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Hey, Wait a Minute | Is Bloomington’s annual budget process like slaughtering chickens?

Hey, Wait a Minute | Is Bloomington’s annual budget process like slaughtering chickens?

Note: “Hey, Wait a Minute” is an occasional B Square Beacon series that highlights meeting minutes and other documentation of local government meetings in the Bloomington, Indiana area. The Bloomington city council’s information packet for its Oct. 7 meeting includes some meeting minutes with dates from 2011. Why are

No burn ban yet for Monroe County, but EM director says: “Make good decisions when you’re burning things.”

No burn ban yet for Monroe County, but EM director says: “Make good decisions when you’re burning things.”

At Wednesday’s meeting of Monroe County commissioners, county director of emergency management Allison Moore told them no outdoor burn ban was yet recommended for the county, despite persistent dry conditions. She still asked the public to exercise caution: “We do challenge you to make good decisions when you’re

Bumpy road for Bloomington mayor continues with initial debate on final 2021 budget, as city council gets jolted by surprise renaming of department

Bumpy road for Bloomington mayor continues with initial debate on final 2021 budget, as city council gets jolted by surprise renaming of department

Two weeks ago, Bloomington’s city council handed mayor John Hamilton a rare if not unprecedented defeat in his nearly half decade as mayor, when it rejected a request for a quarter-point increase to the local income tax. Five of nine councilmembers voted against it. The administration’s rough patch

Library board votes to spend more, cut less forest for new branch

Library board votes to spend more, cut less forest for new branch

On Tuesday night, the board of the Monroe County Public Library voted unanimously in favor of a design for its planned new branch that incorporates a parking garage under the 21,000 square-foot building, instead of relying on a second wing of surface lot parking. The branch will include a

Analysis | Bloomington’s final 2021 budget proposal: Six of city’s proposed 11.1 new positions are for parking services

Analysis | Bloomington’s final 2021 budget proposal: Six of city’s proposed 11.1 new positions are for parking services

The final version of the 2021 budget proposal from Bloomington mayor John Hamilton was released on Friday as a part of the city council’s Sept. 30 meeting information packet. In the packet, a memo from the head of the city’s human resources department highlights one significant difference between

Bloomington city council paves way for middle-of-the-road approach to outdoor dining through year’s end

Bloomington city council paves way for middle-of-the-road approach to outdoor dining through year’s end

This past weekend could have marked the final chance for restaurant patrons to enjoy a meal straddling the double-yellow roadway markings on Kirkwood Avenue. It’s been an option since mid-June, and was set to expire on Sept. 30. But Bloomington’s city council acted on Wednesday to extend through

Monroe County mulls $3 million in capital projects for yearly GO bond issuance, after concept gets kicked around in debate on local income tax increase

Monroe County mulls $3 million in capital projects for yearly GO bond issuance, after concept gets kicked around in debate on local income tax increase

At last Tuesday’s meeting of Monroe County’s council, county board of commissioners president Julie Thomas presented a list of projects that could be funded using proceeds from a $3-million general obligation (GO) bond. It’s a routine strategy for the county, each year to set property taxes at