Common Council Regular Session

Bloomington Common Council-Regular Session Minutes Council Chambers, City Hall, 401 N. Morton Street, Bloomington, Indiana Wednesday, November 19, 2025, 6:30pm CALL TO ORDER [6:30pm] Council Vice President Isabel Piedmont-Smith called the meeting to order. 1. ROLL CALL (*Indicates participation via Zoom) [6:30pm] Councilmembers present: 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* (arrived at 8:53pm) District 3, Council President Sydney Zulich District 6 City staff, officials, and guests present: Sofia McDowell Chief Deputy Clerk Lisa Lehner Council Attorney Kari Bennett Deputy Council Attorney Eric Greulich Planning and Transportation, Development Services Manager David Hittle Planning and Transportation, Director 2. AGENDA SUMMATION [6:31pm] Piedmont-Smith summarized the agenda. 3. APPROVAL OF MINUTES [6:34pm] Daily moved and Zulich seconded to approve the minutes of July 23, 2025. The motion was approved by voice vote. 4. REPORTS [6:35pm] 4.1. Councilmembers: Asare announced that he would be attending the Maple Heights neighborhood association meeting. He commented on Innovation Week and its successes. He mentioned a recent community conversation on food security he hosted along with Daily and Monroe County Commissioner Jody Madeira. Rosenbarger stated that she would also be attending the Maple Heights neighborhood association meeting. Zulich reported that the Committee on Council Processes was considering the use of a consent agenda for council meetings. Piedmont-Smith expressed disdain at President Donald Trump’s repeated lawsuits against news and media organizations. She referenced the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights as a fundamental right. 4.2. Mayor, City Clerk, City Offices, and City Boards and Commissions: There were no reports from the mayor and city offices.  Meeting Date: November 19, 2025 4.3. Council Committees: There were no reports from council committees. 4.4. Public: Christopher Emge spoke of the Future Cast Luncheon hosted by the Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce, the Rotary Club, and the Kelley School of Business where wages had been discussed. Wages had increased in the nation and Indiana but decreased in Bloomington. 5. APPOINTMENTS TO BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS [6:44pm] On behalf of Interview Committee Team C, Zulich moved and Flaherty seconded to make appoint to appoint Joseph Shing to seat C-2 on the Commission on the Status of Children and Youth, and to appoint Zachary Ammerman to seat C-5 on the Commission on Sustainability. The motion was approved by voice vote. 6. LEGISLATION FOR FIRST READING [6:45pm] 6.1. Ordinance 2025-19 TO AMEND TITLE 15 OF THE BLOOMINGTON MUNICIPAL CODE ENTITLED “VEHICLES AND TRAFFIC” Re: Chapters 15.48 and 15.52 – Updating Permissible Towing and Storage Charges for Authorized Towing Services Daily moved and Flaherty seconded that Ordinance 2025-19 be introduced and read by title and synopsis only. The motion was approved by voice vote. Chief Deputy Clerk Sofia McDowell read the legislation by title and synopsis. 6.2. Ordinance 2025-20 TO AMEND CHAPTER 4.32 OF THE BLOOMINGTON MUNICIPAL CODE ENTITLED “NON-CONSENSUAL TOWING BUSINESS” Re: Updating Towing License Requirements and Permissible Towing and Storage Fees for Non-consensual Towing Services under Chapter 4.32 Daily moved and Asare seconded that Ordinance 2025-20 be introduced and read by title and synopsis only. The motion was approved by voice vote. McDowell read the legislation by title and synopsis. 7. Ordinance 2025-44 TO AMEND TITLE 10 OF THE BLOOMINGTON MUNICIPAL CODE ENTITLED “WASTEWATER” (Septic Hauler Rate Adjustment) Daily moved and Zulich seconded that Ordinance 2025-44 be introduced and read by title and synopsis only. The motion was approved by voice vote. McDowell read the legislation by title and synopsis. 8. Appropriation Ordinance 2025-14 TO SPECIALLY APPROPRIATE FROM THE GENERAL FUND, MOTOR VEHICLE HIGHWAY FUND, CC JACK HOPKINS FUND EXPENDITURES NOT OTHERWISE APPROPRIATED (Appropriating Various Transfers of Funds within the General Fund, Parks & Recreation General Fund, Motor Vehicle Highway Fund, Local Road and Street Fund, Public Safety LIT Fund, Solid Waste Fund, and Fleet Maintenance Fund) Daily moved and Zulich seconded that Appropriation Ordinance 2025-14 be introduced and read by title and synopsis only. The motion was approved by voice vote. McDowell read the legislation by title and synopsis. Piedmont-Smith referred the legislation to a second reading on December 03, 2025. 