Common Council Special Session and Committe of The Whole

Bloomington Common Council-Committee of the Whole Minutes Bloomington City Hall, 401 N. Morton Street, Bloomington, Indiana Wednesday, September 24, 2025, 6:45pm CALL TO ORDER [6:45pm] Sydney Zulich, Chair, called the meeting to order. ATTENDANCE (* indicates participation via Zoom) [6:46pm] Members: Isak Nti Asare At-Large Courtney Daily (left at 7:30pm) District 5, Council Parliamentarian Matt Flaherty (absent) At-Large Isabel Piedmont-Smith District 1, Council Vice President Dave Rollo District 4 Kate Rosenbarger District 2 Andy Ruff (absent) 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 Kari Bennett Deputy Council Attorney Christine Chang Temporary Council Researcher Gretchen Knapp Deputy Mayor Jessica McClellan City Controller Katherine Zaiger Utilities Director John Connell Bloomington Transit General Manager 1. Topics Discussed [6:46pm] 1.1. Appropriation Ordinance 2025-13 An Ordinance Adopting a Budget for the Operation, Maintenance, Debt Service, and Capital Improvements for the Water and Wastewater Utility Departments of the City of Bloomington, Indiana for the Year 2026 Katherine Zaiger, Director, Utilities, said the total water utility budget was $23,119,000 and the wastewater budget was $34,590,000. There was council discussion on the negative amount in the Extensions and Replacements fund, and the maximum capacity improvements to the water plant which was thirty million gallons per day with the highest daily use at around nineteen million gallons per day. There was no public comment. Piedmont-Smith said the budget did not assume rate increases, and Zaiger confirmed that was correct. Daily moved and Piedmont-Smith seconded that the Committee of the Whole make a recommendation to the Council for the adoption of Appropriation Ordinance 2025-13. The motion received a roll call vote of Ayes: 7, Nays: 0, Abstain: 0. 1.2. Appropriation Ordinance 2025-12 An Ordinance for Appropriations and Tax Rates for Bloomington Transportation Corporation for 2026 Meeting Date: September 24, 2025 Note: The public comment portion of the deliberation on this item constituted the statutorily-required public hearing on the Transit Budget for 2026. John Connell, General Manager, Bloomington Public Transportation Corporation (BPTC), presented the budget of $19,383,402 with proposed property tax rate of 0.371. Council discussed the property tax rate from 2025, which was 0.0403, but 2025 had significant capital programming. There was discussion on funding sources, increase in revenue from partnerships with Monroe County, and federal grants. There was no public comment. Piedmont-Smith hoped BPTC would find an appropriate location for the transportation center. Daily moved and Piedmont-Smith seconded that the Committee of the Whole make a recommendation to the Council for the adoption of Appropriation Ordinance 2025-12. The motion received a roll-call vote of Ayes: 7, Nays: 0, and Abstain: 0. 1.3. Appropriation Ordinance 2025-11 An Ordinance for Appropriations and Tax Rates (Establishing 2026 Civil City Budget for the City of Bloomington) Note: The public comment portion of the deliberation on this item constituted the statutorily-required public hearing on the City Budget for 2026. Jessica McClellan, Controller, presented the city’s 2026 budget of $163,152,557. She highlighted a 0.7% increase to the cost of living adjustment (COLA) for non-union, and union employees. There was discussion on tax rates and how the Department of Local Government Finance (DLGF) sets the rate. Additional discussion included a county bond, short-term bonding, and the accuracy of projected deficits. The city did not typically spend the budget. McClellan explained how the rate was determined and the certified net assessed value. Council discussed the Sanitation Fund and McClellan clarified that the revenue did not cover expenses so additional funds were appropriated from the General Fund. Rates could increase. There was additional discussion on setting the rate for Sanitation, the General Fund deficit, and correction of errors. Gretchen Knapp, Deputy Mayor, commented on changes and corrections to the budget. Council discussed circuit breakers, the budget process, more transparency from the state on calculating rates, revenue from property taxes and income taxes, and growing the assessed value. Currently, a percentage of the county’s total local income tax (LIT) was given to the city, but in 2028 only taxpayers living in the city would pay into the city’s LIT. Council discussion continued on the need for effective cuts to the budget, as well as the city’s good fiscal position. Kevin Keough commented on audits and timeliness. Stosberg commented on the Planning department’s corridor studies and their longevity, Engineering plans, rate increases, decreased revenues, and the need for balance. She said the property tax rate was low. Rollo asked about audits and McClellan explained the timeline, carried over from the previous administration. He appreciated the increase to the COLA and salaries. Stosberg moved and Asare seconded that the Committee of the Whole make a recommendation to the Council for the adoption of Appropriation Ordinance 2025-11. The motion received a roll call vote of Ayes: 6, Nays: 0, Abstain: 0. (Daily left the meeting at 7:30pm) 2. ADJOURNMENT [7:58pm] Stosberg moved and Piedmont-Smith seconded to adjourn the meeting. Zulich adjourned the meeting with no objections. -2-  Meeting Date: September 24, 2025 APPROVED by the Common Council of the City of Bloomington, Monroe County, Indiana, upon this 14 _______ day of January __________________________________________, 2026. APPROVE: ATTEST: ____________________________________________ ________ ______________________________________ Isak Nti Asare, COUNCIL PRESIDENT City Clerk Nicole Bolden Clerk’s Note: The above memorandum summarizes the motions passed and issues discussed at the meeting. It is not a verbatim copy of every word spoken. Bloomington City Council meetings are available for watching on the following websites:  Community Action Television Services (CATS) – https://catvstv.net  YouTube – https://youtube.com/@citybloomington Background materials and packets can be found at https://bloomington.in.gov/council -3-