- I'd like to go ahead and call this meeting to order
- the
- Last regular session of the Bloomington Common Council before our summer recess here on June 4th
- So will the clerk please call the roll councilmember Flaherty here rough
- Rollo
- Here Piedmont Smith. Yeah, Stossberg here
- Zulick here Rosenberger here and a sorry here
- Great, thank you. So as I mentioned, this is the last meeting prior to summer recess and
- Generally start meetings off with some interesting bits of information related to justice equity
- and related
- And I just want to highlight some
- Summer events and other happenings over the next month or so. So first off June is pride month
- So happy pride
- It pride month is dedicated to the celebration of the LGBTQ plus community and can serve as a
- reminder that the fight for equal rights is
- ongoing
- Pride month commemorates the Stonewall riots in New York City in 1969 which sparked the LGBTQ plus
- rights movement and
- Bloomington pride is actually scheduled for August 23rd this year because we always delay that to
- make sure our student population is back in
- town and can celebrate that
- But there are pride events and parades this month in Indianapolis and Jeffersonville and Evansville
- and lots of other places around
- Indiana and pride month was first recognized in 1999
- Second I want to highlight world refugee day, which was mentioned by an
- staff member of Exodus at public comment mic a couple weeks ago
- World refugee excuse me world refugee day is celebrated internationally on June 20th as a day of
- awareness and recognition
- of the strength and courage of
- people forced to flee their home countries to escape conflict and danger and then settle in new
- lands an
- Event to celebrate our local refugee population is this Saturday June 7th from 3 to 6 at first
- Methodist Church and World Refugee Day was first established in
- 2001 and
- Lastly I want to remind us all about the Juneteenth
- Celebration and Juneteenth is recognized on June 19th each year
- and
- the
- Juneteenth commemorates the end of slavery in the United States and this year the Bloomington Juneteenth
- celebration will be on Friday at June
- 13th in Switchyard Park from 2 to 9 p.m
- And Juneteenth was just made a federal holiday a few years ago in 2021
- and I'm highlighting these three occasions as a reminder of the progress that has been made simply
- to commemorate these events and
- That it is so important to keep acknowledging and celebrating our diverse community and community
- members and without that diversity
- We would be a lot less interesting
- So moving on to our agenda summation for this evening we have no minutes for approval
- So we will move straight into the reports section
- first we will hear reports from council members and
- Second, we will have reports from the mayor and city offices and seeing as this is the last meeting
- before summer recess
- There are lots of reports tonight
- we will have an environmental Commission report and then a report from the planning and
- transportation department regarding the UDO and
- Then finally have the economic and sustainable development
- Department giving us the annual tax abatement report
- A maximum of 20 minutes is set aside for each of these reports as a whole unit
- So I do expect that we will have to extend that report time this evening from the mayor and city
- offices
- after that we will have
- Reports from council committees and I do want to note that this afternoon
- There was an updated agenda sent out as a packet addendum
- So under council committees there will be a report from the sidewalk committee and then also a
- report from the Jack Hopkins committee
- That will be followed by reports from the public
- So that will be the first opportunity for the public to comment on items not on the agenda this
- evening
- After that we have appointments to boards and commissions and I do believe that we have some of
- those this evening
- And then we will get into our legislation for second readings and resolutions tonight
- the amended agenda
- Changed the order of this a little bit. We will start with ordinance
- 2025 - 22
- Authorizing and approving a payment in lieu of taxes agreement with Henderson court housing and
- then we will have ordinance
- 2025 - 21
- Authorizing and improving a payment in lieu of taxes agreement with Cambridge Square
- Lastly we will finish up our legislation with resolution 2025. Oh nine
- allocating Jack Hopkins Social Service program funding for 2025
- After legislation, we will have any additional public comment anybody who has anything else
- They want to add for items not on the agenda a note about council schedule and adjournment
- So having wrapped up that summation
- Councilmember reports and I will start I can't remember where I started last week
- So I think I'll start on my right tonight
- Did I did I start with you last week? Yeah, great. So let's start on my right with councilmember Flaherty
- No report other than a suggestion for future consideration, which is that we could rotate where it
- starts
- So it starts with somebody besides the two people at the end
- You know the way we all right out there, thank you I will do that
- Councilmember rough
- Let's go up to councilmember Rallo online
- I have no report. Thank you. Thank you councilmember Piedmont Smith
- Yes, thank you. I have a few things to mention tonight
- First of all, I'm wearing bright orange two days in advance of wear orange day
- which is on June 6 this year and it is a day to
- commemorate people who have died from gun violence in this country and to call for common-sense gun
- control to
- avoid future deaths
- As a result of firearms in this country
- Every day in the US 125 people are shot and killed and hundreds more are wounded due to gun
- violence
- The leading cause of death in 2022 among children and teens was
- gun violence
- It is a public health epidemic. It is a social epidemic
- It is a major problem in our society that we need to remember and work towards
- solutions
- Why orange?
- So on January 21st 2013
- a 15 year old
- young woman named Hadia Pendleton marched in President Obama's Second Inaugural Parade and less
- than a week later
- She was shot and killed on a playground in Chicago
- Soon after this tragedy occurred her friends commemorated her life by wearing orange
- Which is the color hunters wear in the woods to protect themselves and others from being shot
- so that this has been a
- Day of action and
- remembrance for several years in honor of Hadia and all the other victims of gun violence
- So wear orange on Friday
- I also wanted to say that my constituent meeting in June is a week earlier than normal. So it will
- be this Saturday June 7th
- from 11 a.m. Till 12 noon
- With two options you can either join via zoom or in person in the McCloskey room, which is room 135
- here in City Hall
- You can find the zoom link on the City Council web page
- And finally just a report regarding
- Recycling so the waste reduction district of Monroe County
- Started a new contract with rum key for handling their
- recyclable materials starting June 1st or June 2nd one day
- and
- One big change is that you can now recycle
- waxed
- paper cartons like milk cartons a cartons that you know some soups come in and other drinks
- you just need to try to remove the
- The plastic spout and then you can save save up a box of those and bring them to the waste
- reduction district
- either on South Walnut Street or one of the other
- locations
- So that's good news as far as recycling goes and that's my report. Thank you
- Thank you. Can I ask you if you can put those things in your recycling bin, too?
- I'm afraid not because Republic Services does not recycle those and the city's contract is with
- Republic Services
- Great. Thank you for that clarification
- Down the other ends councilmember, sorry
- I'm to
- Somewhat quick reports and the first thing is that I just got back from attending the global
- entrepreneurship Congress in
- Indianapolis which brought together this ecosystem of builders and policymakers and researchers and
- from around the world are working to strengthen innovation and inclusion
- in economic growth
- Especially in cities and regions like ours and the central message. It was first
- I should say it was super cool because there were
- We were very well
- Represented at this global congress both in terms of attendance
- I mean a lot of IU folks obviously, but a lot of folks from the BDC
- Jen Pearl I saw a second ago was there. So was Val Pena
- Folks from from the ESD. One of our newest employees was there. It was really cool to see to see
- them
- But but the and also many people who are speaking highlighting things that we're doing
- Here like John Zodi, for example gave a really cool session on CFDI
- CFDI friendly and sort of the things that we're doing here in Bloomington. So that was super super
- cool
- Just a handful of things that that I got from it though just to add to the ongoing conversation
- The first one is how important local specialization is. It's a they they
- Argued the cities that focus on specific sectors or strengths whether that's climate or tech or
- creative industries or cybersecurity
- Tend to attract more investment more talent more buyers for local innovation
- And so they sort of argued against this model of just general innovation hubs rather into focused
- Innovation hubs. I thought that was a strong interesting argument the importance of mapping
- ecosystems to strengthen collaboration
- They talked about how placemaking can be useful for economic development and also talked about how
- culture matters as much as capital
- And giving people certainty when they come to City Hall
- So a lot of the sessions that I attended were for policymakers thinking about how do you make good
- partnerships?
- With businesses with investors with the type of people who want to come and do cool things
- In in your city and time after time the stories that were told of success
- Were of cities who who spent their time?
- Simplifying their processes giving clearer
- Expectations for outcomes for people and that they align those processes with the clear
- Values and outcomes that they wanted to achieve so that was I think really encouraging and I'll be
- happy to share more about that
- Over the coming weeks and months as I'm sure others who attended will as well my other
- short little update and I don't tend to give sort of personal updates as much as
- because we sort of said as a group that we would mostly spend time talking about the ways that we
- spent our time this week, but
- on a very personal note this Sunday as much as we've been talking about all of the many things that
- We're observing in this month and the month that just passed was national cancer survivor day
- And this is a day that honors the millions of people across the globe who faced a cancer diagnosis
- and lived to tell their story
- and of course for me, this is super personal because I'm just two days before that and was my
- seventh anniversary of being diagnosed with leukemia and
- I remember so clearly
- that moment that stillness the
- But I guess the clarity
- but also the sort of sense of fear and as I was thinking about it this weekend, I
- Remembered why I got into politics to begin with I used to attend political meetings and often felt
- that
- My voice was not represented
- That I was not seen in those contexts and and it sort of stirred me up
- I think too. This is the part where I'm going to say sorry, but it stirred me up to
- To a reminder of why we're all here and I think it's so easy sometimes to get caught up and process
- and actually somebody
- Also is here who said this to me and I saw you walk in but now I don't see you anymore
- but but and so I
- As I'm thinking about why we're here and what it is that we have an opportunity to do
- I wanted to remind myself because I think I'm guilty of this
- Of the times that we act like we have so much time to do good
- but the reality is that you know tomorrow's not promised and I think that that's that's a reality
- that I live with on a
- Day-to-day basis, but certainly it's true of our political time. And so I I just am
- publicly saying my
- recommitment to the urgency of public service
- And it with that I also wanted to apologize to councilmember Flaherty and councilmember
- I forgot your last name just now because you're sitting next to me. Sorry councilmember Rosenberger
- Particularly because you know, I think that when when we've been talking about some needed
- Changes to like our development ordinance, you know, I I have opted often to say well
- Let's try to do big things and and you know use use our time to do those things
- But I actually think that and the person who is here that I no longer see
- Talk to me afterwards and I forget their name. I'm so sorry, but about the importance of
- incrementalism
- So do what you can do while you can do it. And so anyways, I just thought I'd take this personal
- moment to say that
- It's such a pleasure working with you all
- It's such a pleasure to have the opportunity to serve the city of Bloomington to make sure that we
- center
- The residents of the city and everything that we say and do and so with that. Thank you for the
- time
- Thank you councilmember Rosenberger, thank you so much. Thank you so much for that
- thoughtful
- report councilmember, sorry
- Those ordinances that didn't get introduced had four votes if you would like to incrementally
- Change make sure you do changes. I am happy to bring them back with your fifth vote. I
- I don't mean that as a joke and so
- I'm very serious that like actually what I'm going to talk about tonight is
- some properties with affordable housing that
- They're at risk. We're at risk of losing 29 affordable units. So it's like just very timely also
- that the UDO
- Needs to be updated as soon as we can. So
- My report is about seminary point apartments. So just for
- An orientation this is these are the properties just north of Kroger on 2nd Street. So it's the
- corner of
- College and 2nd Street
- It's three buildings owned by the county owned by Monroe County and in these three buildings. There
- are
- 29 residential units and a handful of our small businesses and nonprofits that live there
- So it's two it's just under two and a half acres. It has my sister's closet
- blue-tip billiards friendly be cidery and Jeff's warehouse
- This prop these properties are in our Bloomington urban enterprise zone
- So they have access to property owners have access to different grants
- The small businesses have access to grants and residents also have access to grants because it is
- in in the enterprise zone
- Some good things other good things about these properties is that they do provide 29
- Residential units that are pretty affordable for Bloomington
- So monthly rents range from $400 a month for a one-bedroom up to $700 a month for a three-bedroom
- This is one of I would say one of the most convenient and connected locations to live in Bloomington.
