Tag: traffic commission

Median in the works for 3rd Street at Overhill, traffic commission gets briefed

Proposed median in connection with repaiving work.
Crash diagram at 3rd and Overhill
Scope of 3rd Street repaving project

Bloomington will be using its $463,000 share of the state’s spring Community Crossings matching grant awards for a repaving project on 3rd Street, from Eagleson Avenue to Overhill Drive.

At its regular Wednesday meeting, the city’s traffic commission got a heads up about that 3rd Street repaving project—in connection with a plan to install a median on 3rd Street at Overhill Drive.

The repaving project and the median project are “an ideal opportunity for coordination,” senior project engineer Neil Kopper told the traffic commission. No matter what, the sidewalk curb ramps have to be brought into ADA compliance at the 3rd Street and Overhill Drive intersection, Kopper said.

The idea behind installing a median is to block left turns from 3rd Street into Overhill Drive, thereby preventing a type of crash pattern that Kopper said was notable at the intersection. Continue reading “Median in the works for 3rd Street at Overhill, traffic commission gets briefed” →

Committee report on traffic commissioner’s removal to be put in front of Bloomington city council

Referral and Deliberations On February 1, 2023, a motion to remove Greg Alexander from the Traffic Commission was made and seconded. The Council referred the matter to a Special Committee on Council Processes for consideration. The Committee met on February 8, February 20, and February 23. On February 23, the Committee agreed upon the recommendation described below. Recommendation The committee recommended to the Council that the motion for removal on the table be withdrawn and that a modified motion on removal, if desired, be made according to the following guidelines: 1. That substantive due process considerations advise that a motion for removal of an appointed board or commission member for cause should be narrow, specific, and sufficiently clear that city council members, members of the public, and the appointee in question fully understand the specific conduct, statements, or omissions that have led to the proposed removal; 2. That procedural due process considerations advise that the commission appointee in question be given at least five (5) business days to respond in writing to the specific allegations and proposed basis for their removal; 3. Legal precedent with respect to cause for removal advises that a council member making a motion for removal should clarify the relevance of and logical connection between the named conduct and how, specifically, those acts or omissions have diminished the appointee's ability or fitness to perform the duties of the appointment as defined by Bloomington Municipal Code or statute, including any evidence demonstrating this diminished ability or fitness to perform the specific duties.

Four weeks ago, Bloomington’s city council delayed a vote on the question of removing Greg Alexander from the traffic commission—by referring the matter to an already established committee on council processes.

In the meantime, that committee has met three times.

This Wednesday, the question of Alexander’s removal from the traffic commission will again be put in front of the council, but this time with a recommendation from the committee.

The original motion, made by Dave Rollo at the council’s Feb. 1 meeting, described the cause for removal as “…posting obscene and inappropriate statements…” on social media.

The committee’s recommendation is neither in favor or against Alexander’s removal.

If the full council follows the committee’s recommendation, it seems unlikely the question will get decided this Wednesday.

After weighing a recent court case, and considerations of what can count as a cause for removal, due process, and First Amendment questions, the committee’s recommendation is for the motion to be withdrawn.

But the committee’s general recommendation has left the door open for a modified motion on Alexander’s removal. The committee has made three suggestions about a new motion, if some councilmember wants to put one forward. Continue reading “Committee report on traffic commissioner’s removal to be put in front of Bloomington city council” →

Column | On Bloomington city council appointments to boards: Stop, in the name of gov…think it over

A special committee on city council processes is set to meet at 3 p.m. on Monday in  the McCloskey Room of Bloomington’s city hall.

traffic sign consists of a standard stop sign with a yellow sign bolten under it, which would normally read: Traffic from left does not stop. But the text on the yellow part of the sign reads: Do you redongize the names on the list of these appointees?The committee will be continuing its deliberations on a recommendation to the full council about how to proceed with councilmember Dave Rollo’s motion, made at the council’s Feb. 1 meeting, to remove Greg Alexander from the city’s traffic commission.

Rollo wants to remove Alexander for the cause of “posting obscene and inappropriate statements” on Twitter.

Positions on the traffic commission are unpaid. The city’s traffic commission is an advisory board that, among other things, recommends to the city council and other city officials ways to improve traffic conditions and the enforcement of traffic regulations.

It might seem like a subtle point, but the question of Alexander’s removal is actually extra work the council has created for itself. Continue reading “Column | On Bloomington city council appointments to boards: Stop, in the name of gov…think it over” →

2 more meetings on removal of traffic commissioner set by special Bloomington city council committee

From left: city clerk Nicole Bolden, city councilmember Sue Sgambelluri (Feb. 8, 2023).
Bloomington city councilmember Isabel Piedmont-Smith (Feb. 8, 2023)
Bloomington city councilmember Matt Flaherty (Feb. 8, 2023).
Feb. 8, 2023 meeting of the Bloomington city council committee on council processes.

On Wednesday night, a four-member special committee of the Bloomington city council met to consider the possible removal of Greg Alexander from the city’s traffic commission.

The outcome of the committee’s deliberations included scheduling two more meetings, both of them before a deadline of March 1. The full council set the deadline when it referred to the committee a motion for Alexander’s removal, which was made at the council’s Feb. 1 meeting.

