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Local Government

Articles in this section cover Bloomington city council, the mayor's office, Monroe County's board of commissioners, county council, and all the other local units.

April 7 public hearing kicks off formal feedback period on vote centers for Monroe County

April 7 public hearing kicks off formal feedback period on vote centers for Monroe County

Monday's public hearing (April 7) on the idea of establishing vote centers for Monroe County was a focus of conversation at last Thursday's county election board meeting. Vote centers are different from the kind of precinct-based polling locations that are currently used by Monroe County. At

Mayor: New installations paused for Bloomington's high-speed fiber network

Mayor: New installations paused for Bloomington's high-speed fiber network

A question emailed on March 10 by The B Square to the city of Bloomington about the status of the city's fiber network buildout got an answer late Friday afternoon (April 4): "The subcontractor failed—plain and simple." The quote came from Bloomington mayor Kerry Thomson

State of the City: Mayor says Bloomington 'ready to soar' after first year of team building

State of the City: Mayor says Bloomington 'ready to soar' after first year of team building

Thursday night’s State of the City event, held at the Waldron Arts Center on South Walnut Street in downtown Bloomington, departed from the traditional template, which makes an address from the mayor the one big focus. Even if she also put some others on stage, Bloomington mayor Kerry Thomson

New operations center for Bloomington public buses: Location to be revealed soon

New operations center for Bloomington public buses: Location to be revealed soon

The location of the planned new operations facility for Bloomington Transit could be revealed in a couple of weeks—at the next meeting of BT's board of directors on April 15. That was one takeaway from the board's meeting this past Tuesday. BT general manager John

CIB pushes for progress on hotel deal to support Bloomington Convention Center expansion, could come on April 7

CIB pushes for progress on hotel deal to support Bloomington Convention Center expansion, could come on April 7

Some movement on the development of a hotel to support the expansion of the Bloomington Convention Center might appear on the next meeting agenda for the city's redevelopment commission (RDC), on April 7. The facility was called the Monroe Convention Center, until it was renamed earlier this year.

Amid shift in Bloomington street oversight, Flaherty gets city council nod for new transportation group

Amid shift in Bloomington street oversight, Flaherty gets city council nod for new transportation group

Bloomington's new transportation commission got its first seat filled on Wednesday night (March 26), when Matt Flaherty prevailed over Andy Ruff in a 5–4 vote on the city council, to become the appointment from the council's own membership. The new commission, which was established by

Public Bus Notebook: Bloomington Transit ridership still trending up post-pandemic, but far below pre-2020 levels

Public Bus Notebook: Bloomington Transit ridership still trending up post-pandemic, but far below pre-2020 levels

Fixed-route ridership numbers for Bloomington Transit (BT) buses in 2024 finished the year up 4% from the year before—about 2.52 million rides in 2024 compared to 2.42 million in 2023. The increased numbers this past year continue the upward trend since the COVID-19 pandemic. But they leave