- It is
- Literally across the street from a Kroger and it is on our beeline multi-use trail
- It's a really neat community of neighbors. I've been getting to know some of the tenants folks hang
- out and really consider each other family
- And it's also it acts as a neighborhood hub
- So it is, you know, just a little bit away from like our Kirkwood
- And our square and so people can come there and do quite a bit
- You can shop for clothing you can shop for furniture
- You can play pool you can grab a beer and you can grab something to eat. So a lot happens right in
- this property
- I've been talking to the tenants because a couple things one is that
- the
- Apartments some of them or all of them are not really the best living conditions, right?
- so I've talked to tenants about a dead rat in a common hallway that wasn't removed for months or
- Rotting treads on stairs that weren't replaced for months gutters that have been rotting and you
- can't park or walk under them
- Because in the winter icicles hang and can be quite dangerous
- there is
- An organization in Bloomington Bloomington homes for all they are on Instagram and they are a
- housing
- Advocacy organization that is part of the national homes for all network
- That this national network demands affordable safe and permanent homes for all
- So they are working with residents all the residents that are wanting to participate in trying to
- save these properties
- owned by the county because the bad I went through a lot of the good and the bad is the living
- conditions that need to be
- improved and
- some other bad is that
- leases aren't being renewed past
- June or July of 2026 the county is planning on
- Demolishing these buildings and I just think that's a it is a real shame, right?
- it is 29 affordable naturally affordable occurring units in our downtown area and so
- If anyone is out there and wants to be a part of that, I think
- You can get in touch with Bloomington homes for all on Instagram and they may eventually make a
- Facebook page. I think
- There is an article in the HT about it it came out on my 30th and there's also an op-ed in the HT
- about it
- So I just wanted to bring that up that there are folks out there trying really hard to advocate and
- keep our
- affordable housing. Thanks
- Thank You council members who look yes, thank you
- Happy pride everybody
- I just want to talk a little bit about what pride is and what it means and how we can celebrate and
- continue to advocate for
- LGBTQ+ rights as a reminder the Stonewall uprisings were a product of
- police raids on gay bars in New York City and
- Two black transgender women Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera were credited with kind of leading
- the charge in
- in the Stonewall uprising and advocating for
- LGBTQ+ rights and and so I think that we have to always remember that pride in the same way as
- feminism
- always needs to be
- intersectional remember that feminism doesn't exist without pride and anti racism doesn't exist
- without pride
- and we have to remember that all of these things are
- Co-existing and
- When we think about how to celebrate pride remember the Stonewall uprisings were not peaceful
- They weren't peaceful because sometimes when our oppressors are so in our face and so violent
- The only option is to protect ourselves and so I will remind people in the same way that you
- celebrate pride
- Fight for pride, too. Thank you
- Thank You councilmember daily, yes, thank you. I wanted to start off with happy pride everyone
- and I
- Want to take a moment to say that my heart goes out to the Jewish community right now
- Once again, we are left heartbroken and frightened and angry with yet another anti-semitic attack
- And so I just want to acknowledge those feelings and to state that you know, we need to stand with
- our Jewish friends
- I stand with my Jewish friends and residents
- The timing once you know, well, it's been happening more and more recently with these attacks
- But right now, you know, it's it's the beginning of pride month
- And so it's just another reminder that our our presidential administration is not only turning its
- back on many vulnerable members of
- Our country, but in many instances their actions are encouraging terrible mistreatment of
- marginalized groups
- Because people are are being influenced by what they hear coming out of the mouths of many of our
- leaders and so
- Just take this extra moment. Please to remember not only this month stand with our our
- LBGTQ
- Community our Jewish community our immigrant community. Let's remember that this should be year-round
- that we're standing with them and supporting them
- And then actually I want to give a big thank you to councilmember Piedmont Smith. You took a lot of
- my
- Public comment that I was gonna make so thank you very much for recognizing where orange
- For the past decade, I've been observing gun violence awareness day. It's been a really big
- Part of my life. I wasn't together enough to have my orange t-shirt together. I have many but
- Thank you very much for the to the administration too for also declaring Friday
- Bloomington gun violence awareness day and and helping us with the orange. Everybody, please.
- Please put on some orange
- I know it's a tough color, but you can find some
- And and you know one further action that you could take is connect with our local Bloomington moms
- demand action group
- Reach out just sign up even on our website
- If you're not already signed up reach out find out how you can get involved because I think gun
- violence being the number one
- cause of death for our children in this country is
- Absurd. I mean, there's no other word for it
- So moms demand action every time for gun safety
- Even look up Sandy Hook promise
- There's many ways that you can help support reducing the number of gun violence deaths that happen
- every day and then
- You know
- Councilmember Piedmont Smith mentioned 125
- Americans are shot and killed every day
- Twice that number are injured and these are life-changing injuries that I'm talking about. So it's
- not just that 125
- It's hundreds every day have their lives altered forever by gun violence
- Thank you
- Thank you. I was also told that councilmember Rallo does indeed have an announcement to make if you
- want to go ahead councilmember
- Oh, yes. Thank you president
- Stasberg I well first
- Thank you to my colleagues for
- Observing pride month and for bring your attention to gun violence. I wanted to announce that
- councilmember rough and I
- will have our constituent meeting monthly constituent meeting on
- June 21st at 10 a.m. And you can find the link at Bloomington dot ion dot gov slash council
- We usually go for over an hour about 90 minutes and we'd love to have you participate
- So that's June 21st 10 a.m. And the links on our calendar. Thank you
- Great. Thank you. And I
- In recognition of the time right now. I have a very quick little councilmember announcement
- That is also my constituent meeting. I will continue to have constituent meetings this summer
- My next one is also scheduled on Saturday, June 21st at 11 o'clock
- And I do those in person if the weather is crummy
- I'll be in McCloskey room down the hall and if the weather is beautiful, then I will be outside in
- the mayor's tent
- If you don't know the mayor has a tent at the farmers market each Saturday
- with a different staff
- or department
- Recognize there so I'm crashing the mayor's tent. I do have permission to crash the mayor's tent
- so I'll be there on Saturday, June 21st from 11 to noon and then also I
- Need to contact the the department that's going to be there on July 19th
- But I'm hoping that that's okay with them too as I'm looking across the room when they're signed up
- for it
- So thank you very much. That was a lot of councilmember reports
- so now moving on to the mayor and city offices who is here from the Environmental Commission to
- wonderful if you want to come up to the mic and and
- introduce yourself and
- As I said before this section of the meeting usually is 20 minutes
- And I'm just gonna have to play it by ear to make sure that each of these reports gets their due
- this evening
- Perfect. Thank you. Hi everyone. I'm Carrie Albright chair of the Environmental Commission. Thank
- you for giving me some time
- Hopefully less than 20 minutes to talk a little bit about what we've accomplished in 2024
- And at this point what we've been doing in 2025 as well and kind of where we've set our sails for
- the year and for
- The years to come so on this slide you can see the smiling faces of your current Environmental
- Commission
- Last year, we had a few different folks leave due to graduations
- due to just resignations and also I want to draw attention to
- Linda Thompson and Mike Litwin who are both long-standing commissioners both served for decades and
- really brought a lot of change a lot
- of impact the Environmental Commission so seeing Linda retire and having
- Mike finally finally step away from the Commission was a big loss for us, but we very much
- appreciated their contributions
- So as you know this past year we have
- Reworked our mission statement. So it was a bit a bit outdated as far as the language and the
- priorities for the Commission that we are
- Today, so our current mission for the EC
- It's promote the stewardship and preservation of the city's environment and natural resources by
- seeking out and responding to emerging issues
- addressing them with sound long-term policy recommendations and
- Increasing local environmental awareness and engagement and what you'll see is that that is sort of
- where we are focusing here this past year and years
- to come
- For 2024 we set our priorities around our biodiversity working group as well as our continued
- outreach programs and activities in the community
- I'll go through those in a little bit more detail
- For the biodiversity working group. You may recall last year
- I came in and talked a little bit about our habitat connectivity plan something
- We were very excited about and something that definitely needed some additional edits for
- functionality user friendliness and keeping it up to date
- So that was something we knew we wanted to focus on
- We also knew we wanted to draw more attention to some of the native plants native pollinators how
- they work together to promote
- Biodiversity in Bloomington and so in order to do that
- We focused our eco heroes theme for 2025 around the concept of native insects
- We created some additional materials for our tabling that had to do with insects in Bloomington and
- also
- Have been pursuing a bee city status on behalf of the city of Bloomington
- So it's something that we're continuing to work on and as I'll mention here for the year to come
- We've also been doing some bigger steps in the progress for the habitat connectivity map
- We also love outreach and
- Activities with the community part of what we try to do is stay visible to the community because
- Bloomington does have an incredible
- Natural space our air our water our land use are all really and and the biodiversity of our city
- are all really important
- Aspects of who we are as a city and what makes us so special and so we want to make sure that
- Our city knows that not only can you talk to us about what's going on or raise your concerns
- But we'd love to have more commissioners join us and participate. So for those listening, we are
- welcoming
- Applications to join the Commission, but here you can see a few activities. We participated in we
- always table at the IU bugfest
- We had an entomologist on our Commission for a few years and that was really wonderful having her
- expertise
- We attended the Grandview STEM night at Grandview elementary
- Which was our opportunity to talk about how the technology of using the habitat connectivity map
- can help you connect with and understand your local
- Environment and then of course, we have our annual eco heroes event
- Last year, the theme was drops to drain and focused on Bloomington stormwater
- We had over 30 submissions from young children to adults that talked about how to ensure
- quality stormwater how we can all take steps to positively affect that or to
- Mitigate any hazards that might be impacting our local stormwater
- That was something that we connected with the city of Bloomington utilities department put together
- materials
- So that educators could talk to their students about it and with 20 different sponsors bringing in
- prizes and in different forms of support we were able to
- Participate in the earth week event at switch our park last spring where the mayor congratulated
- all the different winners
- always a really good time and
- Then along with our other kinds of outreach something that we really want to make sure we're doing
- is connecting with folks beyond our commission
- Both other organizations individuals commissions boards in the city
- And so as I mentioned one of the things that we are prioritizing this year and that we really
- kicked off last year was pursuing a B
- City status
- That's something that we collaborate with the Parks Department for that's something that I use
- office of sustainability
- Worked with us on as well as they pursued the B campus status
- we also have the the
- Invitation to speak up for organizations or businesses or individuals who are doing things to
- positively impact the environment of Bloomington
- And so we wrote a letter of support for a variance that was requested by an urban farm with an
- educational program
- We support a local organization that is getting its footing and saying we are trying to make Bloomington
- more sustainable and protect our environment
- and we say that sounds good we'd love for you to continue that conversation with council with the
- mayor in the city and
- Then also weighing in on how land is used and what considerations are being put into place as we
- were developing a city
- That is so special. It has so many
- Environmental details to it that we really want to consider in that progress
- We also wanted to make sure that we are working with the city's own climate plan as you know, that's
- The climate action plan is something that's been in place
- So we of course we're excited to participate in weighing in on thoughts on how that's coming
- together
- Including having it Sean Mia come and talk to us about the plan as well as the climate dashboard
- Which is a way for us to bridge what the city is doing and the different boards commissions and
- departments
- With the community who might be interested in knowing what's happening with their air their water
- their land use
- So we were very excited to be part of those conversations and make sure we are sharing our support
- and ideas
- And also helped with some of the installation of the technology used to gather data about the air
- quality as the surveys were taking
- place last summer and
- Lastly we were trying to get creative with what we might do. So we did some different things this
- year
- We had interviews with WFHB. We
- Were on a local podcast. We there was an article in D square
- And we also submitted some op-eds about some of the house bills that were taking place that were of
- concern to the environment as well
- So like I said, we're trying to make sure that we are reaching out to the community and we continue
- to prioritize that in the years
- to come
- Speaking of the years to come one of the things that we did this year was talk about our long-term
- Priorities and what we identified is that we've got kind of two buckets that keep coming up for us
- One is making sure that we as a commission are working efficiently that our
- Onboarding process that our presence out in the public are all really mindful
- They reflect who we are as a commission today and that they are effectively building bonds bridges
- connections with our community
- So that's something that we've we've definitely want to make sure that we are keeping our finger on
- in the years to come and then also
- Continuing to grow and reach out to others in the in the future
- so that means having workshops whether led by EC members or
- Inviting in guests to teach us more about the things that we are weighing in on or that we're
- curious about
- Just continuing that education between our group
- The the community and the larger environment. We also as you know published an air quality reports
- We're currently working on one of those for the water quality and working with some larger data
- sets from IDEM and working with the utilities
- Department to make sure that that reflects
- Accurately where we are as a city with our water quality and what our recommendations may be on
- various levels
- we also have a lot of interest in supporting some of the
- Changing regulations for how the city operates and so one of the things that we talked about was as
- we are
- Shifting some of the language around riparian buffer measurement making sure that if that we as a
- water quality subcommittee on the EC
- Are able to help support that and say can we potentially put together a way to?
