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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.

UDO Update: Height limit for residential single-family stays 40 feet, multi-family use still permitted in multi-family zones, parking maxes same

UDO Update: Height limit for residential single-family stays 40 feet, multi-family use still permitted in multi-family zones, parking maxes same

Bloomington’s city council dispatched with 20 more amendments to the updated unified development ordinance (UDO) on Tuesday night. That brought the total to almost 60 since the council started convening some sessions in mid-November dedicated only to UDO amendments. Voted down by a tally of 2–6–1

Union head on police contract OK’d by city council: “I would be remiss if I told you the members were happy about it.”

Union head on police contract OK’d by city council: “I would be remiss if I told you the members were happy about it.”

Bloomington police officers now have a contract with the city for the next three years, through the end of 2022. The four-year deal, approved by the city council on Wednesday night, stretches back to the beginning of 2019, when the current contract expired. Officers have been working this year

Monroe County commissioners want convention center deal done sooner than end of year, Bloomington city council OKs revised food and beverage tax request

Monroe County commissioners want convention center deal done sooner than end of year, Bloomington city council OKs revised food and beverage tax request

Some increased pressure on Monroe County’s board of commissioners and Bloomington’s mayor generated some activity on Wednesday, if not progress, on the question of the stalled convention center expansion project. In a week, it likely will be easier to tell how much of the activity counts as progress.

Vote postponed on Bloomington request for food and beverage tax money, opens week-long window for possible progress on convention center expansion

Vote postponed on Bloomington request for food and beverage tax money, opens week-long window for possible progress on convention center expansion

[Note: The timeline at the end of this piece has been updated to include links to documents released at the Wednesday, Dec. 4 meeting of the Monroe County board of commissioners.] On Tuesday afternoon, the food and beverage tax advisory commission (FBTAC) voted to postpone for a week Bloomington’s

Opinion: Hey, Bloomington city council, got time for better bus routes?

Opinion: Hey, Bloomington city council, got time for better bus routes?

In January 2020, the next edition of Bloomington’s common council will take office. The first law passed by the new nine-member local legislature should be called the “Last Call Public Transit Time Ordinance.” The new law would require that city council meetings end before the last public bus

2019 delivers one of the coldest Novembers on record for Indy, Bloomington

2019 delivers one of the coldest Novembers on record for Indy, Bloomington

With its mean average temperature of 37.1 F degrees, the eleventh month of 2019 ranked as the fifth coldest November on record for Bloomington. That’s based on numbers from the Indiana University weather station. Records from the campus station, available through the NOAA Climate Center, go back 1895,

New four-year Bloomington police contract could get one-step approval by city council next week

New four-year Bloomington police contract could get one-step approval by city council next week

Negotiations between Bloomington and its police union, which have lasted the better part of two years, concluded in mid-November with ratification by the union of a new four-year contract. The contract runs through 2022. The agreement and its corresponding salary ordinance appear on the city council’s meeting