Bloomington budget notes: Vacant police positions help pay for elections, animal shelter lease buyout

The recruitment challenges faced by Bloomington’s police department are well established: Around 20 of the budgeted 105 sworn officer positions have been vacant through this year.

Bloomington Budget notebook: Election expenses, animal shelter lease buyout among year-end items — This image was generated by AI.

The year-end appropriations that are cued up for a first reading at this Wednesday’s meeting of Bloomington’s city council give a rough idea of how much money has been left unspent towards police salaries, due to the shortage of officers.

To be released out of the personnel category for the police department is $870,000, which will make that amount available to be spent by other departments on other things—like this year’s city elections and a lease buyout at the animal shelter.

When Appropriation Ordinance 23-08 is put to a vote at next Wednesday’s meeting, on Dec. 13, that will wrap up the council’s approvals of spending activity for the year.

Most of the financial activity that the council will be asked to approve with the ordinance is about moving money from one place to another inside the general fund, with no overall negative fiscal impact. Continue reading “Bloomington budget notes: Vacant police positions help pay for elections, animal shelter lease buyout” →

Bloomington mayor wants Dec. 13 vote by city council on police station sale

The police station is in the upper left corner of the aerial image.

Calendar of upcoming key dates in Showers West projectg.

At its Wednesday meeting in a little over a week from now, Bloomington’s city council will likely be asked by outgoing mayor John Hamilton to vote on the sale of the city’s police station.

That’s a key takeaway from a Monday noon work session of Bloomington’s city council.

Next week’s Dec. 13 council meeting is the city legislative body’s final regular meeting of the year.

But before the council is asked to approve the sale, Bloomington’s board of public works will hold a public hearing this Friday, Dec. 8. Even though the three-member board does not need to approve the sale, it is required under state law to make a recommendation to the city council and the mayor.

So on Friday, the administration is just looking for the board of public works to indicate its attitude about the sale—for, against, or no recommendation either way.

At Monday’s session, deputy mayor Larry Allen revealed that the city had so far received three offers for the purchase of the police station. The building is located on 3rd Street north of The Waldron, Hill and Buskirk Park.

One offer is right at the $3.2-million minimum offer specified in the city’s notice of sale, published on Oct. 11. The minimum offer is the same as the lower of two fair market value appraisals that were done by the city, Allen revealed.

A second fair market appraisal, Allen said at Monday’s session, put the value of the police station at $4.4 million. The city had also received an offer to purchase the real estate at that price, Allen said.

A third offer exceeded $4.4 million, Allen said.

Even though just five of nine councilmembers attended Monday’s work session, a measure of the topic’s importance was mayor-elect Kerry Thomson’s attendance. Continue reading “Bloomington mayor wants Dec. 13 vote by city council on police station sale” →

Sale of Bloomington police station: City officials look to smooth over objections based on century-old deed

Article from Herald Times Newspaper Third Street Park to be renamed By Christy Mullins 331-42661 cmullins@heraldt.com Third Street Park will soon be renamed after three prominent families who deed- ed the land 88 years ago. Members of the Waldron, Hill arid Bus- kirk families will speak at a rededication ceremony Sunday, when the small park behind the Bloomington Police Depart- ment changes its name to the Waldron, Hill and Buskirk Park. The celebration starts at 1:15 p.m. A clause in the park’s original deed — that the patch of land would take the name of all three families — went unac- knowledged when they sold the land to the city of Bloomington in1923. When the mayor, the city’s parks director and a curi- ous Bloomington resident who found the document on microfilm began studying the land’s history, they began working to rename the park. Sunday’s ceremony is open to the public. Some elected officials, including Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, also have been invited to attend.

The police station is in the upper left corner of the aerial image.

It is agreed by and between the parties hereto that the principal consideration for the deed is that the above and foregoing described real estate shall be used exclusively for a Free Public Park, for the use of the Citizens of Bloomington, Indiana; and that the same shall be named and maintained under the name of The Waldron, Hill and Buskirk Park. And it is further provided that should the Grantee herein, or any other body that shall hereafter assume their duties, fail to maintain said Park as above described and for the use and purpose mentioned, the said real estate herein described shall revert to the Grantors herein, their Administrators, Executors, heirs and assigns.

Some wheels that were set in motion by Bloomington’s city council just about a year ago foresaw the sale of the current police station at 3rd and Lincoln streets.

But there are some major political and legal wrinkles that will need to be ironed out to make that sale possible.

On the political side, it’s not clear if there will be a five-vote majority on the city council, which would still be needed to support the sale of the police station.

