Local Government

Bloomington mayor Kerry Thomson vetoed a council ordinance that would close Kirkwood Avenue to cars from April to November, citing limited public input, fiscal uncertainty and no implementation plan. The council can override the veto with six votes at its next regular or special meeting.

Richland Township and Ellettsville voters will decide Nov. 3 whether to merge into a single government. Separate votes by the township board and town council advanced the plan, which would dissolve township government, create a seven-member council, and set separate urban and rural tax districts.

Bloomington Homes for All says Seminary Pointe can become a permanently affordable cooperative with a $1.6M rehab plan. But the proposal depends on a CIB-RDC land swap that is stalled as host-hotel and College Square proposal deadlines loom.

A federal judge denied Monroe County sheriff Ruben Marté’s request for a preliminary injunction to block Indiana’s new ICE-detainer law before July 1, citing the political subdivision doctrine. The constitutional challenge remains unresolved, with Rokita’s dismissal motion still pending.

A jail-site working group formed by county and city officials last week missed its first meeting for lack of a quorum. Judges and the sheriff’s office declined to participate, leaving the panel about three weeks to recommend a location amid potential litigation over jail conditions.

Seminary Pointe’s future as a convention center host-hotel site remains likely, despite a push from affordable housing advocates for a land swap with the RDC-owned College Square lot. The CIB says it does not plan to respond to the RDC College Square offering.