2 Meeting Date: November 19, 2025 9. LEGISLATION FOR SECOND READING AND RESOLUTIONS [6:50pm] 9.1. Resolution 2025-20 To Fund Emergency Food Services with a Distribution from the Jack Hopkins Social Services Grant Program Daily moved and Zulich seconded that Resolution 2025-20 be introduced and read by title and synopsis only. The motion was approved by voice vote. McDowell read the legislation by title and synopsis. Daily moved and Zulich seconded to adopt Resolution 2025-20. Asare said that council had sent a letter to Mayor Kerry Thomson requesting additional funding from the Jack Hopkins Social Services Fund for organizations working in food security, primarily due to the federal government shutdown. The funds would be distributed by Hoosier Hills Food Bank. There was discussion on the county residency requirement in the legislation, which was a mayoral priority. Piedmont-Smith said that was a policy issue that needed to be investigated, and Heading Home had shifted their stance on that. Lisa Lehner, Council Attorney, clarified that the memorandum of understanding was the one used by the Community and Family Resources department. There was no public comment. Zulich and Daily appreciated the legislation. The motion to adopt Resolution 2025-20 received a roll call vote of Ayes: 8, Nays: 0, Abstain: 0. 9.2. Ordinance 2025-45 TO FIX THE SALARIES OF ALL ELECTED CITY OFFICIALS FOR THE CITY OF BLOOMINGTON FOR THE YEAR 2026 Daily moved and Zulich seconded that Ordinance 2025-45 be introduced and read by title and synopsis only. The motion was approved by voice vote. McDowell read the legislation by title and synopsis. Daily moved and Zulich seconded to adopt Ordinance 2025-45. Piedmont-Smith presented the legislation which added a cost of living adjustment (COLA) to elected officials’ salaries. There were no council questions. Christopher Emge thanked elected officials for their service. Flaherty did not oppose a COLA but felt that elected officials’ salaries should be rooted in a cohesive, consistent, and comprehensive framework. He spoke about the salary committee’s work the previous year as well as other frameworks, like peer-benchmarking to other cities. He would vote no. The motion to adopt Ordinance 2025-45 received a roll call vote of Ayes: 6, Nays: 2 (Flaherty, Rosenbarger), Abstain: 0. 9.3. Ordinance 2025-41 TO AMEND TITLE 20 (UNIFIED DEVELOPMENT ORDINANCE) OF THE BLOOMINGTON MUNICIPAL CODE – Re: Use Table Amendment- “Single Room Occupancy” Daily moved and Zulich seconded that Ordinance 2025-41 be introduced and read by title and synopsis only. The motion was approved by voice vote. McDowell read the legislation by title and synopsis. Daily moved and Zulich seconded that Ordinance 2025-41 be adopted. 3  Meeting Date: November 19, 2025 Eric Greulich, Development Services Manager, Planning and Transportation, said the legislation was drafted in response to a request from council. It allowed the “Single Room Occupancy” (SRO) use in multiple zoning districts. He gave additional details. Piedmont-Smith passed the gavel to Daily. Piedmont-Smith moved and Asare seconded to adopt Amendment 01 to Ordinance 2025-41. Piedmont- Smith presented Amendment 01. Amendment 01 Synopsis: This amendment, sponsored by Councilmember Piedmont-Smith, inserts a new Whereas clause to explain that the Common Council requested the Plan Commission to consider Single Room Occupancy as a new allowed use. It also incorporates a revised Attachment A to better highlight and clarify the proposed changes adopted by the Plan Commission. There were no council questions. There was no public comment. There were no council comments. The motion to adopt Amendment 01 to Ordinance 2025-41 received a roll call vote of Ayes: 8, Nays: 0, Abstain: 0. Daily passed the gavel back to Piedmont-Smith. Asare asked about the buffer zone. Greulich said it was an effort to not saturate neighborhoods with the SROs. There would be a one hundred and fifty foot buffer where no other SROs could be located for two years. There was discussion on parking, whether SROs had to be attached, dwelling units, housing types in zoning districts, housing affordability, and incentives. Additional discussion included rental prices, the restriction on rent control by the state, existing residential rooming houses, accessory dwelling units, owner-occupied units, and renting for no less than thirty days. SROs would be considered by a hearing officer or the Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA), depending on situation. Rollo moved and Daily seconded to introduce Amendment 02 to Ordinance 2025-41. Rollo presented Amendment 02. Amendment 02 Synopsis: This amendment, sponsored by Councilmember Rollo, reduces the maximum occupancy for Single Room Occupancy units from two adults to one. Greulich explained that if Amendment 02 passed, then nothing would change. Rollo said