Common Council Regular Session

In the Council Chambers of the Showers City Hall, Bloomington, Indiana on COMMON COUNCIL Wednesday, November 01, 2023 at 6:30pm, Council President Sue REGULAR SESSION Sgambelluri presided over a Regular Session of the Common Council. November 01, 2023 Councilmembers present: Dave Rollo, Kate Rosenbarger, Susan Sandberg, ROLL CALL [6:45pm] Sue Sgambelluri, Stephen Volan Councilmembers present via Zoom: Isabel Piedmont-Smith, Jim Sims, Ron Smith Councilmembers absent: Matt Flaherty Council President Sue Sgambelluri summarized the agenda and gave a land AGENDA SUMMATION acknowledgment. [6:46pm] Rollo moved and Sandberg seconded to approve the January 18, 2023 APPROVAL OF MINUTES minutes. The motion received a roll call vote of Ayes: 8, Nays: 0, Abstain: 0. [6:49pm] Sims discussed an article from the B Square Bulletin regarding the disparate REPORTS [6:49pm] number of Black community members being incarcerated, compared to the  COUNCIL MEMBERS population in the city. Volan commented on his experience that day with electric scooters, including successes and limitations. Sgambelluri noted her upcoming constituent meeting. Jackie Scanlan, Development Services Manager, Planning and  The MAYOR AND CITY Transportation (PT) department reported on duplexes and triplexes and OFFICES [6:57pm] the standards as required per Ordinance 21-23. She also reported on Accessory Dwelling Units (ADU). Volan asked if there had been only four approvals since the Ordinance 21- Council questions: 23 passed. Scanlan confirmed that was correct. Rollo asked if staff only learned of violations based on neighbor complaints. Scanlan said the goal was to catch potential violations during the permit phase, but complaints could be submitted by residents. Rollo asked what the penalty was. Scanlan said illegal land use cost $2500 per day, per violation, until the illegal use stopped. Volan asked if there had been any illegally built plexes because he had heard that there were. Scanlan stated there were not. Sandberg asked how residents could report violations. Scanlan stated that residents could contact PT or use the uReport system. There were no council committee reports.  COUNCIL COMMITTEES [7:05pm] Pauly Tarricone spoke about bicycling on 7th street and nearly being struck  PUBLIC [7:05pm] by a driver that was speeding on Walnut Ave. He noted other dangers cyclists and pedestrians face in the city. Colin Nielsen commented on duplexes and ADUs and urged council to allow more in the city. He discussed traffic calming devices on city streets. He appreciated the Kirkwood Street closure. Joe Davis invited the public to a forum with city staff to discuss the concerns at his property. p. 2 Meeting Date: 11-01-23 Matt Winter discussed the difficulty with parking at his home in Zone 6. He  PUBLIC (cont’d) was not allowed to apply for a neighborhood zone permit. Paul Post, President, Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), Lodge 88, noted concerns about the Showers West building, public safety, and the headquarters for police. Jeff Rodgers, Vice President, FOP, Lodge 88, expressed many concerns with moving police to Showers West and gave examples. Jordan Canada, Firefighter, Union President, Lodge 86, commented on the many concerns of moving to the Showers West building. He urged council to pause the process. Stephen Lucas, Council Attorney, read a comment submitted via Zoom chat by Sam Dove noting that there would not be leaf collection by the city that year. Sgambelluri said Shefali Prabhakar submitted her resignation from the APPOINTMENTS TO Commission on the Status of Women so council did not have to consider her BOARDS AND removal due to non-attendance. There were no appointments to Boards and COMMISSIONS [7:28pm] Commissions. LEGISLATION FOR SECOND READING AND RESOLUTIONS [7:28pm] Rollo moved and Sandberg seconded that Resolution 23-18 be introduced Resolution 23-18 – To and read by title and synopsis only. The motion received a roll call vote of Extend the Bloomington Ayes: 8, Nays: 0, Abstain: 0. Clerk Nicole Bolden read the legislation by title Urban Enterprise Zone and synopsis. for an Additional Five Years [7:28pm] Rollo moved and Sandberg seconded that Resolution 23-18 be adopted. De de la Rosa, Assistant Director of Small Business Development, Economic and Sustainable Development (ESD) department, presented the Bloomington Urban Enterprise Zone (BUEZ) including its history, members, and responsibilities of the Bloomington Urban Enterprise Association (BUEA). She discussed the extensions of the zone over time, impacts, incentives, state code, and grants for the zone. Volan asked how much money was invested in the zone in the last year and Council questions: over the lifetime of the zone. De la Rosa said it was close to $150,000. She was not sure about the lifetime amount because record-keeping from years past was not clear. There was discussion regarding the money being used in the zone. Rosenbarger thanked de la Rosa for her work. She noted the vacant resident zone seat on the BUEA. De la Rosa confirmed the vacancy and explained the requirements for the seat. Piedmont-Smith and Rosenbarger noted that they each lived in the zone and disclosed that they were eligible for a tax break for their work for the city. They believed that they could impartially participate in the consideration of Resolution 23-18. Piedmont-Smith asked for clarification on how funding was received for the BUEA.  Meeting Date: 11-01-23 p. 3 De la Rosa explained that the primary source was the Enterprise Zone Resolution 23-18 (cont’d) Incentive Deduction. Businesses paid 20% of what their tax would have been, each year. The city invested that money back into the community. Council questions: Piedmont-Smith asked if businesses were exempt from their tax bill. De la Rosa stated they were not and there were incremental options. For some businesses it was a straight tax deduction, and for others there was a schedule and they could have a lesser deduction at the end of the timeline. Sims thanked de la Rosa and asked Piedmont-Smith and Rosenbarger if they had used the tax incentive. He asked how the extensions worked. Piedmont-Smith stated that she did. De la Rosa said that it was in five year periods, and could be done in perpetuity at the time. There was no public comment. Public comment: Volan commented on the zone’s grants and referenced the Community Council comments: Revitalization Enhancement District (CRED). The administration had not made significant efforts to spend that funding specifically in the districts. He lamented that the CRED funds were not spent while the districts existed. Piedmont-Smith thanked de la Rosa and the BUEA for their work. She would support Resolution 23-18. The motion to adopt Resolution 23-18 received a roll call vote of Ayes: 7, Vote to adopt Resolution Nays: 1 (Volan), Abstain: 0. 23-18 [8:06pm] There was no legislation for first reading. LEGISLATION FOR FIRST READING [8:06pm] Christopher Emge, Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce, noted ADDITIONAL PUBLIC concerns with Showers West building and transparency and discussed COMMENT [8:07pm] upcoming chamber events. Lucas reviewed the upcoming council schedule. COUNCIL SCHEDULE [8:09pm] Rollo moved and Sandberg seconded to cancel the Regular Session meeting Vote to cancel Regular scheduled for November 8, 2023. The motion received a roll call vote of Session [8:11pm] Ayes: 8, Nays: 0, Abstain: 0. Sgambelluri adjourned the meeting without objection. ADJOURNMENT [8:12pm] APPROVED by the Common Council of the City of Bloomington, Monroe County, Indiana upon this _____ day of April 10 ____________________, 2024. APPROVE: ATTEST: _________________________________________ _______________________________________ Isabel Piedmont-Smith, PRESIDENT Nicole Bolden, CLERK Bloomington Common Council City of Bloomington