Common Council Special Session

Bloomington Common Council-Special Session Minutes Council Chambers, City Hall, 401 N. Morton Street, Bloomington, Indiana Wednesday, April 30, 2025, 6:30pm CALL TO ORDER [6:31pm] Council President Stosberg called the meeting to order. 1. ROLL CALL (* indicates participation via Zoom) [6:31pm] 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 (arrived at 7:00pm) 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 Jessica McClellan City Controller Kelly Murphy Information Technology Services, Technology Support Manager 2. AGENDA SUMMATION [6:32pm] Clerk Nicole Bolden gave a brief presentation about Denim Day, which fell that evening. Denim is worn in support of victims of sexual assault. Stosberg summarized the agenda. 3. BUDGET PRIORITIES CONVERSATION [6:35pm] 3.1. Presentation of Compiled Information and Summary of Special Fiscal Committee Discussion Jessica McClellan, Controller, gave a summary update of Senate Bill 1’s (SB1) effect on the 2026 budget year. Property tax revenue would immediately be reduced, and Local Income Tax (LIT) revenue would decrease in 2028. The bill additionally reduced the city’s ability to bond. Council questions centered on bonds cooldown period and clarifying the impact of budget priorities. Stosberg presented the results of a survey that councilmembers completed on budget outcome area priorities. She additionally presented on a draft letter to the administration on those budget priorities. 3.2. Discussion Stosberg led discussion on the draft letter to the administration. Discussion focused on the following outcome areas: Government Transparency, High Performing Government, Neighborhood Livability and Social Health, Public Safety, Housing & Homelessness, Health & Human Services, Equity, and Transportation & Mobility. Regarding Government Transparency, councilmembers discussed the need to improve findability of information on the city website. Having more open data portal management and publishing accountable metrics of city initiatives would aid with transparency. Councilmembers also discussed having a council- specific online presence. Meeting Date: April 30, 2025 Discussion on High Performing Government included the proposed 2026 council office budget, increasing council staff salary, and hiring additional staff. Councilmembers emphasized the need for better collaboration between council and the administration in developing budget proposals. Asare stated that budget requests should be specific. Councilmembers then discussed using specific versus broad budget items and the process of determining the requested budget amount. In regards to Neighborhood Livability and Social Health, Stosberg commented on food insecurity and aiding the community in light of state and federal budget cuts. Discussion ensued on Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) updates to alleviate food insecurity and lack of childcare options. Councilmembers discussed investments in and use of the Jack Hopkins Social Services Fund. For Public Safety, council discussed investing in a non-police community response team. Councilmembers shared concerns on SB1’s impact on emergency services funds. Flaherty commented that streets safety was also part of public safety. Councilmembers discussed Housing and Homelessness and increasing collaborations with Heading Home of South Central Indiana, and funding for Summit Hill Community Land Trust. Other discussion included the possibility of passing legislation restricting short-term rentals. Stosberg stated that the Health and Human Services outcome area overlapped with other areas. It focused on collaboration on substance abuse with other local governments and social services organizations. There was discussion on community needs for mental health services and a suggested budget amount. With regards to Equity, councilmembers discussed incorporating equity as a long-term commitment throughout all city operations. Stosberg asked about the results of previous investments in equity programs. Discussion ensued about past staff equity training, using consultants, and setting actionable metrics. Councilmembers discussed Transportation and Mobility investments to improve safe and sustainable transportation. Discussion areas included the Safe Streets for All (SS4A) action plan and the city transportation plan. Clarifying the items in this outcome area and cost were also discussed. 3.3. Public Comment Christopher Emge, Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce, spoke on investing in core infrastructure. Kevin Keough spoke virtually about government transparency and data quality. Paul Rousseau made a statement on the lack of safety in Bloomington streets. Steve Volan commented on the need for council oversight of the city’s administration and supported hiring additional council staff. 3.4. Final Comments/Vote on Priorities List There was no vote on the priorities list. The letter would be edited and possibly voted on at the following council meeting. Rollo shared his experience with unsafe streets in Bloomington and commented on the need for police officers for enforcement. He stated concerns on the impacts of SB1 and that there needed to be prioritization of essential services. Rosenbarger commented on adding infrastructure to lower vehicular speeding. Stosberg spoke about the enforcement of high vehicular speeds, which required enough dispatchers in addition to police officers. 4. COUNCIL SCHEDULE [8:32pm] Stosberg announced the next meeting of the council would be a Regular Session on Wednesday, May 07, 2025. -2-  Meeting Date: April 30, 2025 Piedmont-Smith stated that the Committee on Council Processes would meet on the following Monday at 12:15pm. 5. ADJOURNMENT [9:45pm] Stosberg adjourned the meeting. APPROVED by the Common Council of the City of Bloomington, Monroe County, Indiana, upon this 22 ________ day of October __________________________________________, 2025. APPROVE: ATTEST: ________________________________________ _____________________________________________________ Hopi Stosberg, COUNCIL PRESIDENT City Clerk Nicole Bolden Clerk’s Note: The above memorandum summarizes 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 -3-