- Contribute to a stream inventory to ensure that we are keeping our eye on how this is working or is
- it not working?
- What conversations can we help facilitate and then also like I mentioned city?
- Certifications like be city and then also expanding into the world of if there are grants or
- funding available
- For some of these projects that may require experts beyond our skills or time that our commissioners
- Just don't have that we can bring in further support
- So that's something we haven't really done a lot of in the past and we're excited to do it in the
- future
- I'm not gonna go through this whole slide. There's lots of words on it and it is in the packet
- So feel free to take a look at it
- But these are the things that we said in
- 2025 we really want to do this stuff and this as you can see covers a lot of ground and in
- parentheses after each point
- Is sort of the subcommittee the working group that would be
- Hosting that conversation or that initiative when it comes to admin that is really working closely
- with our liaison just as
- Some of it is a little bit more formal, but the water quality working group is a is one that's on
- here
- The eco heroes of course is always going to be on there
- But we also introduced a light pollution working group because we do know that that does influence
- migration habits. It does influence
- Just the general biodiversity capabilities of our city and as our city is growing and changing
- That is a responsibility that we want to make sure that we are thinking about so that's something
- that's new that we're launching this year. I
- Wanted to take a moment to share what is going well for the EC and also where are we facing
- challenges because that's the reality of
- Being on a group of this this nature as well
- What's going well is that we're as you heard doing a lot of collaborating with different partners
- different members of the community and that's
- Fantastic. That's the goal is to be a bridge across our different communities and what we're
- capable of building together
- Some of the things that we've been working on have been long thought projects. You've heard me talk
- about the Habitat connectivity plan
- we have different reports that we've worked on over the years and
- Our Commission is still really enthusiastic about that and we're eager to share that with you all
- When it comes to working with the Bloomington community, whether it's tabling whether it's having
- different events
- That's something that means a lot to us to have them chime in and say that's really cool. I didn't
- know that that's something
- I'll try and so having that feedback feels really good and is another way for us to
- revisit what is working well and what we enjoy doing to contribute to the city and
- Then staying active in the in the city. We're continuously looking for opportunities to be out in
- the community
- Obviously, we all have lots of different time commitments and things like that, but the enthusiasm
- is there and we do try to make good
- Choices about how we can be present for the city
- Now when it comes to the challenges for 2025
- Unfortunately, some of these are a little bit out of our hands
- But some of them are our areas that we are looking for solutions to
- The first one is the hardest one and it is complex and inefficient changes to communication in the
- last year. So we have
- We understand that there are some interpretations of the open-door laws that are changing how our
- commission communicates with each other
- I would say that is the hardest thing for us to navigate considering that our Commission is
- voluntary
- Many of us have full-time jobs are in class have children have
- Responsibilities that really limit how much time we can put into the way that we operate for the EC
- despite being very passionate about it
- What we have learned is that because of the the way that we need to interpret these laws
- We cannot communicate with each other directly by email
- We need to go through our liaison in any communication that has to do with EC besides
- I believe it's besides maybe setting up meeting
- Or talking about things that are not EC related like I got a new car. Where did you get it kind of
- thing?
- but if we're talking about the EC is our understanding that and when I am putting together the list
- for sponsors for the
- Hero's event. For example, I cannot communicate directly with the rest of the subcommittee
- Via email without going through our conduit through the city
- The alternative to that and so that makes it really hard
- It takes away our liaisons time to do her full-time job, which I very much respect and and
- understand that that is the priority
- The alternative is for us to be meeting face-to-face to have these conversations
- That in and of itself requires advance notice reserving a location specifically a public location
- where we can publicly note that we are gathering
- One of the one of the things about the Commission that I'm fully aware of is the privilege it takes
- to be able to be on
- The Commission it's voluntary and it is something that requires time outside of whatever your other
- responsibilities are
- Where there's a limit to how many virtual meetings you can attend and so being able to be flexible
- in your work in your responsibilities in your
- Caregiving to be in these meetings is something that takes privilege and I would hate to see an
- inequitable
- Leaning towards folks who are able to have those circumstances versus those who maybe don't have
- the flexibility and could communicate via email
- But we're no longer able to in a way that is efficient or effective for us. It's not impossible,
- but it sure makes it hard
- So that is something that we've been dealing with
- It's been very difficult and we are working hard to not diminish the enthusiasm for our Commission
- But it slows down that beautiful list of goals we have for the year that incredible list of three
- to five year
- Priorities that we have we are compassionate about it, but it is very hard. That is a major
- challenge for us
- Right now things are difficult in the United States and folks are
- Torn in a lot of different directions energies are low spirits are compromised because of what is
- happening across funding across
- protections for individuals across the way that we treat each other
- general engagement right now is low across a lot of different volunteer and
- Selective activities we understand that so when it comes to eco heroes when it comes to people
- coming up to our table
- We know that we're not we may not see the same level of enthusiasm that we would have a few years
- ago
- That's a challenge because we love to keep people excited, but we understand that right now
- Maybe maybe engagement is not going to be as strong as it was in the past
- We currently have some vacancies on the EC
- We're so excited about our new commissioners that have joined us in the last several months
- But we still have some vacancies that spreads the work a little bit more thinly between the group
- that we do have
- So that's a challenge that we have from time to time
- But the folks we have now are very committed and working on lots of different things. That's really
- exciting
- And then lastly there's some changing legislation at the state and federal level that impacts
- impacts
- the the things that we talk about the work that we try to do and some of them are
- About funding some of them are about protections for things like wetlands that really are
- that that are
- Damaging to our larger environmental safety for our state for our city for our country and our
- planet
- And so that's something that when we're working through what our priorities are
- We we understand that that will be impacting what we do. So a challenge for sure
- But last time I was here you asked me what you could do to help and I really appreciated that
- question then and I came
- Even more prepared this time. So how can you help?
- beautiful council folks
- First things first when it comes to processes
- We like I said, we just got a bunch of new commissioners really appreciate that and as you know
- The speed with which we can get interviews and get new commissioners is always helpful. So in the
- as we're able to get new commissioners on
- We appreciate your expediency in that process
- Also when there are things that we might need to have your input on or your approval for just being
- able to communicate clearly about
- What that process needs to to be I know that when it comes to be city, for example
- That's something we've been communicating a lot about so clarity there is really helpful and that's
- just something that that will continue to work together
- Like I said, we have a be city certification initiative that we are putting together
- It is not yet at resolution stage, but it is making its way there
- So that's something to be aware of and as I mentioned we have a new subcommittee for light
- pollution
- And so one of the things we're thinking about doesn't make sense for us to pursue a dark spot dark
- sky place
- Certification it may it may not but that's something that may be a conversation that we're hoping
- to have or
- Some input that we're looking for from our council
- the
- So I mentioned how difficult communication is for us
- And I would love to have a solution
- The only solution that I have and I'm open to hearing other ideas from from folks on the council or
- what other boards or
- Commissions have done to to bridge this gap
- One of the issues that we have in our email communication is that we are all private
- Residents and we're just using our personal email accounts to talk to each other and to receive the
- agendas and all that
- One thing that would improve our ability to communicate is if we had publicly accessible email
- addresses that the city or whomever could
- Gain access to if they needed to for any sort of transparency if the environmental commissioners
- each had commissioner email addresses through the city that would allow us to communicate directly
- with each other and
- Well, that's my impression that it would but I may be wrong on that
- but basically what I would love is if there is a way that we can create a more level of
- transparency in our exchanges that
- allow us to
- Be able to communicate in small groups or in large groups about non voting issues
- But just building out materials working through decision-making
- So we would love to hear any solutions for how to how to bridge that difficulty because like I said,
- it's a it's a tough one
- And the last thing we just invite you to join us at our meetings to bring up ideas. You have
- questions things like that
- So that is where we're at. This is our wonderful Commission tomorrow is World Environment Day
- Which is a that's meant to raise awareness about how we all engage with our environment how we can
- protect it
- So I invite you to celebrate that as well as honoring some of the other themes throughout the month
- and throughout the days to come
- But thank you. Thank you for letting me share
- Thank you for letting me use all my time and I'm happy to hear your questions
- We have some folks from the Commission here, too. But again, thank you
- Great. Thank you
- I'll ask are there councilmember questions and then acknowledge that I'm pretty sure that councilmember
- Rollo online has a question if we want to bring the
- Presentation down and there we go. Councilmember Rollo. Go ahead. Yeah. Thank you
- Thank you
- Chair Commissioner Albright. I really appreciate your presentation. I
- was once on the environmental Commission, but I
- Joined about 30 years ago when Mike Litwin did actually
- and I have a great deal of respect for you and your commissioners and
- The role you play all commissions are important. You have a very unique role very important role
- I'll commit to working on the communication problem
- I think it's absolutely essential that you be able to do your work and communicate amongst each
- other
- for the environment of Bloomington
- But I had a question about I I read in the in the report that the ECPC
- Otherwise known as the Environmental Commission
- planning committee
- Issued a just a single report this year and is not anticipating
- further reports
- Could you explain why that that is the case sure and I might invite our liaison to talk to that a
- little bit more but
- Two different there are two different parts to that one is the the change in the need for those memos
- simply because so much about the city ordinances have changed over the years where the protections
- and the
- memos may not be as necessary because those those
- Requirements are built in so that's the good news, but I think the other piece is just
- understanding that if there is a development or a variance that would need that warrants some
- environmental
- Reflection that that would be shared with us, but that it won't be in the same the same way that
- was so actively done in the past
- They're just the previous structure of the role
- Are your is your liaison?
- Making reports to you regarding development proposals
- It's our understanding that that will be when relevant or necessary, but we do not have a currently
- convening ECPC
- that's not something that has
- that
- It it does not sound that that is something that we should expect to see in the future
- unless it's an extending circumstance and is your return is your intern is it I
- understand they're moving to
- Planning and transportation are they are they are you getting another to intern for your purposes?
- I it's my understanding that the intern is not supporting the EC specifically
- moving forward
- So that's also been a change for us because that you in historically the intern has been pretty
- involved
- Okay, well I
- You know, I I think the ECPC is my opinion is a very important committee
- that would objectively scrutinize
- development proposals and
- producing memos for the Planning Commission and for the council in the past and
- I
- Think many of those memos have been used
- Sometimes as conditions of approval sometimes for to improve the
- petition itself
- including site inspections of
- environmental commission members and
- you know, this has been important for water quality and tree preservation and
- habitat and climate and all sorts of things
- So I'm a little
- dismayed that this is this is a development because
- I mean these these these measures were big steps forward and the ECPC
- memory service has been in existence for about 25 years and
- You know the report the regular reports of the environmental planner or in this case the liaison
- happened at every meeting
- For about 30 years and I think the EC has a very important role to play in that regard so
- I guess I'll just say that I appreciate you telling me
- A bit about it. I'd like to explore that further. So I'll probably be attending your meetings and
- speaking to
- the planning and transportation staff
- about this I
- Really appreciate that
- There's a lot of interest from the commissioners in the ECPC staying in existence and being
- something that we are actively participating in
- So there's a lot of interest and so I welcome your visit to our meeting and any conversations that
- come from them
- Thank you so much
- Great. Thank you. We've actually used up our whole report time right now
- So I'm gonna go ahead and extend just for five minutes right now for additional questions about the
- Environmental Commission report and then
- Extend further for the other reports. So do other council members have any questions?
