Column: If you want to go over Bloomington’s 2025 budget with a comb, use one with good teeth

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Now about eight months into a four-year term, Bloomington mayor Kerry Thomson has released her first proposed annual city budget budget.

The draft 2025 budget will be presented to the city council in a four-day series of meetings, beginning on Monday (Aug. 26), all set to start at 5:30 p.m. in city council chambers. Meeting access information is posted on the city council’s web page.

The actual final “budget”—which is supposed to be presented to the city council on Sept. 25—will consist of six separate ordinances.

Three salary ordinances are in the mix, one each for: elected officials; firefighters and police officers; and for non-union and AFSCME (American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees). Three appropriation ordinances have to be approved, one each for: the city of Bloomington; city of Bloomington utilities; and for Bloomington Transit.

What was released last week was a 383-page document that includes some numbers, some facts, and a description of goals, department by department, and hoped-for outcomes for 2025. It’s the so-called “budget book.”

Two basic questions answered by the budget book are: How much COLA (cost of living allowance) can employees expect this year? How many new positions are funded in this proposed budget?

The city is aiming to increase compensation by 3 percent. And there are five new positions: city homelessness coordinator (mayor’s office); grant compliance manager (HAND); additional neighborhood compliance officer/rental inspector (HAND); capital projects manager (economic and sustainable development); service and capital coordinator (public works, fleet). Continue reading “Column: If you want to go over Bloomington’s 2025 budget with a comb, use one with good teeth” →

Four candidates for Monroe County council respond to questions about jail and more

On Saturday afternoon, four Democratic Party candidates for the three at-large seats on the Monroe County council fielded questions at a forum that took place in the auditorium of the downtown Bloomington location of the Monroe County Public Library.

Over the course of 90 minutes, they answered more than a dozen questions that asked for their thoughts on balancing mental health services against building a new jail, financing a new jail, housing, and reducing the cost of child care, among other topics.

In the council at-large race, eligible voters in Monroe County choose up to three candidates. No Republican candidates declared a candidacy in the primary.

Vying for one of the three seats are incumbents Trent Deckard and Cheryl Munson. Hoping for their first turn of service on the seven-member county council are Matt Caldie and David Henry. Incumbent Geoff McKim is not seeking re-election.

The full forum is available on CATS. Below is a summary of just a few highlights, which are not organized in the chronological order of the forum.

The event was hosted by the League of Women Voters of Bloomington-Monroe County, and cosponsored by the Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce, Monroe County NAACP, Monroe County NOW, IU PACE, IU BIG Voting Challenge, and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Kappa Tau Omega Chapter.

Laura Rusk, a third-year law student at Indiana University, moderated the forum. Continue reading “Four candidates for Monroe County council respond to questions about jail and more” →

Resolution opposing water pipeline put off by Bloomington city council until March 27

Bloomington councilmember Andy Ruff.

From left, Bloomington city councilmembers Hopi Stosberg, Isak Asare, and Kate Rosenbarger.

From left: Bloomington councilmembers Dave Rollo and Andry Ruff.

Bloomington mayor Kerry Thomson.

CEO of Regional Opportunity Initiatives (ROI) Tina Peterson

Map of area of focus for water study: https://www.in.gov/ifa/regional-water-studies/north-central-indiana-water-study/

A resolution opposing a potential water pipeline from the aquifers of the Wabash River to Lebanon in Boone County, has been postponed by Bloomington’s city council until March 27.

The council action came at its regular Wednesday meeting.

Lebanon is about 30 miles northwest of Indianapolis. From Lebanon, it’s another 35 miles, northwest along I-65, to West Lafayette.

The pipeline is part of the Indiana Economic Development Corporation’s eventual plan to provide resources to its LEAP (Limitless Exploration/Advanced Pace) District near Lebanon in Boone County. The idea is to attract a mix of businesses and develop a workforce to support employment in and around Lebanon. Technically, the pipeline is on hold, while a water study is being done.

At Wednesday’s meeting, at-large councilmember Andy Ruff, who introduced the resolution, described the LEAP District as a “massive, largely speculative economic development project, spearheaded by the Indiana Economic Development Corporation.”

The problem that Ruff and other pipeline opponents see in the LEAP District is a lack of enough water to support the kind of water-intensive industries that could locate there. One such industry is microchip manufacturing,

Why would Bloomington’s city council pass a resolution about an issue centered several counties away?

Ruff said on Wednesday that the purpose of the resolution is to “show solidarity with our fellow Hoosier communities that are grappling with shared concerns about essential public resources that really need to be thoughtfully managed and protected, rather than aggressively exploited for speculative economic development like this.”

It was Ruff himself who moved for the postponement—after pushback to his resolution from Bloomington mayor Kerry Thomson, representatives from the economic development community, and his fellow councilmembers. Continue reading “Resolution opposing water pipeline put off by Bloomington city council until March 27” →