On the legal side of things, there’s a century-old clause in a deed that is connected to a land conveyance to the adjacent park that is now called The Waldron, Hill and Buskirk Park. Continue reading “Sale of Bloomington police station: City officials look to smooth over objections based on century-old deed” →

Bloomington’s urban enterprise zone gets 5-year extension by city council

Bloomington Urban Enterprise Zone extended for 5 years

https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1WXJdaL1zG5SHfzfZC4sEIusZ4BzvNhQ&usp=sharing

For at least another five years, residents who live in a roughly 2.5-square-mile area inside Bloomington will enjoy benefits like state income tax deductions and eligibility for post-secondary education scholarships.

That’s based on action by Bloomington’s city council at its Wednesday meeting, when it approved a five-year extension of the Bloomington Urban Enterprise Zone (BUEZ).

In that same 2.5-square-mile area, businesses will continue to benefit from certain tax deductions on real and personal property tax. Businesses inside the BUEZ will also have a chance to apply for matching grants to repair and maintain the facades of their buildings.

Since it was first established in 1992, the geographic boundaries of the zone have been expanded on all sides—to the north, south, east and west.

At its thickest, the zone is roughly a mile-wide, mostly west of Walnut Street. It stretches from Country Club Drive in the south to 17th Street in the north. Continue reading “Bloomington’s urban enterprise zone gets 5-year extension by city council” →

Hamilton vetoes Bloomington city council decision to reinstall 7th Street stop signs

Dave Rollo, Bloomington city council member. (Oct. 4, 2023)

Bloomington city engineer Andrew Cibor.

Bloomington mayor John Hamilton at the Oct. 11, 2023 budget adoption meeting.

The effect of Hamilton’s veto is that the stop signs with asterisks (*) will not be reinstalled. The signs at the 7th-and-Dunn intersection will remain, based on a 180-day order from the city engineer.

Mid-afternoon on Friday, Bloomington mayor John Hamilton released a statement vetoing the city council’s action taken last week, to approve reinstallation of stop signs at four intersections on 7th Street.

The stop signs that have already been reinstalled at the 7th-and-Dunn intersection will remain in place—through a new 180-day order issued by the city engineer.

The stop signs at Morton, Washington, and Lincoln Streets will not be reinstalled, unless the council votes to override the mayor’s veto.

It looks unlikely that the council would be able to achieve the two-thirds majority (6) that is needed to override a veto. Still, a possible vote on a veto override appears on next Wednesday’s (Oct. 18) meeting agenda for the city council. Continue reading “Hamilton vetoes Bloomington city council decision to reinstall 7th Street stop signs” →

Unchanged 2024 budget OK’d by Bloomington council after debate on police pay, econ development money

On Wednesday night, Bloomington’s city council gave final approval to the six ordinances that make up the 2024 city budget.

The council’s votes on the six pieces of legislation were nearly unanimous except for the sole dissent of Steve Volan on a couple of items. Volan dissented on the salary ordinance for police officers and firefighters. He also dissented on the basic appropriation ordinance and tax rates for the city’s budget. Finally, he abstained on the salary ordinance for elected officials. Continue reading “Unchanged 2024 budget OK’d by Bloomington council after debate on police pay, econ development money” →

5–4 Bloomington council vote: 3 more stops, not just Dunn, OK’d for reinstallation on 7-Line bicycle route

The effect of Hamilton’s veto is that the stop signs with asterisks (*) will not be reinstalled. The signs at the 7th-and-Dunn intersection will remain, based on a 180-day order from the city engineer.

Dave Rollo, Bloomington city council member. (Oct. 4, 2023)

Steve Volan, , Bloomington city council member.

Jim Sims, Bloomington city council member.

From left: Isabel Piedmont Smith and Sue Sgambelluri, Bloomington city council members.

Bloomington city engineer Andrew Cibor.

“Wow. Just wow.”

That was how Bloomington city council president Sue Sgambelluri summarized the contentious debate that had just concluded on the question of reinstalling stop signs at three intersections, along the route of the 7-Line separated bicycle lane.

The intersections in question—Morton, Washington, and Lincoln—were not included in the ordinance that city engineer Andrew Cibor had asked the council to approve at its Wednesday meeting.

What Cibor had requested was enactment of an ordinance to make permanent just the stop signs that have already been reinstalled at 7th and Dunn streets, based on a 180-day order that he had issued.

By the end of the meeting, the reinstallation of stop signs at a total of four intersections had been approved by the city council. Continue reading “5–4 Bloomington council vote: 3 more stops, not just Dunn, OK’d for reinstallation on 7-Line bicycle route” →

Private letter from Bloomington city council to mayor influenced proposed 2024 budget

Redacted email message from John Hamilton to councilmember Isabel Piedmont-Smith.

Aug. 4, 2023 signed letter from councilmembers to Bloomington mayor John Hamilton.

A response on Thursday to a records request made by The B Square a month earlier, shows that Bloomington’s 2024 proposed budget was influenced by a private letter to Bloomington mayor John Hamilton, with apparent wet signatures from all nine city council members.