- can't remember Piedmont Smith
- Yeah, I just wanted to first of all say that I agree with councilmember Rallo that I'm concerned
- that the
- Development petitions are no longer coming to the EC as a matter of course
- But my question is so in your written report
- You noted that there's liaisons who attend other
- government entities like because friends of Lake Monroe, etc
- and the
- MC Iris the invasive species group
- It says Linda Thompson was the liaison to that. Is that so is that something Rachel?
- Johnson is now doing yeah, I would say that she attends majority of them. Yep. Okay. Yeah. Thank
- you. Good catch 2024 was the
- Thank you, are there other questions from council members council members who look I just have some
- clarification about open-door law
- So that's that's at the state level and so that's really not something that we can impact
- But even even federal or even government emails are subject to open-door law and so like we in our
- Government emails operate under the same way that members of the EC
- Operate under their personal emails and so offering different emails would not solve the problem
- May I ask if there is a solution that you all have besides gathering in these meetings to know
- Yeah, I mean I appreciate that
- Yeah
- other questions
- Councilmember Rosemary, it's just answering your question. Thank you for being here
- I actually was just giving a I was 65 page
- presentation about open-door law with FAQs like there is there are like you don't have to meet to
- do every single thing, okay, so
- you can work on draft documents via email or
- In Google Drive as long as like everybody isn't in there at the same exact time
- So but we can talk about it or I mean it doesn't have to be so inefficient
- There I think there are some like major misunderstandings about what can and cannot get done that
- has slowed things down
- this term but
- We can work on it. Thank you. I really appreciate that. That sounds like a great improvement
- already
- Other questions
- Okay, great. Thank you so much. I really appreciate your presentation
- Our next report is planning and transportation department and
- Let's go ahead
- Director Hittle, do you know how long your presentation is gonna be roughly? Oh
- Ten minutes or less. Okay, great. Let's go ahead and
- and
- Give us
- Maybe 15 minutes from now and then I'll extend again for the tax abatement
- Thank you. If you want to officially introduce yourself for the record, that'd be great. Thank you
- David Hill director of the Department of Planning and Transportation. Good evening. Thank you
- President Stossberg for the invitation to speak tonight
- So I'm here to talk about potential UDO amendments relative specifically to housing attainability
- If you'll recall in March of this year council members
- Flaherty and Rosenberger both brought resolutions to the council
- Which if approved would have directed my department to craft UDO amendment language
- pertaining to a variety of things among them
- minimum parking requirements accessory dwelling units required lot size plexus sustainable building
- practices and a few others
- Those resolutions did not advance but I think that there was clear value in the ideas brought to
- the table
- my sense in speaking with counselors and with the mayor and the mayor's administration and my
- department in the time afterward is that there's
- Consensus on that fact and that there is good merit and a good reason to continue continue to
- explore
- those ideas
- The the addition is that that should be done with a rigorous public vetting a public process with
- public engagement
- And that there should be a very close look at how those ideas if implemented might impact Bloomington
- specifically
- Those are those are tasks that are not necessarily within the wheelhouse of the council, you know
- large
- public engagement campaigns and
- Sort of really directed focused longer-term research. So that's what we do and then that's why we're
- here tonight to talk about
- these particular
- Amendments amendments like them and in general policy involving attainable housing
- So the issue that I think those particular amendments we're seeking to address is
- Bloomington's lack of attainable housing not a problem. That's unique to Bloomington. In fact, it's
- pretty common anywhere
- You have a place where people want to live
- But as we considered it and talked about it, we thought that in addition to those particular
- proposed UDO amendments
- Which were really not at the time proposed amendments
- They were a directive to craft proposed amendments
- But in addition to those UDO amendments those ideas there are additional ideas
- I think in the UDO that merit consideration and even beyond the UDO
- housing policy that the city's involved with that I think should be and could be looked at to
- increase our opportunity to
- to
- to find a way towards
- Attainable housing so we have a project and that's this to look at how we can
- Refine
- Modify amend our housing policies to be able to to work towards attainable housing
- That project has a purpose that project has a timeline
- Which I think at this where I stand right now is probably taking us to the end of the year
- It's maybe a little bit ambitious it may leak into January, but I would say that but if we're
- looking at
- deliverables being
- Language to be brought to the Planning Commission and then ultimately to the to the council
- I'd like to get that on the agenda for the Planning Commission for their January meeting most most
- likely
- So that it would be completed essentially by the end of the year
- And that project has a scope which is limited it is limited in that
- There are lots of factors that dictate whether housing is attainable. There is land land scarcity
- availability
- There's workforce availability. There's the lending climate. There's the market. There's
- Workforce and there's the law and here we're looking at just one of those things
- That's the law the regulatory framework, which in this case is the UDO
- So it's it's it's impacting one of many things that has an impact on housing attainability
- But it's the one thing that we have total control over in terms of the people in this room the
- mayor's administration as well
- But the UDO is written and maintained and modified and changed solely by this group
- So that is the thing that you have control over
- It's also limited in that we're just looking at residential typologies here
- We're not looking at commercial elements of the ordinance or institutional elements or things along
- those lines
- It's very strictly and sort of surgically focused on residential typologies. So this is no overhaul
- of the UDO
- This is a more focused look
- That would be proposed
- Project also has a toolkit
- And I kind of use that term a little bit advisably
- It's we're not coming in really with a prescriptive focus
- but more initially especially with a listening focus with regards to public engagement a
- Lot of the good ideas that happen in the world of planning come from outside the world of planning
- And I think that if we kind of go into these sessions with the public listening and wanting to hear
- their ideas about
- Attainable housing their ideas about what will work in their neighborhood. What will maybe work in
- their neighborhood?
- What will work in their neighborhood with modifications? Those are very valuable things to hear
- So we're kind of going into it with more of a listening approach
- Anyway that that toolkit will include a lot of the things that council members Flaherty and Rosenberger
- had on their list at the beginning
- So we're looking at lot dimensions
- cottage development regulations
- Modestly scaled which is also known as missing middle or general density housing
- Which includes ADU's and duplexes triplexes fourplexes on-site parking requirements would be looked
- at
- But we'd also be looking at I think other things that are in the UDO
- But also outside of the UDO such as short-term rental Airbnb regulations
- that those occupy a pretty good amount of the housing stock in Bloomington right now and those
- obviously are not for long-term residents
- State law does preempt a lot of a local jurisdiction's ability to regulate short-term rentals
- But there are areas where we can exert a little bit of influence on how those those act we can
- create a registry
- We can create the need for approval by the Board of Zoning Appeals and under certain circumstances
- Those are things that the city has not availed themselves of as of the the preemptive law when it
- was enacted in
- 2018 so those are things we can look at other things that that that Indiana cities are doing is
- putting rental caps on
- subdivisions
- Not necessarily something that that looks like a great idea off the top of my head
- But in the spirit of going into this thing and in listening mode and as a potential tool in the
- toolkit
- You know, I think that we need to look at all these ideas
- Further down the line
- One of the things that we can we can look at this is probably next year of the year after is
- The opportunity if such exists for certain building code modifications
- Though those those are conveyed essentially at the state level but we're seeing that cities
- Working with states across the country even in some circumstances with red states
- Are enacting building mode building code modifications that make certain types of housing easier to
- build
- Involving things like sprinkler requirements single staircase formats
- We're seeing in Canada in Western Europe
- The ability to build without restrictions that I think have generally be considered
- I've been have come to be considered a little bit superfluous. So those are maybe long-term ideas
- we could consider
- finally
- There's a
- Possibility is to create a catalog of
- pre-approved
- in terms of building code in terms of zoning approvals
- Catalog of housing typologies that would be available for free. These are construction plans to
- anyone who has a desire to build
- These are typically
- Within the realm of missing middle housing
- these kinds of programs have been put in place and in most famously in South Bend and Kalamazoo and
- along a number of places in the West Coast and I think that there's
- Climate could be right here in a number of different ways. I think that
- I'm speaking a little bit out of turn, but I think that Hopewell presents probably an opportunity
- to try that as a pilot program
- Which could then be used throughout the city?
- So there's a lot to look at
- As we do research and analysis, we'd be looking at best practices that are in place
- We'd be looking at peer cities kind of the usual progressive exemplars
- We'd be looking at like Austin Minneapolis Denver Boulder Seattle Portland a little bit closer to
- home
- We'd look at the usual Big Ten cities Ann Arbor and Madison, but I think it's also really important
- to look at
- Peer cities that more closely match Bloomington's town gown profile
- Which is one where it's a very small city nestled against a very large university and that creates
- its own set of
- complications and issues that I think those are the things that resonate with people that are
- Likely to come against some of these ideas in opposition to them and I think it's it's important
- for us for me for my staff
- for all of us who make decisions and contribute to the making of decisions not to not to look past
- that but to acknowledge that and
- To look deeply into it. So
- Our you know our
- Ratio of full-time residents to
- Student residents the student residents. It's it's almost a two-to-one
- Difference which is much different than Madison much different than Arbor much different than Iowa
- City
- It's more along the lines of some other places we can look at like Manhattan, Kansas
- Like Pullman, Washington like Corvallis, Oregon
- So I think if we try to focus in on where things are happening in other places that are more
- similar to us we can get
- Some some ideas of how these ideas if implemented would impact us
- And those that could also go a long way towards allaying fears. I think from people as well
- Public process wise
- We're going to reach out to neighborhood organizations
- They're about 12 to 15 registered neighborhood associations that meet predictably and reliably on a
- monthly basis
- And we want to get inside we want to get to them
- Probably twice probably towards the beginning of the process and then again towards the end
- There's another dozen maybe 15 neighborhood organizations that meet less predictably and less
- reliably on a regular basis
- But tend to get activated when something's happening, and we want to get on their agendas as well
- We want to meet to the we want to speak and meet with the development community the Chamber of
- Commerce BEDC
- We've already actually started conversations with Indiana University
- We want to learn from them where their off-campus students live and how that has changed over time
- And they're amenable to that. We they actually have asked us to
- Coordinate or to collaborate with them on developing a survey to be given to all of their faculty
- and staff that that asks the essential questions
- Of you know, where do you live? Do you live in Bloomington?
- If you don't why not what kinds of things wouldn't would would influence your your ability to move
- to Bloomington?
- And we want to have those conversations. Those are they're scheduled with the school district
- with major employers
- And additional stakeholders
- Specifically will utilize in-person and virtual meetings
- I'd be very eager to come to council constituent meetings and
- Councilmember daily already has me set up for one of those
- As well as deliberative sessions and I think I'm scheduled for September for that any other
- Council initiated or engaged
- Gatherings where you would like this topic to be brought up and discussed. We'd be very glad to be
- there
- Look at targeted roundtables targeted pop-up stations
- And then a little bit later on in the process will have regular office hours both virtual and in
- person
- Where people can just drop in and ask questions about how this is going?
