Sign in Subscribe

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.

Bloomington mayor proposes $147M budget for 2026, would tap $11.2M in reserves

Bloomington mayor proposes $147M budget for 2026, would tap $11.2M in reserves

Last Friday, Bloomington mayor Kerry Thomson released her proposed budget for 2026—which includes a total of about $147 million in spending. That compares to about $143 million for 2025, according to the city’s budget book.

Jail plan update: Monroe County scraps letter to lawmakers, shifts focus to reducing project budget

Jail plan update: Monroe County scraps letter to lawmakers, shifts focus to reducing project budget

At a joint meeting of Monroe County councilors and commissioners on Friday, the elected officials decided not to send a letter to state legislators about the county’s planned new jail. They agreed to focus their efforts on how to move the project forward within the constraints of a reduced budget.

Githens joins Monroe County election board; outside counsel hired in student ID lawsuit

Githens joins Monroe County election board; outside counsel hired in student ID lawsuit

Thursday’s regular monthly meeting of Monroe County’s election board included several newsy bits. Penny Githens introduced herself as the Democratic Party’s new appointee to the board. The board also approved legal representation in a lawsuit over the new law on student IDs.

Bloomington alleges contract breach by Crawford Apartments, seeks $685K; Beacon among defendants

Bloomington alleges contract breach by Crawford Apartments, seeks $685K; Beacon among defendants

A deadline set by Bloomington for Crawford Apartments to come into compliance with rental inspection code has not been met, according to the city. Named in a breach of contract lawsuit filed on Wednesday is Beacon, Inc. a local nonprofit that provides supportive services at Crawford.

Bloomington city engineer gives 180-day order, puts stop signs at 2 intersections near IU campus

Bloomington city engineer gives 180-day order, puts stop signs at 2 intersections near IU campus

Starting next Monday (Aug. 11), road users headed north or south along Indiana Avenue at 13th Street will see something new—a stop sign. The same goes for travelers in both directions on Woodlawn Avenue at 13th Street.

Hopewell: Bloomington OKs mold cleanup at potential police HQ, small study of parking garage

Hopewell: Bloomington OKs mold cleanup at potential police HQ, small study of parking garage

At Monday’s meeting of Bloomington’s redevelopment commission (RDC), two big existing structures that sit currently unused in the Hopewell neighborhood were the focus of separate agenda items. One is the former IU Health parking garage. The other is the former Bloomington Convalescent Center.

Convention center construction bids OK’d under budget, but sewer standoff simmers with City of Bloomington Utilities

Convention center construction bids OK’d under budget, but sewer standoff simmers with City of Bloomington Utilities

Monroe County’s CIB got good news about the final round of bids for the convention center expansion. The total for construction contracts landed under the $52-million budget. But Wednesday’s good news was tempered by a report about the status of sewer line negotiations between the CIB and CBU.