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Two people, one seat for Bloomington’s plan commission vacancy: Will a judge decide who sits there?

The city of Bloomington confirmed to The Square Beacon on Thursday afternoon that the mayor, John Hamilton, has appointed commercial real estate broker Chris Cockerham to fill the vacancy on the city’s plan commission. The plan commission is a nine-member group, five of which seats are appointed by the

Monroe County treasurer: Property taxes getting paid at same pace as last year; emailed questions better, but don’t be afraid to call

Monroe County treasurer: Property taxes getting paid at same pace as last year; emailed questions better, but don’t be afraid to call

It’s spring property tax season in the Hoosier state. Payments are due next Monday, May 11. But a COVID-19 health emergency order from Indiana governor Eric Holcomb means no penalties will be owed as long as the payment is postmarked by July 10. So even though the county courthouse

Bloomington city council condemns racist hate: “We don’t want to overlook what’s happening today, while we’re trying to fix yesterday.”

Bloomington city council condemns racist hate: “We don’t want to overlook what’s happening today, while we’re trying to fix yesterday.”

On a 9–0 vote Wednesday night, Bloomington’s city council approved a resolution condemning “hate based on racial, social, and cultural bias” and committing to providing “appropriate resources to ensure civil and human rights are protected and afforded to all individuals.” The resolution was sponsored by Jim Sims, the

Bloomington committee makes first round of rejections for record-breaking social services funding requests, federal COVID-19 relief funds could be tapped

Bloomington committee makes first round of rejections for record-breaking social services funding requests, federal COVID-19 relief funds could be tapped

On Monday night, a committee made up of four city councilmembers and two Bloomington residents met to review requests for funding from 37 social services groups. On Monday, the Jack Hopkins social services funding committee rejected seven of the applications outright, for various reasons. But a significant gap remains between

Monroe County on path for second $200K-installment of COVID-19 business relief using food and beverage tax proceeds

Monroe County on path for second $200K-installment of COVID-19 business relief using food and beverage tax proceeds

At a Tuesday afternoon meeting, the food and beverage tax advisory commission (FABTAC) recommended another $200,000 for Monroe County officials to allocate to tourism-related businesses that have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. That brings to $400,000 the total recommended by the FABTAC for the county’s COVID-19

Column: Turning budget compost, instead of planting seeds, hoping they’ll grow

Column: Turning budget compost, instead of planting seeds, hoping they’ll grow

I would like to bore you to death with some thoughts on Bloomington’s budget planning for 2021. Before we get to the boring part, I’ll report on a field trip I took on Monday to the south part of town. The banner hanging on the deer fence of

Mayor on 2021 Bloomington budget: “I do believe in a countercyclical government, so keep your ears open for that.”

Mayor on 2021 Bloomington budget: “I do believe in a countercyclical government, so keep your ears open for that.”

Bloomington’s city council held its 2021 “budget advance” meeting last Wednesday. The meeting is an annual chance for councilmembers to tell the administration what their priorities are for the coming year. Sidewalks, bike lanes, food security, and leaf pickup were among the specific topics that councilmembers discussed. The general