- At projects closed as I mentioned we're going to deliver a set of policy recommendations
- Most of them more than likely will be UDO amendments. Some of them might dig into other elements of
- City code
- And some of them will just be ideas
- For policy implementation, but most of them will be UDO amendments
- for the council's
- perusal and consideration and review and
- feedback
- That closes that I'll mention one thing this is a little bit peripheral but it does have to do with
- with
- Housing attainability and its initiative. We're about to undergo
- Along with CBU City Bloomington utilities. We're going to commission a third party
- external audit to help us understand
- Looking at our permitting processes where we can realize better efficiencies
- where we can
- Implement best practices that maybe we're not aware of that are in place elsewhere and hopefully
- streamline the whole process
- I do know that that it's a complicated process our ordinance is complicated
- Requires more than most ordinances throughout the state and so to the extent that we can make that
- process as painless as possible
- You know, those are those are that that's money time is money
- And those are savings that can be passed on to the to the ultimate resident of that housing
- I
- Think that's all I have
- So I'd be happy to answer any questions
- Great. Thank you so much for all of that information and you actually spoke from for longer than
- you thought you were going to so I'm
- Gonna extend us another 10 minutes till 750
- Because I'm sure that we have councilmember questions. So
- councilmember is sorry
- Thank You director Hiddle
- My questions were about the summit PUD
- And if there's anything any updates that you can give us about sort of where where that is and what
- we can do
- There's a council to keep that in the forefront of our priorities
- That's really my question as that finished its zoning
- the
- developer the principal committed to
- realizing a road network
- to and through summit
- To the to the requirements of the city engineer and those negotiations are happening right now
- And as they understand they've been pretty fruitful and they're moving along and maybe they're near
- conclusion
- I'm not privy to that, but I think that they've gone well, and then I think that they're also
- negotiating
- Tiff matters with economic and sustainable development
- That's pretty much. I don't know more than that. I
- Could find out more if you're looking for more information. I would love that. Thank you. Okay
- Thank you
- councillor Morello
- Yes, thank you. Thank you director Hiddle you you might have been here when I was just asking easy
- Commission Chair Albright about
- the role of the EC
- in planning processes, I I wondered could you tell me about
- Your view of the EC's
- input in in both development review and the UDO UDO process
- Do you support the Commission and?
- Various Commission's having input in the process sure
- I've been here. My understanding is that is that my predecessor?
- Sort of a best way to put this no longer by
- Automatic extension provided
- Information are requested
- reports from the Environmental Commission for
- variances, you know cases going easy eight places cases going to the plant Commission maybe with
- the exception of planned unit developments
- or larger cases
- and so that's been the
- Policy if you will since since I was here. I was under the impression that
- that kind of coordination
- Trailed off anyway pretty substantially in the last few years
- my thought is that where there is a
- Development proposal that's coming before the Plant Commission or the BZA could be a large one
- That is substantial and that would require the expertise of the Environmental Commission that we
- would pull them in
- our review for
- Variances for rezoning's is all very much ordinance driven
- So to the extent that environmental considerations are to be taken into account by our planners as
- they give their recommendations
- That's driven by the ordinance and so they're not at liberty to ask for anything additional or
- beyond
- What the ordinance allows them to ask for?
- Pudds are different. Those are by nature and by my code their negotiation. So there's a lot of
- different. There's a lot of leeway there
- so
- Yeah, I think I think that's that's sort of where I stand on it if there's interest in talking
- further about that
- I'd be very glad to
- Yeah, I'd like to I mean I'm not in any position and I'm not I'm not making a case for directing
- the Commission to do
- This or that but just simply that their input would be welcome in the process and that if they
- Were interested that
- Then I'm planning a transportation
- You know be willing to present
- Development petitions to them so they could have input especially ones that you know, of course
- have
- environmental
- You know implications
- So I'd be glad to talk more about that with you and with Ms. Albright and the Commission
- Terrific because sometimes we're on the receiving end the council. I
- Might be looking for a memo from the Environmental Commission about a particular
- development and
- It's always helpful. So thank you for your willingness to talk more about that. Certainly
- Thank you. Are there other questions from council members?
- Councilmember Piedmont Smith
- Yes, thank you. Mr. Hill for these updates
- how will you in the in the
- public process
- That you're intending to go through to consider
- Changes to make housing more attainable. How will you engage renters in that process because they
- normally are not very
- active or prevalent in neighborhood associations
- Well, we're going to be working with hand and and probably look for some guidance there
- Also from the community and family resources department. We're meeting with some
- Advocacy groups the apartment association and
- Others that I think might have guidance there as well
- The goal is is to have a broad reach to cast a white net. So I
- Guess that's probably the extent of my answer now
- but
- Very much want to come out at the end having heard from a lot of renters and so we will figure out
- a way to do
- that
- Okay, just a caution that in my long experience
- Those who are active in neighborhood associations tend to be more wealthy and tend to be property
- owners
- And so it is skewed a certain direction. Yes, that's that's known and understood
- Thank you councilmember Flaherty, thank you. I had a similar question, but I think I can explore
- some other topics
- So
- You referenced two resolutions that weren't, you know brought on the council agenda, but not
- introduced earlier this year
- Those were two of four resolutions and actually five distinct bodies of work that were
- collaborative with your staff over the course of a year
- Involving the mayor at the deputy mayor many meetings many emails two of those resolutions were
- brought by my colleagues councilmember Stasberg and
- Piedmont Smith late last year. They passed without incident
- Your staff developed with no public input as far as I'm aware
- A series of UDO changes that are making their way to us right now
- and then these additional two resolutions were developed again in deep collaboration with your
- staff with the mayor's knowledge even though
- Statements were made later that she didn't know about it, which was false
- And we're going to direct a public process from the council side to look at policy not in a vacuum
- But based on comprehensive plan plan climate action plan and other existing city policies
- Which had thousands of people providing input over many years in many sessions
- And I didn't hear any reference to existing city policy in your comments here about where we
- proceed. So I guess I'm curious
- Knowing I guess I'm sharing that context. I think it's important for the public
- Because again misinformation of false statements were made about how these things were perceived
- previously
- And so I got to say I'm just starting from kind of a lack of trust here
- That's gonna undermine what the administration is working on. I will try to suspend that but the
- mayor's actions have consequences
- I think and she's really done a lot to undermine that trust
- Through obstructing work and again making false statements about it
- So moving on from that again, I'd like to ask the question
- How does existing city policy the comprehensive plan climate action plan the resolution I
- introduced sought to implement?
- Adopted actions in the climate action plan. How are those going to inform the policy development as
- well? Thank you
- Well, those are those are
- The core documents they were obligated to pay regard to as we as we
- Move forward with things like this and so so they're at the center
- I think the fact that the resolutions that you introduced did not get off the ground I think is
- because
- There was a desire for a public process to be attached to those ideas
- I think I don't think that the content was objected to so much as the the lack of a
- public engagement plan
- in the wake of
- You know the
- 2019-20 rezoning where Plexus were
- Denied in the 2021 again hotly contested where Plexus were allowed incrementally
- I
- think just
- Awareness of the anticipated public reaction to this
- Necessitates that there be this very robust outreach to the public
- So certainly it's definitely a given
- And I think well documented that our comprehensive plan that our climate action plan and that
- Other documents that have been adopted
- do favor
- The the development of diverse types of housing and housing that it's going to be able to cater to
- lots of different people
- But again it didn't happen when you brought it forward the first time I think this is a way that it
- can happen
- Thank you two minor points of clarification. One is that the council resolutions would direct a
- public process
- So that was always envisioned there would be deep public process and that was communicated at the
- time
- Second is that the resolution that I individually sponsored did not involve any sort of missing
- middle housing duplexes triplexes
- Etc strictly climate action plan implementation. So thank you for this clarifications. Thank you
- Thank you. Are there other councilmember questions?
- Councilmember Rosenberger. Hi. Thanks director Hiddle timeline on this
- I know you and I have spoken about it that you think it can get done by the end of this year
- but just wanted to get that out there and
- You know, is that still correct public?
- Participation happening at the end of the summer or something and I mean, of course you mentioned
- it
- But it's just so urgently needed. So still the end of the year
- Yeah
- I think it's ambitious when we first started talking about this at the time of that council meeting
- Which is, you know early spring I do remember saying
- That we can get it done by the end of the year and now here we are a couple months later
- Almost halfway through the year. It feels a little bit more constrained, but I think it's it's a
- reasonable a reasonable shot
- That's awesome. I think you know, we're a year and a half into this term and so far we really haven't
- made it
- I mean, we've made like zero progress toward our
- Changing our housing policy. So I do I I would love to have something done
- By the halfway point, I guess
- Just feels like we're spinning our wheels. So that's that's great. Thank you. Thank you
- Thank you. Are there other councilmember comments or questions?
- councilmember Piedmont Smith
- Yeah, just to speak a bit to the timeline I as council president last year I met with mayor
- Thompson
- Monthly or nearly monthly and I think it was in October
- We met to talk about some of these ideas about creating more attainable housing and she said she
- would talk to director Hiddle and
- possibly have
- Public engagement before the end of 2024 or an early 2025
- So I just want to emphasize that you know
- We've we've been trying to get this public engagement for quite a while now. And so it has been
- somewhat frustrating
- Thank you any other councilmember comments or questions, okay, I I
- Thank you very much for the information and thank you for for coming
- I don't have a direct question right now except that at my constituent meeting which is July 19th
- That is planning and transportation that is supposed to be at the mayor's tent
- So I hope that that I can join you there
- And I assume that this may be a topic of conversation that a lot of community members might be it
- might be interested in
- talking to us about so I
- look forward to that and I look forward to
- To progress being made in this sector
- So unless there are other questions, thank you very much for your report and
- Now we will move on to our last of our three reports and we are right at 750 right now
- Mistela Rosa, do you have any idea how long your presentation part is gonna take?