The letter asked that the mayor increase the pay for the city council’s administrator/attorney from a 2023 salary of $94,089 to $104,089 in 2024. That’s a 10.6-percent increase, or more than twice the 5-percent increase called for in the mayor’s proposed budget for all other non-union employees.

The city council’s argument is based on the idea that the city council’s administrator/attorney should be paid on par with the director of city of Bloomington utilities, the police chief, the fire chief, the head of public works, and the city’s corporation counsel, among other positions described as “department heads” in the city’s employee manual.

The letter also asks that the council’s administrator/attorney position receive another additional significant increase in 2025.

But any increases to the council staff salary budget for 2025 would depend on the decision by the next mayor, which is almost certain to be Democratic Party nominee Kerry Thomson. She’s unopposed on the Nov. 7 ballot. In general terms, under state law, the city council can reduce but not increase the mayor’s proposed budget amounts.

Before the city council’s Aug. 28 departmental budget hearing, there was no discussion by councilmembers at public meetings leading up to that hearing, about their desire that the administrator/attorney receive a substantial pay raise in 2024, beyond the standard cost-of-living increase for all employees. Continue reading “Private letter from Bloomington city council to mayor influenced proposed 2024 budget” →

Election 2023, Holiday 2024 roundup: Solar Eclipse Day to be a county holiday, along with election days

District 3 city council candidate Brett Heinisch (R) at a Greater Bloomington candidate event on March 21, 2023. https://brettforcitycouncil.blogspot.com/

Stock photo of solar eclipse.

District 3 city council candidate Hopi Stosberg (D) at a Greater Bloomington candidate event on March 21, 2023 https://hopi.stosberg.com/

At Wednesday morning’s meeting of Monroe County commissioners, the routine approval of county employee holidays for the following year included a bright spot.

There will be one extra day compared to last year: April 8, 2024, which is Solar Eclipse Day.

On that day, the narrow band of the full solar eclipse will pass right over Monroe County. It’s the kind of rare event that has the local tourism sector buzzing.

At the most recent meeting of the convention and visitors commission, Visit Bloomington executive director Mike McAfee said up to a quarter million visitors or more are expected in the Bloomington area to view the solar eclipse. “It’s going to be wild,” he said.

On Wednesday, commissioner Penny Githens said part of the thought behind making the day of the eclipse a county holiday is to reduce the amount of traffic out on the road. “We’re expecting a certain amount of gridlock,” Githens said.

Commissioner Julie Thomas added, “Everything will be packed full of visitors…and anything we can do to alleviate traffic is probably going to be helpful at this point.”

Another difference between the 2023 holiday schedule and the schedule for next year, is that both election days in 2024—primary and general—will be explicitly designated as holidays.

For 2023, there are two flexible days that county employees can use to take off and vote in the municipal elections, but they’re not tied to the date of elections. They are called “floating holidays.”

As the Nov. 7 date for municipal elections approaches, Monroe County employees are grinding through the standard preparations for the process that is fundamental to a working democracy. Continue reading “Election 2023, Holiday 2024 roundup: Solar Eclipse Day to be a county holiday, along with election days” →

Bloomington council votes down proposed law against camping, storing property in right-of-way

Bloomington city council (Sept. 13, 2023)

Josh Montagne

Kemal Perdana (Help Ourselves)

Soha Vora (Help Ourselves)

Sydney Zulich, Democratic Party nominee District 6 city ouncil

Abhinav Kotaru (Help Ourselves)

Nick Angelos (Help Ourselves)

Christopher Emge (Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerc)

Pauly Tarricone

Tim Dwyer

Mike Rouker, Bloomington city attorney

Voted down on Wednesday by Bloomington’s city council, with just two votes in favor, was an ordinance that would have explicitly prohibited camping, storing personal property, or blocking the public right-of-way, among other things.

Supporting the ordinance were Sue Sgambelluri and Susan Sandberg. Abstaining was Dave Rollo. The other five councilmembers who were present all voted against it. Ron Smith was absent.

Rollo said he was inclined to bring a motion to table the ordinance. Councilmember Jim Sims said he was inclined to put off a vote, but if it came down to a vote that night, he would vote no.

A basic concern for those who opposed the ordinance was that it punishes the unhoused population, without offering a solution for storing their belongings in a place other than the public right-of-way.

Councilmember Matt Flaherty’s sentiments reflected the views of others, when he said that crafting a better ordinance “will take months of community engagement and outreach and collaboration between the executive and legislative branch and the whole community to arrive at a solution.”

Flaherty added, “So I don’t think this is honestly well suited for just tabling or postponing and bringing back with a few clarifications, in a few weeks time.” Rollo said it was clear that there would not be majority support for tabling, so he did not make that motion. Continue reading “Bloomington council votes down proposed law against camping, storing property in right-of-way” →