Amendment 02 was an effort to not allow families in SROs for safety reasons. He was concerned with AirBnbs, and private equity firms purchasing single family homes. There was discussion on the definition of a “family” and separate leases in homes. Rollo said that the Housing and Urban Development (HUD) restricted SROs to one adult per room. Piedmont-Smith referenced code requiring that the Housing and Neighborhood Development (HAND) inspect SROs. There was discussion on the owner-occupancy requirement, the potential rent that could be charged, and the ability to house more people. Asare asked about early indicators of a proliferation of SROs in the R1-R4 districts. Greulich believed there was a low chance of many SROs in those districts. Christopher Emge said that going to the BZA was cumbersome for some residents. Jan Sorby was in favor of SROs and rooming houses, and spoke in favor of owner-occupancy. Rosenbarger did not support limiting the SROs to one adult per bedroom. Asare would not support Amendment 02. Zulich concurred and cautioned against overregulation. Ruff believed it was important to pass Amendment 02. Flaherty noted that HUD specified that, by definition, SROs were single person occupancy, but did not explicitly state that requirement as a safety concern. The legislation had sufficient safeguards against abuse of SROs. Rollo reiterated concerns of having a family in a single bedroom. Piedmont-Smith said the legislation came from deliberative sessions on homelessness in 2024, and allowing two people in an SRO was a real response to housing needs and for example, unhoused couples wishing to 4 Meeting Date: November 19, 2025 stay together. She restated that HAND would be inspecting the SROs so there would not be overcrowding. There was additional discussion on SROs in other districts. The motion to adopt Amendment 02 to Ordinance 2025-41 received a roll call vote of Ayes: 2 (Rollo, Ruff), Nays: 6, Abstain: 0. FAILED Eric Ost stated that a Limited Liability Company was considered a person and could own SROs. Jan Sorby was against SROs in residential areas. Wendy Bricht spoke against turning homes into rentals and in favor of families in neighborhoods. John Lawrence discussed converting motels into SROs and vacant lots for additional housing. Rollo questioned if an LLC could be a homeowner and Greulich said that would have to be clarified by the county. Asare said the change was incremental and allowed two people to live together. While he understood the concerns, Asare believed there were enough safe-guards in place. Rosenbarger noted that councilmembers used other cities as examples, but not for things like plexes. She spoke about empty bedrooms due to the three, unrelated adults rule, conditional uses, permitted use, potential amendments in the future, and missing middle housing. Rollo said it was useful to look to other cities, as well as residents’ experiences. He cautioned about adverse outcomes, unintended profit incentives, too many people occupying a room, and not going before the BZA. Ruff believed the legislation was experimental and had risks; he did not understand how SROs would be handled between the BZA and hearing officers. Stosberg commented on the discussion that evening and the preparation of the petition. Piedmont-Smith understood the concerns, but due to the housing crisis, it was important to provide more housing. She noted the city was interested in converting hotels that were for sale into SROs. There were enough guardrails to not have a negative impact on neighborhoods and also increase housing options. She commented on similar concerns in 2021 regarding plexes, which had not overtaken neighborhoods. Rollo commented on rentals overtaking owner occupied homes and the threat to single family homes. The motion to adopt Ordinance 2025-41 as amended received a roll call vote of Ayes: 7, Nays: 2 (Rollo, Ruff), Abstain: 0. (Stosberg arrived at 8:53pm) 10. ADDITIONAL PUBLIC COMMENT [9:08pm] There was no additional public comment. 11. COUNCIL SCHEDULE [9:09pm] Piedmont-Smith explained there was a proposed annual council legislative schedule for 2026. There was brief council discussion. Zulich moved and Asare seconded to adopt the annual council legislative schedule for 2026. The motion received a roll call vote of Ayes: 9, Nays: 0, Abstain: 0. 12. ADJOURMENT [9:13pm] Piedmont-Smith adjourned the meeting. 18 APPROVED by the Common Council of the City of Bloomington, Monroe County, Indiana, upon this _______ day of February __________________________________________, 2026. 5  Meeting Date: November 19, 2025 APPROVE: ATTEST: ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ Isak Nti Asare, 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 6