- I'm hoping for around 15 minutes. Okay, and then
- Director Cooper Smith will also be giving a report on the pilots which will be five to seven
- minutes. Well, the pilots will be
- under
- Legislation, right? I'm sorry. The pilots will be under
- Legislation, right? Or is it different? No, this is a review that'll be this section of the pilots
- is a review of
- EDC activity for 2024. So it's a very brief overview. Okay. Um, let's
- extend
- reports then until 815
- I think that you think that'll work
- We'll see how many questions we have after that
- So anyway, if you could introduce yourself for the record and I appreciate everybody's casualness
- this evening about reports for sure
- My name is Andrea de la Rosa. I'm the assistant director for small business development in
- economic and sustainable development department
- This is the 2024 tax payment compliance report and we'll summarize the EDC's activity
- We'll quickly cover the summary of tax of the tax abatement program economic impact of tax abatements
- and review active pilots
- The Economic Development Commission unanimously unanimously approved this report on May 20th to
- keep the presentation within our time frame
- omit the overview section
- But I left slides in the deck for public reference. So the addendum that everyone got this
- afternoon will have these exact slides
- So what is a tax abatement a tax payment temporarily reduces taxes on new investment either real
- property or personal property
- It applies only to the increment, which is the increased assessed the increase in assessed value
- due to the project
- The property's original value continues to be taxed
- Projects must be located in a designated
- economic revitalization area some residential projects also require designation as and
- as an economic development target area
- Approval involves review by city staff and the EDC with final designation and authorization by the
- common council through a public process
- How abatements work most abatements last one to ten years and fall and and
- Follow a sliding scale personal property abatements can go up to 20 years
- State law allows for alternative schedules if justified by the project
- Each
- Application includes an SB one form which sets a baseline which says baseline projections for
- investment assessed value job creation and wages
- We also weigh community focus goals like affordable housing sustainability full-time employment and
- contributions to local character
- Projects are monitored annually through CF one filings
- Staff evaluates actual performance against SB one commitments projects are classified as compliant
- substantially compliant non-compliant
- and
- Departments like hand also review specific commitments like affordable housing
- Right next to me
- So
- The overall economic review of or I'm sorry the overall economic impact of the new real and
- personal property investment
- 536 million in proposed investment
- 227 million in actual investment assessed value increased from 170 million to
- 255 million exceeding expectations this increase meets the but for standard these gains would have
- occurred
- Wouldn't have occurred without the abatements
- As far as jobs projects reported
- 3692 total jobs and
- 317 million in salaries while some fell short of job targets several exceeded wage projections
- indicating fewer
- But higher paying jobs, for example, Wolverine mill created 60 new jobs exceeding its target of
- four forty five
- with average full-time wages around
- $41,000
- Affordable housing incomes abatements also supported deeply affordable housing new urban station
- Had 11 affordable units at 28 percent AMI with a hundred percent occupancy
- Southern Noel had 31 units at 52 percent AMI with 87 percent occupancy and unit Crescent has
- 117 units
- designated as affordable
- 74 currently occupied at 64 percent
- These projects show how abatements are leveraged to expand housing access
- Southern Oles in its six year of abatement exceeding investment job and wage commitments
- Assessed value is a hundred and thirty percent of its SB 1 projection
- 24 units serve households at or below 60 percent AMI and staff recommends finding compliance for
- this project
- Union at Crescent is
- 160 or 146 unit mixed income development with a hundred and two units committed as affordable at
- 60 percent AMI only 74 units of
- The committed 102 are currently occupied
- equating to 64 percent occupancy
- This has met this abatement has met investment in wage goals
- It's undergoing reading remediation efforts and staff recommends a finding of non-compliance due
- the shortfall in occupancy
- Urban Station exceeded investment commitments fell short unemployment, but retained wages above the
- proposed SB 1
- Provided 17 rooms at or below 80 percent AMI exceeding their commitment
- 100% occupancy of affordable units staff recommends a finding of substantially compliant
- Wolverine mill is a historic mill redeveloped on top road reported four hundred point three. I'm
- sorry four million point three in real estate
- Investment towards six million door to six million commitment phase one is completed
- Which is the event space and phase two condo hotel or have been delayed by market conditions
- Overall, it's created 60 jobs versus the 45 projected full and part-time salaries met or exceeded
- original goals
- Assessed value is currently at three point nine million
- I'm sorry three point zero nine million and on track to on track relative to develop developmental
- stage
- Staff recommends finding of substantially compliant
- So the Cadillac
- Abatement, it's actually three abatements and it's a lot of information
- So I'm gonna blow through this pretty quick. Please stop me if something does not make sense
- Oh
- Looks great
- Kind of it holds three active abatements now under novo Nordisk following a late acquisition in I'm
- sorry an acquisition in late
- 2024
- Because the sale closed on December 26. No new jobs or capital investments were added last year
- However, the company did report strong salary and employment data based on inherit inherited
- operations
- 1506 for personal property 1904 and
- 2206 for both real and personal property are the abatements held
- Resolution 1506 and 1904 exceed investment and salary targets
- Resolution 2206 early in implementation with investment underway. We find substantially or we
- recommend a stanchion substantially compliant
- Cf-1 filings reflected at reflect aggregate employment across all states all sites across all three
- resolutions
- Catalan consistently reported a total year-end headcount of one thousand eight hundred and eleven
- employees
- This slide compares projected and reported salary outcomes for resolve for all resolutions based on
- CF one filings
- The projected sales. I'm sorry projected salaries
- equal to
- 91.4 million
- actual reported salaries at
- 157 million projected average wage was
- 55,000 and the actual average wage was eighty six
- eight hundred and eighty one thousand dollars and these are for resolutions
- 1506 and 1904
- For resolution 2206 projected salary was
- 262 point eight million and actual reported was 170 157 point three million
- Staff recommends compliance for
- 1506
- 1904 and substantial compliance for 2206 with continued monitoring
- Real America's project at switch yard park is under construction but delayed due to site
- development issues
- The project is expected to come online later this year
- Staff is is tracking milestones and no compliance determination is yet required
- We're also monitoring for pilots and director Cooper Smith will present those
- So as miss de la Rosa mentioned we have pilots that we're adding to our annual abatement
- Compliance review process we have two active pilots. The first is evergreen village. It's a hundred
- and fifteen
- unit residential care facility for residents at sixty percent AMI or below
- Right now this year. We're just monitoring that the payment was received country view is
- Pilot that was approved in 2022 the term is 30 years
- It's two hundred and six units for residents at sixty percent AMI and below at the time
- I submitted this report. The payment was not yet received
- We've been working with Glick properties to try to understand what happened. So they have paid
- their payment and
- via their mortgage company
- Via their escrow process and so that wasn't received yet by the controller's office
- We think maybe it was misdirected to the county, but we're working with the county and Glick to
- iron that out
- There's no concern that they're non-compliant. We have proof of payment on their end. So
- That's fine. And then just as a placeholder. I listed the two pilots that we're considering this
- evening
- Obviously, those are not approved yet
- But it's maybe helpful to look at those terms next to the terms of the two extant pilots
- And that's all I have to say on pilots and I think miss de la Rosa and I would be happy to receive
- Questions that you have at this time
- Great thank you so much and just to clarify for I think council and the public and for myself with
- our
- Council attorney and also with you guys
- Tonight, we're not taking any action on this information, correct?
- So we're not actually voting to approve compliance or non-compliance. We're just receiving the
- information and asking questions
- Is that correct attorney liner?
- That's correct. Okay. Thank you very much for that clarification
- Do council members have any questions about this report councilmember Piedmont Smith
- Yes, thank you to both of you for gathering this information preparing the report
- so
- Ms. De La Rosa said
- For that slide that says economic impact of tax abatements one of the early slides. I believe you
- said that
- This shows the projects met the but for criteria
- Meaning that they wouldn't have been undertaken but for the tax abatement. Could you explain how
- this chart?
- gives evidence of that
- I
- Yeah, I think the slide deck would be helpful
- That should be slide 11
- I
- Know you're close. Oh go forward one
- One more back there you go. Oh this one
- Yes, okay
- So
- Sorry
- Yeah, this this slide actually doesn't show the but for it is just show it shows the impact of this
- however
- We give abatements as
- About for so if we weren't to if we weren't able to give an abatement for certain projects, they
- would not exist
- maybe
- My phrasing was off when I said that but this shows the impact of all of these different types of
- abatements that we have
- So, how do you gauge the but for when you bring forward an abatement
- How do you know that it wouldn't be built if it didn't get an abatement? I
- Think this is an
- Evaluation that happens with input from multiple departments and really is looking at the overall
- financial picture of the project
- And you know, I think there's
- There because there comes a point in the consideration of council where you have to listen to the
- applicant and then determine
- For yourselves there is there is a bit of a risk that you're taking there, right?
- So if you decline if you deny an abatement and the development doesn't happen
- There's evidence if you approve an abatement
- And development happens. There's evidence that it's supported. I don't think we've denied an abatement
- and had
- development which would prove a
- false but for
- So I think that when you I think we do the analysis we do as much evaluation as we can and then we
- have to
- Walk up to the point where council is voting and there is a certain amount of risk there
- Okay, thank you I have other questions, but I'll wait
- Okay, I saw councilmember Rallo's hand up. Can't remember Rallo. Do you have a question?
- Yes, I do thank you for the presentation
- So referring to resolution, this is the Catalan
- topic and
- resolution 2206
- So they failed to achieve the employment that was anticipated
- And
- I didn't see a recommendation. Maybe I missed it of staff on whether the compliance is met or not
- Is that is that something that's in process or what? So I can provide some context on this one
- So 2206 was approved
- in 2022 obviously and it had a
- significant capital investment component and then the jobs promised I think were
- 790 so there are two
- Factors with the compliance one is they have a three-year window to become compliant with those
- jobs numbers
- so technically they're still in the on-ramp period from
- the time in which that abatement was activated and then the second factor and this is something
- that you should
- Consider when thinking through the abatement report writ large
- the second factor is whether
- whether
- The inability to achieve a goal is within
- the company's power, so if there were causes
- Outside of the
- Companies, I'm sorry. I'm just restating that in a different order
- But you know what? I mean if it's outside of their control, then we can't hold the abatement
- We can't withhold it for that reason so at this time with 2206
- That abatement wait wait, could you could you or could you is it just your discretion?
- No, it's stated in the code
- Hmm, and then I don't know if it's restated in our mo use as well, but it's very clearly stated in
- the code
- Okay, and so then I think what how that would play out is if you wanted to
- withhold approval of an abatement
- The company would have a hearing and would be able to make the case and I imagine at that time
- There would be discussion about whether the factors were inside or outside of the company's control.
- I
- See. Okay. Thanks for clarifying that and just briefly
- So if a company requires another one like Nova or Nordisk acquired cantalant
- does the
- Does the baby carryover does the obligation and and the benefits carry?
- Yes. Yeah, so this was the purchase of cantalant by Nova was an asset purchase and so they did
- the abatements will transfer and with them I
- think the
- The milestones will transfer as well
- But but again, it's been
- an interesting journey, so I think what I started to say was that
- 2206 was approved during the height of the Defense Production Act. There was
- massive effort to scale up production at the site for
- COVID vaccine manufacturing and
- We know that what happened was demand completely bottomed out of the market and really changed the
- Volume required at that site and so they did have subsequent. I think two or three rounds of rifts
- after that
- And it was definitely not the trajectory that we thought we were on at the beginning. Nevertheless,
- they've really met those
- capital investment requirements and
- We feel very optimistic about no those purchase of the site
- We can already tell through bi-weekly meetings with the company that they're deeply engaged. They
- have major
- climate and sustainability priorities
- for their global operations, but also for the site and Bloomington and so I
- Think it will be a good news story likely when we come back for this report next year
- But we'll just have to wait and see what the numbers are
- Well, thank you I had another brief one but I could wait
- Okay. Thank you. Yeah, let's see if there's other questions on first round before we moved to
- second round
- Okay
- I have a question about
- For first round about the union at Crescent vacancies. So does this mean I mean, oh shoot
- I had it. So if it's a hundred and forty six unit property and
- There
- Where is it it's a hundred and forty six units and then
- They have over 60 units vacant right now, I mean are they just this property like that
- empty really
- Yes, do you know why people are not living in those units at all? They are
- Just to get additional information about these questions before putting the presentation together
- they responded that
- The annex group which was the original developer but not the property manager took the property
- over later last year and
- Has stated that they're on a remediation plan
- But that site security issues and property damage are really what are driving down
- Occupancy, I know not to put her on the spot but housing and neighborhood development director Anna
- Killian Hansen is here
- She may have additional context
- but what I am
- Reporting to you is strictly how they responded to our inquiry regarding the tax abatement
- Okay, great, thank you
- Second round questions councilmember Piedmont Smith. Yes. I have some questions about urban station.
- So
- In the the chart
- In your slide presentation you have that the commitment for employment was 10 jobs and they report
- for
- As far as retained employment and then for new employment
- the SB one promised five jobs and the
- CF1 shows only two so I'm struggling to see how this is substantial
- Substantial compliance if there's only 40% of the jobs
- so promised the way that we have
- interpreted this SB 1 filing is
- Well, we first of all just reported the data that's in the SB 1 the affordable housing abatements
- are always a little challenging to
- Address in the compliance process. So the state empowers us to issue or empowers you to issue tax
- abatements and
- Requires that we handle compliance through the SB 1 and CF 1 process
- However, the CF ones do not account for affordable housing in any way
- so on the staff level when we're handling these abatements we
- We look to the SB 1 and CF 1 for jobs data. We work with housing and neighborhood development for
- housing data
- my
- Interpretation of this
- abatement is that is primarily an affordable housing debate abatement and that
- the jobs
- Were required but we're really not the thing that was the most important
- so the council may or may not agree with that and I think
- You know, we're giving you our best read and that's the context I
- See thank you. Yeah
- Thank you
- Since I know councilmember Rallo has a round two and I know that I do as well
- Let's go ahead and extend this till 825
- councilmember Rallo around to
- Yeah, just briefly I'm just curious about this because
- Of what was stated. So this is not necessarily a reflection on these particular
- abatements, but
- So assuming an abatement occur occurs or an acquisition occurs and the abatement is acquired by
- Say one corporation by another
- and
- All the benefits that come with it
- is that somewhat problematic because
- you know when corporation could have a different record than another and the one that's
- The acquiring entity would be I think I don't know
- May not have gotten the abatement had it come forward
- originally
- Is that something that we have to be concerned about?
