Archive

At its meeting on Wednesday, Bloomington’s city council approved $499,995 in Jack Hopkins social service grants to 35 agencies. Councilmember Dave Rollo warned that inflation is eroding the fund’s value as demand grows.

Bloomington mayor Kerry Thomson is naming longtime attorney and former IU real estate official Lynn Coyne as interim planning and transportation director. If confirmed by the plan commission, Coyne will start in July, succeeding David Hittle, who leaves July 10 for a Charlotte post.

Bloomington and Monroe County council members voted June 11 to join a public working group with other officials to recommend a new jail site within a month. The move follows two county council rejections of North Park and the expiration of a long-running ACLU jail settlement.

Demolition notices posted at Seminary Pointe have triggered Bloomington’s 90-day demolition-delay review, even as housing advocates push a land swap to preserve the block’s low-cost apartments and businesses. Any land swap would have to be decided by Bloomington's RDC and the Monroe County CIB.

Bloomington’s city council voted 5–4 Wednesday to codify an annual Kirkwood Avenue closure from April 1 to Nov. 15 starting in 2027. Mayor Kerry Thomson now has 10 days after it's presented to her to sign or veto the measure, which drew significant public comment.

Bloomington planning and transportation director David Hittle will leave July 10 for a deputy planning director post in Charlotte, N.C. Appointed April 1, 2024, Hittle led UDO and permitting work while at times finding himself caught in the middle of council-administration disputes.

Bloomington’s Transportation Commission voted 5–1 to recommend a seasonal car-free Kirkwood ordinance, rejecting staff findings that the proposal conflicts with parts of city plans, and lacked targeted public engagement. The council is expected to decide the question Wednesday (June 10).