The next committee meetings are scheduled for Feb. 20 at 3 p.m. and Feb. 23 at 8 a.m.

The motion for removal was made by Dave Rollo—that Alexander be removed from the city’s traffic commission, for “posting obscene and inappropriate statements…that are unbecoming of an appointed member of a public body…” Continue reading “2 more meetings on removal of traffic commissioner set by special Bloomington city council committee” →

Referred to committee: Should city council remove member of Bloomington’s traffic commission for “posting obscene and inappropriate statements…”?

Bloomington councilmember Susan Sandberg (Feb. 1, 2023).
From left: Isabel Piedmont-Smith, Sue Sgambelluri, and Dave Rollo (Feb. 1, 2023).
From left: Dave Rollo, Jim SIms and Ron Smith (Feb. 1, 2023).
Greg Alexander addresses the Bloomington city council (Feb. 1, 2023).
Bloomington city councilmember Steve Volan (Feb. 1, 2023).
From left: Kate Rosenbarger and Susan Sandberg (Feb. 1, 2023).
Bloomington councilmember Dave Rollo (Feb. 1, 2023).
Greg Alexander (Feb. 1, 2023).
Eric Ost (Feb. 1, 2023).
Stephanie Hatton (Feb. 1, 2023).

The question of removing Greg Alexander from Bloomington’s traffic commission won’t get a vote by the city council until March 1 at the earliest.

At this past Wednesday’s city council meeting, the matter was referred to a special committee that already existed, after it was appointed by council president Sue Sgambelluri at the first meeting of the year.

By March 1, the four-member special committee on the council’s legislative processes is supposed to deliver to the full council some kind of recommendation on the question of Alexander’s removal.

The committee’s first meeting is set for next Wednesday, Feb. 8 at 7 p.m.

At this past Wednesday’s meeting, the motion to remove Alexander was made by Dave Rollo, for a cause that included “posting obscene and inappropriate statements…that are unbecoming of an appointed member of a public body…” Continue reading “Referred to committee: Should city council remove member of Bloomington’s traffic commission for “posting obscene and inappropriate statements…”?” →

Bloomington city council wants research on possible ouster of traffic commissioner for social media posts

Bloomington city council member Sue Sgambelluri (Jan. 25, 2023).
Bloomington city council member Isabel Piedmont-Smith (Jan. 25, 2023).
Bloomington traffic commissioner Greg Alexander (Jan. 25, 2023).
Former Bloomington city councilmember Jeff Richardson (Jan. 25, 2023).
Bloomington resident Stephanie Hatton (Jan. 25, 2023).
Bloomington traffic commissioner Greg Alexander (Jan. 25, 2023).
Jeff Richardson delivers public comment as Greg Alexander looks on from the audience.
Letter sent by Greg Alexander to Stephanie Hatton.

At last Wednesday’s city council meeting, several speakers during general public commentary time objected to the previous week’s re-appointment of Greg Alexander to the city’s traffic commission.

The commission is an an advisory board that, among other things, recommends to the city council and other city officials ways to improve traffic conditions and the enforcement of traffic regulations.

After public commentary time was finished, council president Sue Sgambelluri said, “We are in conversation with our attorney administrator, Mr. [Stephen] Lucas, and have asked him to research possible steps forward.”

Those steps forward could include an effort to remove Alexander from the traffic commission pursuant to Bloomington’s local code.

Local law says the city council can “for cause” remove a council appointee to a board or commission. The definition of “cause” is specific only for one kind of infraction—excessive absences. But it leaves room for other reasons: “Cause shall include, but not be limited to, failure to attend three consecutive regularly scheduled meetings of the board, commission, or council…”

A legal question that Lucas will be researching is whether councilmembers can remove Alexander, based on the kind of statements he has posted to the Twitter social media platform. Continue reading “Bloomington city council wants research on possible ouster of traffic commissioner for social media posts” →

Consultant on Bloomington boards, commissions: Uniform process, mergers recommended

On Wednesday, the city of Bloomington released a 38-page report from the Novak Consulting Group with recommendations on revising the structure of the city’s 49 different boards and commissions and improving the way their work is supported.

The image links to a .pdf of the Novak Consulting Group report.

The report was presented on Wednesday night to Bloomington’s city council by Novak’s Jonathan Ingram. The city paid Novak $38,900 for the work.

The council gave the report an uneven response.

Many of the recommendations involve standardizing the way boards and commissions operate, so that support staff, current members, applicants for appointments, and the watching public have a uniform and reliable experience.

Drawing the attention of city councilmembers were recommendations on merging some of the city’s boards and commissions with dedicated constituencies. One example is the recommended consolidation of the parking commission, the bicycle and pedestrian safety commission, and the traffic commission.

Another proposed merger would combine the commission on sustainability and the environmental commission.

Councilmember Ron Smith gave an enthusiastic response, saying, “It was a great report. Fantastic.” He added, “I’ve long thought that we have too many boards and commissions, and they could be consolidated.”

Less sanguine was councilmember Steve Volan, who called the report “very interesting” before establishing that Novak had been hired by the mayor’s office, not the city council, to do the work. Volan asked Ingram how the project had been defined: Was the main goal to reduce staff time devoted to supporting boards and commissions? Continue reading “Consultant on Bloomington boards, commissions: Uniform process, mergers recommended” →