- Which was how this was handled it is allowable to purchase the tax incentive to purchase that abatement
- So I think in this situation
- whether it's easy or difficult for the purchaser whether it's advisable for the purchaser is is
- kind of a
- discussion that's a part but whether it's legal and
- Whether it is being whether the terms of the mo you are being conformed to is really where our
- activity
- Belongs I
- See so as long as they meet the conditions
- There's nothing really that we can we can do to limit no
- I mean, I think going forward if you if the council decided hey, we really want to issue an abatement
- to company a
- But if company a sells and we are not open to extending that abatement to company B or C
- then you might include something like that in a
- In a termination clause in the mo you but the stat state statute
- Allows it it doesn't
- It doesn't limit it in any way
- If it's an asset transfer, so I think how we handle it in the mo you on the local level otherwise
- for us
- It's it's legal. And so therefore does it comply?
- Okay, I think I've got that I'd like to research some more this is the first one I've encountered
- so
- Like this. So thank you. Well, actually I don't know if you were on council then but when
- Cattiland purchased the site from cook
- We went through the same thing. Yeah, you're right. You're right stand corrected. Thank you
- Thank you, um, I I also had a question about the Woolery mill one
- Because in the development status that says that phase one is completed and that phase two has been
- delayed given market pressures
- And I couldn't tell I mean it it looks like it's just commercial in terms of the
- Requirements as opposed to phase two has like condos and hotels has a residential
- component to it to some degree
- but so I guess like my question is is there a timeline on phase two for that development but then I
- guess that the other
- piece of that question is
- Does the abatement depend on phase two?
- so
- The property the project was originally I'm just stating this to help us enter into the logic
- puzzle together
- So the property was originally configured in two phases phase one was the renovation of the Woolery
- mill and the creation of that event center
- Phase two was planned to be
- You know a condo development at one point
- It was considered it was being considered as a hotel development in the open field kind of where
- tap and Weimer
- meet
- Phase two had some stops and starts and ultimately hasn't moved forward the abatement
- The way it's structured if there's no increase in assessed value on that parcel, then we're not
- We're not abating what doesn't exist so we have approved the phase one
- investments and we
- Are honoring that or we're recommending that that part of the abatement be honored and then the
- phase two
- They're allowed to claim an abatement at this point on additional investments, but they haven't
- made those
- Investments and so it hasn't been activated
- Okay, I think I may understand that a lot of the abatements have
- Multiple layers according to when the capital investments are made. So if you approve an abatement
- for
- 100 million dollars, but which whatever that's just our number
- But and you spend 50 million in year one
- 25 in year two 25 in year three then that abatement would come to us with
- With different layers being abated at different times and having them different lifespans when they
- roll off
- So it's almost like a phase in sort of process depending on when the investment happens. Okay,
- great. Thank you
- Are there other councilmember questions?
- Councilmember Piedmont Smith this one should be pretty easy
- Um
- Do we write the following into our tax abatement mo use first of all compliance with living wage
- ordinance for employment and secondly
- actual occupancy of residential units
- so
- interesting questions
- Occupancy has not been written into
- the mo use so at this time the abatements that exist we've only written in
- the creation of those units and not the occupancy so
- That was a point of ambiguity with the union at Crescent abatement miss de la Rosa and I felt
- uncomfortable enough
- Giving recommending substantial compliance that we felt it was better to turn it over to you all to
- get additional information and discuss
- but that was kind of one of the
- Hint points that it hinged on and then your second question was the living wage ordinance and it it
- was
- It is not in all of them and we have been discussing this on a staff level
- going forward
- How that should be reflected in the mo in the mo use and miss Brittingham is here
- I don't know if you want a more detailed answer than that. She can probably provide it as the
- attorney who's been supporting this
- I
- Sure, but before you leave the podium so on the first
- Question of occupancy will that be written in the future since we've had this problem. Yeah
- Hi Audrey Brittingham city attorney so tax abatements are subject to the living wage ordinance
- It appears that a lot of the agreements
- Have that language in them and it appears that some of them don't
- Over your recess we are going to reach out to all of them and ask if they would complete a living
- wage
- certification form the ones that
- For the the companies that have the living wage
- Language in their agreement. They're required to complete the certification form every year for the
- ones that don't have the
- Language in their agreement. We'll still contact them and say this is what the living wage is tax
- abatements are subject to it
- You know, we would like for you to complete the certification form the living wage this year is
- 1622 an hour
- We have not really had any pushback
- on the living wage
- Since I took over or since I started with the city about a couple years ago. I was working on the
- living wage
- I haven't received any pushback yet. We will see if we receive pushback from any of these
- Entities particularly the ones that don't have that language in their agreement and we can bring
- that information to you at the July meeting
- We hope to have all or substantially all of the certifications
- returned before the July meeting
- All right. Thank you so much for following up on that. I mean, it's not a very high wage
- So I don't think anybody should complain a great counselor
- Thank you, are there any other questions on the abatement report from council members?
- Okay, thank you. Thank you very much for being here both of you all three of you
- and as I said earlier council will have to take action on
- recommendations and compliance or non-compliance at our July 16th meeting
- We spend a lot of time
- Pouring over the details and so it's appreciated that you guys get into the weeds and ask these
- questions. So it's welcome. Sure. Thank you
- All right
- The report section has been unusually long this evening
- And I hope that people have found it interesting. There's been a lot of things to report on
- So now we are finally through the mayor and city offices reports and now we are on to council
- committee reports
- And we are going to start with the sidewalk committee reports
- We will first hear from the chair of that committee a councilmember Rosenberger. Great. Hi. Thank
- you. So I
- have I
- Don't know. I couldn't I couldn't make this longer or shorter. I'm gonna go with shorter and
- All the information is in the packet
- So if folks have questions and you want a whole debrief of all of it, I guess let me know
- I'm not gonna go through the purpose of the sidewalk committee. If you would like to see that,
- please check out last year's report
- our council meeting
- So this year was different. We met in April the sidewalk committee
- There are four of us and instead of a three hundred and fifty thousand dollar budget. We have a
- five hundred thousand dollar budget and
- We made a series of recommendations that we hopefully will
- Vote on tonight. So I'm just gonna get right into those recommendations
- Everyone looks happy one thumbs up and everyone else neutral. Okay, so
- My font is so tiny here. Okay, so I will say in the past just a quick debrief
- we have used a rubric for
- Deciding how these funds will be allocated now that we have our safe streets for all priority
- network
- We are using that that network for the recommendations for the sidewalk committee
- and so that network it the the formula for that high priority safe streets for all network is in
- the packet as well and
- As everyone knows I think the safe streets for all plan has been adopted into our city goals in the
- transportation plan
- So these recommendations are just pretty much baby steps toward our safe streets for all and
- transportation plan goals
- so the first
- Project that we are recommending
- It's for an in progress
- Project and it is sidewalk construction for North Jefferson Street sidewalk. That is that Street is
- just
- East of campus so kind of on the east side of Eigenman and everything like that a pretty big
- corridor for pedestrians
- and missing sidewalk, so this would be
- doing
- 70,000 to partially fund construction of that sidewalk from 8th Street to 10th Street. It is a
- missing sidewalk link
- funding for new sidewalk projects
- The first one is a North Union Street crosswalk between 7th and 10th Street
- This isn't a similar location. It's between Eigenman and Ashton dorms
- It's where a lot of folks choose to cross the street, but there is no crosswalk
- there to
- Hopefully potentially cross in a safer way with drivers
- It's a really long few blocks there between 7th and 10th that there is no place for people to cross
- so that would be
- We recommend 40,000 to fund the design of that and that is on the highest priority
- network in the safe streets for all
- Another
- Let me see. Oh
- That is 90,000. I'm sorry about that you all that is
- $90,000 and then another new sidewalk project is to design a north fee lane crosswalk
- and that is at Law Lane and
- Around the briscoe dorm. So that would be 40,000 to design that
- Crosswalk, yeah
- The issue is there's a bus stop going north on the north side of the street and there's no
- Crosswalk for students to get to their dorm that is on the west side of the street and it's a place
- with a lot of
- vehicle traffic and bike ped traffic and so then the law lane
- Crosswalk would be an improvement. That's where a law lane tees into fee lane and
- I
- Think there are no crosswalks there. So it's kind of a
- Chaotic
- Chaotic space for bike ped and drivers
- Okay, and then the biggest portion of these dollars this time it would be what we are recommending
- is
- $2,000 allocated to repaving
- coordination projects
- so this committee has talked a lot about kind of getting maybe like a bigger bang for the buck in
- terms of
- doing projects that are
- Already potentially in place whether it's planning and transportation engineering or public works.
- And so there are a lot of
- Crosswalks and little connectors that could be redone while public works is repaving and
- Sidewalks like crosswalks are a part of sidewalks
- Right and crosswalks are the the most dangerous part of a pedestrian's journey
- So having proper signage and paint and everything like that and bump outs is really important
- so one of those examples about like a coordinated project would be 4th Street and
- Madison Street where they just had some repaving and then also added bump outs to all four corners
- of that intersection
- this committee plans to meet again sometime in
- 2025 to discuss big topics such as
- What will or should happen to the sidewalk committee moving forward?
- What should be council's role in sidewalks and the alternative transportation fund? What is the
- role of public works in this committee?
- and
- we are happy to discuss that as a sidewalk committee and bring it back to council or
- Also potentially may be having it as one of our deliberative sessions if people are so interested
- Thank you. Great. Thank you. Are there councilmember questions for sidewalk committee?
- Any questions from anybody for the sidewalk committee?
- Okay, well I have questions
- on the
- update on the 2024 allocations last year, there was
- Last year there was a $30,000 advocated to Green Acres traffic calming and and actually it looks
- like there was there's a different
- Pretty big difference between the allocation and what was spent and so it says that the remaining
- funds
- Have been transferred back into the alternative transportation fund
- But I'm really curious as to what actually happened with those funds, if you know and then
- specifically
- what happened to that $30,000 that was supposed to be for Green Acres traffic calming because there
- was
- I don't know if you know the answer to this or not
- But there there was actually a resident led traffic calming request in Green Acres that then didn't
- get funded
- and so then it kind of feels like as the district 3 representative I
- Kind of want to be like hey, what's what's going on with that?
- $30,000 that could have been spent on that project. Yes
- So if you remember last year that that traffic calming was added as part of our
- Sidewalk committee budget right because there were so many
- traffic calming requests and we decided to kind of do an additional funding of one of them and
- The bike pad coordinator says in 2024 so basically there's actually
- $96,000 a little over that that did not get used from the council sidewalk committees
- budget in the in the fund, but of course the fund is a lot bigger than just us so
- $1,000 basically, it's kind of neat. Usually bids come in and they're much more than we had
- imagined
- But in 2024 bids came in lower than we had imagined and the Green Acres
- traffic calming
- Was positioned last on the priority list that we made for the funding from the council sidewalk
- committee
- So by the time the funds came in or the bids came in for all the projects that were ahead of it in
- the prior and
- our priority list
- The year was over and they could not
- get
- Public engagement and everything done and I get that those dollars out allocated
- so they reverted back to the AF the ATF and
- so, I mean so that is like my general answer to that it gets a little harder to be like then where
- did they go because
- They didn't they right they got
- They were reverted back at the very end of 2024. So then you could say they got
- Potentially moved into 2025 with the ATF, but not they did not stay with council sidewalk committee
- also because
- Planning and transportation we talked about it and it made more sense for it to
- Go back to the general ATF instead of our specific sidewalk committee
- So they could potentially still use it where we would have to meet again and it would take even
- longer
- To get something else in the works. So the controller's office would have to figure out where kind
- of like that money went
- If you want to get more specific about it
- Okay, thank you welcome
- Any other questions or comments about the sidewalk I have another comment if nobody else has one
- I'll take another comment then
- This is I guess a comment and I'm really glad that you guys are meeting again to talk about some
- sidewalk committee stuff because
- the fact that the majority of these funds are
- Kind of allocated in a very general way to the street projects and coordination with public works.
