Ruff Interview Team C: Flaherty, Rollo, Zulich (Chair) 7. APPOINTMENTS TO BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS [7:32pm] Daily moved and Piedmont-Smith seconded to make the following appointments: Bloomington Economic Development Corporation: Asare Downtown Bloomington, Inc. Board of Directors: Zulich Economic Development Commission (County): Asare Economic Development Commission (City): Asare Board of the Urban Enterprise Association: Rosenbarger Plan Commission: Stosberg Metropolitan Planning Organization: Stosberg Parking Commission: Flaherty Board of the Waste Reduction District of Monroe County: Piedmont-Smith Bloomington Commission on Sustainability: Rollo Environmental Resources Advisory Council: Ruff Citizens Advisory Committee- Community Development Block Grants -Social Services: Daily -Physical Improvements: Rosenbarger Monroe County Food and Beverage Tax Advisory Commission: Zulich Public Safety Local Income Tax Allocation Committee: Daily, Piedmont-Smith, Rollo, Ruff Utilities Services Board: Flaherty Piedmont-Smith asked about the timing and funding for the sidewalk committee. Rosenbarger said the new committee would meet in 2025 to discuss funding for the same year. The motion for appointments received a roll call vote of Ayes: 9, Nays: 0, Abstain: 0. -3- Meeting Date: January 08, 2025 8. LEGISLATION FOR FIRST READINGS [7:40pm] 8.1. Ordinance 2025-01 To Amend the District Ordinance and Preliminary Plan of A 3.2 Acre Planned Unit Development (PUD), The Curry PUD, In Order to Amend the Workforce Housing Contribution – Re: 105 S. Pete Ellis Drive (Bloomington SPCW JV, LLC, Petitioner) Daily moved and Piedmont-Smith seconded that Ordinance 2025-01 be introduced and read by title and synopsis only. The motion to introduce Ordinance 2025-01 received a roll call vote of Ayes: 9, Nays: 0, Abstain: 0. Clerk Nicole Bolden read the legislation by title and synopsis. 8.2. Ordinance 2025-02 An Ordinance Establishing the Outdoor Dining Program in the Downtown Corridor Daily moved and Piedmont-Smith seconded that Ordinance 2025-02 be introduced and read by title and synopsis only. The motion to introduce Ordinance 2025-02 received a roll call vote of Ayes: 9, Nays: 0, Abstain: 0. Bolden read the legislation by title and synopsis. Stosberg referred Ordinance 2025-01 and Ordinance 2025-02 for second reading at the Regular Session to be held on January 22, 2025. 9. ADDITIONAL PUBLIC COMMENT [7:42pm] There was no additional public comment. 10. COUNCIL SCHEDULE [7:43pm] Stosberg listed the upcoming council meetings. Lisa Lehner, Council Attorney, thanked the 2024 officers for their service and noted that council staff looked forward to working with the new officers in 2025. 11. ADJOURNMENT [7:44pm] 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 -4-