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Dave Askins

Dave Askins

Bloomington, Indiana

Dave Askins is editor and publisher of The B Square Bulletin. A Hoosier native with a background in math and linguistics, he previously co-founded the Ann Arbor Chronicle with his wife, Mary Morgan.

Upcoming local income tax negotiations could run deep, wide for Bloomington city council

Upcoming local income tax negotiations could run deep, wide for Bloomington city council

Based on the Bloomington city council’s discussion at its committee-of-the whole meeting on Wednesday, Monroe County residents will likely see a higher local income tax (LIT) rate than the 1.345 percent they pay now. But given the way deliberations unfolded at Wednesday’s committee meeting, the higher rate

Wednesday’s city council committee meeting could mark the start of local income tax negotiations

Wednesday’s city council committee meeting could mark the start of local income tax negotiations

Bloomington mayor John Hamilton’s proposal to increase the countywide local income tax (LIT) by 0.855 points, to a total of 2.2 percent, appears on the agenda for the city council’s Wednesday night committee-of-the-whole meeting. Other revenue items on the agenda include two $5-million bond proposals—one

Photos: Birds in Bloomington parks (April 10, 2022)

Photos: Birds in Bloomington parks (April 10, 2022)

Miller-Showers Park, which is on the north side of town nestled between College Avenue and Walnut Streets, is a favorite spot for The B Square to visit on a pleasant weekend afternoon. Around 2 p.m. on Sunday the temperature was about 60 F degrees with mostly clear skies. Resting

Census notebook: 1950 handwritten records released, including those for Bloomington

Census notebook: 1950 handwritten records released, including those for Bloomington

On the first of April, the handwritten records of enumeration for the 1950 census were released by the National Archives. That conforms with the “72-year rule,” which says the census records get released 72 years after Census Day. Here’s a few vignettes from Bloomington’s 1950 records. At 515

Bloomington city council balks for now at vacating some public right-of-way on former hospital site

Bloomington city council balks for now at vacating some public right-of-way on former hospital site

A request from Bloomington’s redevelopment commission (RDC) to vacate parts of two alleys in one of the blocks near the former site of the IU Health hospital was denied by Bloomington’s city council at its Wednesday meeting. The vote was split 4–5, but not along familiar lines.

Bloomington still has no redistricting commission, 15 months after it was supposed to be seated

Bloomington still has no redistricting commission, 15 months after it was supposed to be seated

Bloomington’s city council passed an ordinance in mid-December 2020 to establish a redistricting advisory commission that is supposed to make recommendations on the drawing of new city council districts, based on results of the 2020 census. The nine-member group was supposed to be seated at the start of 2021,

Bloomington mayor pitches 64% increase in Monroe County’s local income tax

Bloomington mayor pitches 64% increase in Monroe County’s local income tax

In a news release issued Wednesday afternoon ahead of the city council’s evening meeting, Bloomington mayor John Hamilton put a specific number on the local income tax (LIT) rate increase he has been talking about for the last several weeks. What Hamilton is proposing is an increase from 1.