- Just I mean
- That is just a really really interesting that part of having this money kind of in council's purview
- is for council
- Members to be able to make decisions about it
- And then the majority of that just went back to the administration for them to be able to make
- decisions about it
- and I'm not saying that I necessarily have a problem with that, but I just
- there's there's a lot of work that we that we could be doing and I I just don't think that we
- necessarily need to spin our wheels in
- that kind of way in terms of getting money allocated to a council committee and then
- Giving that money back to departments to spend in whatever way. So I'll just kind of throw that out
- there as
- And an opinion about sidewalk committee funds, I
- Don't know if that's a question but
- I'll answer that question. Um, I think that is obviously a perspective and you know, I think folks
- on the committee have
- a
- Discussed a little bit whether or not they want really specific projects or not
- But when we look at things like equity and like our city goals
- We there there really are like prescribed
- ways to use this money and so I mean we do have our safe streets for all plan and
- From my perspective, I mean when I'm just one committee member but to go outside of that plan and
- say well
- This is where right the city and experts and residents are saying we need our network to be but to
- put it somewhere out
- Put funding somewhere else to me. That's just lower priority
- Like pretty much factually because of the work that has already been done to get this connected
- sidewalk network
- So I think it is just sort of you know, the the sidewalk committee started in the 1990s and it
- really kind of was more of a
- It really seemed a little more like council members saying hey
- Why don't we put something here and there wasn't a lot of rhyme or rhythm to it?
- and I think what I've worked on on this committee since I
- Started on it was to have more equity and more priority and more match up with our
- city goals
- Thanks
- I support that. I guess I want to be clear about that. Yeah, thanks
- And it is tricky to to say like well if we're giving this money kind of and working with it with
- public works and planning
- Does this mean there's less?
- Right. I mean there's always just such a funding problem and it's like so does this mean
- It looks like there's less overall because now public works can spend that money
- on something else or does this mean it's like in addition to
- Right the fund. I know it's hard. It's hard to explain right, but it's hard to like track money.
- Yeah
- Are we gonna end up with a report at some point about which of
- those repaving coordination projects ended up
- getting
- Expanded or improved and in these ways with this probably the bike ped coordinator
- Well, yeah, because we always get an update on
- The how the projects went for how they're going. Yeah, that would be great. Thank you
- Did anybody else think of any other questions besides me about this councilmember Rallo Oh
- Thanks, I just wanted to give another perspective and that was
- That when the when the sidewalk committee when the fund was set up and the sidewalk committee would
- meet it was
- It served to a larger specs for a conduit for
- neighborhoods to bring to
- Council's attention where there's there were deficiencies in
- connectivity where they saw priorities being in terms of
- You know where where they needed pedestrian
- Facilities and so it wasn't just a haphazard
- Process it was brought to us because it was brought to us by people who were actually
- You know living in a place where they felt it was hazardous. They didn't have the means to
- cross the street or walk along a street and
- the connectivity went unnoticed by planners because it's just
- You know the city is large and it's complicated and the people who actually live there
- and
- Understood what was needed. So I just wanted to add that
- Thanks
- Thank you
- Are there any other councilmember comments or questions?
- Alright
- Yeah, yeah, my next thing then is if there are no more other other comments or questions that I'm
- looking for a motion to
- approve the
- Boy I guess I didn't write this one out. I guess it's to approve the report and the recommendations
- for funding
- Great. So a motion to approve the funding recommendations as presented by the sidewalk committee.
- So do I have such a motion?
- So moved
- Second
- Thank you very much
- Any last comments
- Councilor Piedmont Smith. Well, just to say I'm looking forward to
- additional conversations about the sidewalk fund and the the most effective and efficient use of
- the funds and with council input but also following our
- safe streets for all plan and
- that there
- There are some items that are unclear in in the report and I think we'll seek to get more clarity
- in the coming months
- Great. Thank you other comments
- Yes
- Will the clerk please call the roll on the motion to approve the recommendations in the sidewalk
- committee report councilmember Flaherty
- Yay, Ruff. Yeah, Rallo
- Yes, Piedmont Smith
- Yes, Stossberg. Yes, Daly. Yes, Zulek. Yay, Rosenberger. Yes. Sorry. Yay. Thanks
- Thank you, and and that passes with a vote of 9-0
- Next we have a report from the Jack Hopkins committee and just to be really clear
- We also have have a resolution later with the Jack Hopkins committee. And so the report and the
- resolution
- The the general report and the funding recommendations do need to be dealt with separately this
- evening. Thank you
- Well, thank you all so much for letting me speak in this marathon of reports
- Tonight and thank you to the public who've been here. I mean it is almost nine o'clock
- And I am very much eagerly looking forward to public comment. So I will be as quick as possible
- here
- To my fellow council members who are on this committee
- Please feel free to interject if there's anything that I leave out in this summation of the report
- that's already in the packet
- But this year marks the 33rd
- Cycle of the Jack Hopkins program named for former council member Jack Hopkins
- Which has distributed to this point over six point two million dollars in grants since
- 1993
- the goal of the
- Hopkins fund is to support the most vulnerable in our community and in 2025
- We had allocated
- $500,000 in new funds and there was an additional
- $30,000 left over from previous years
- And so we're recommending a total
- allocation this year of five hundred and ten thousand three hundred and seventy seven and
- Twenty-seven cents we received 38 applications requesting nearly one million dollars in funding
- almost double
- What we could allocate and so after rigorous review and discussion, which is all available
- Publicly, they were all open door meetings. We're recommending grants to 35 agencies
- And programs the committee consisted of four council members and three community members with
- social service experiences
- And I would like to thank my colleagues Courtney daily Dave Rallo Andy rough and our public
- members Nordia McNish Cameron green Greer sorry and Eddie Rue
- For their thoughtful work and also want to recognize
- Director Killian Hansen and Cody Toothman from hand. They're not here anymore, but for their vital
- support and to city
- council staff
- For their incredible work and support here this year
- We introduced two key improvements sort of following up on the recommendations from last year's
- Committee the first was an adoption of a formal scoring rubric
- At least a pilot of such to bring greater transparency and structure
- Though we agree that it needs significant refinement for future cycles
- But it was I think a step in the right direction. We all agreed
- Secondly, we streamlined interviews in the past really for the last in 30 years
- What the tradition of this committee has been to hold very very long interviews where?
- Every single person who applied would be invited to an interview for the most for the most part and
- then just given about three minutes
- To more or less go over the same things that they went over in their application
- What we chose to do this year is only invite people who we had questions for to come
- We asked them pointed questions and we asked that they use their interview time to answer those
- questions
- And I think we thought that this
- Was gave us better time to really dive in and do due diligence on things that we were unclear about
- I think it also made our process more efficient which without compromising
- Fairness we also noted in the report several areas for future improvement
- One I think something that we've said every year is that our timeline is so compressed
- And and so we recommend starting a bit earlier and adding a couple of meetings to give the
- committee a bit more time for deliberation
- We discussed also tying into our work to moving towards outcome-based budgeting about setting
- perhaps yearly
- specific funding priorities as a body
- Not as a committee, but rather as a city council so that as we appoint the committee each year
- Or perhaps it could happen earlier during our budget session that we sort of tie a set of
- priorities that we want
- This this funding to prioritize right to address
- Otherwise right now we're sort of treating all emergency needs sort of equally
- Which I think was was a little bit of a challenge for us
- And then we're we're also interested in exploring potential changes to the application process
- itself
- potentially looking at things like a universal application so that people can just apply sort of
- once to multiple
- City funds and perhaps even that might give us opportunities to
- Collaborate with the county on something like that and above all we reaffirm the importance of
- Increasing the Jack Hopkins fund the needs in our community far exceed our current capacity to
- respond
- And so we're voting later today on the resolution to approve these recommendations allocate the
- funds and authorize
- Related administrative costs. I think there is also a technical assistance meeting already
- scheduled for grantees
- For June 16th, I believe and so in closing just want to thank everybody for their work
- I'm in our community and it is such a pleasure to be on this committee
- You learn so much about the amazing work that so many people across this community are doing to
- keep Bloomington
- Safe secure and moving forward. Thank you so much
- Council members are you can you deal with the conflict of interest disclosure statements that we
- need I will pass over to
- Make a motion
- That the uniform conflict of interest disclosure statements of Nordia McNish and Eddie Rue jr
- And their participation in the committee be approved and accepted by roll call vote, please
- Thank you
- The equipment of commentary here in the past if there's ever been a community member
- So the the the committee is required to have community members
- that
- have experience with social agencies
- And as a consequence, it's it's common that those those people selected for the committee might
- have some conflicts of interest
- the way that we deal with this is by having them disclose those conflicts of interest and then not
- allowing them to either vote or
- Contribute to discussion around agencies to which they disclose
- Areas of in of conflict in the past these letters of conflict of interest would be signed by the
- office of the mayor
- But this year they've recommended that the committee chair signed those so that's what we are doing
- Yeah, and just to clarify because the committee chair has typically appointed those community
- members
- So that's why they're wanting to do it this time. Do you think I have any questions or concerns
- about the conflicts of interest?
- Any questions or concerns about the report
- Councilmember Piedmont Smith. Yeah, we do but I just am taking questions first. I guess yeah
- So I do have a question. It's not about the conflict of interest. Okay. Well
- It's a quick. Yeah
- Okay
- Will the clerk please call the roll on the conflict of interest councilmember Ruff
- Rallo
- Yes, Piedmont Smith. Yes, Stossburg. Yes, Daley. Yes, Zulek. Yes, Rosenberger. Yes, sorry
- Yes, and Flaherty. Yes. Thanks. Great. Thank you
- Councilmember Piedmont Smith. I just want to ask
- Counts councilmember Osari mentioned a rubric that was used for scoring
- The applications I don't find that in our packet. Is that something you can share with colleagues?
- Absolutely
- It is in the packet if you click one of the links and the other Jack Hopkins stuff I found it
- Yeah, it's somewhere in there
- Regardless, I'll send back around and it should be posted publicly for people to be able to see it
- Again, the caveat being that I think this was very much a sort of pilot
- We set up good intentions and then in deliberation some of it broke down and we were aware of that
- But instead of sort of going back to redo the the rubric
- We you know sort of took note of all these things for future years
- So I don't think it's a perfect rubric by any means this year basically gave us a standard
- vocabulary to all
- Talk about while while reviewing and make sure that everybody sort of reviewed them through the
- same lens
- That's but yeah had some had some limitations. I would say for sure
- Great. Thank you
- in addition to
- The link that you referred to Hopi the rubric also is
- Posted on the website related to various meetings of the Jack Hopkins committee
- Great. Thank you
- Are there any other questions about the report?
- Wonderful, we finally moved on to reports from the public
- So now we have finally entered the reports from the public time
- So if you are a member of the public who would like to make a comment on an item not on the agenda
- If you could please make your way to the podium
- If you're online and would like to make a comment if you could use the reactions tab to raise your
- hand
- Or you can send a chat message to the host either way
- You will have up to three minutes to say your piece
- I do have somebody at the podium right now and I see him signing in. Thank you very much
- If you could state your name for the record
- Actually, I'm gonna make sure that our staff has the timer all set
- wonderful
- Thank you. Go ahead
- Good evening, madam president council members. This is Christopher energy representing the Greater
- Bloomington Chamber of Commerce and our nearly
- 900 members 80% of them are small businesses
- your friends your neighbors
- I'm I'm here tonight to talk about a critical issue affecting our local economy
- And that's the permitting and development process in the city of Bloomington. I was very encouraged
- tonight by
- Director Hill's comments regarding the residential side. I'm working with CBU on this. I think we're
- making great progress
- But the process for businesses, we know it is broken
- across all sectors
- What I hear from my messages and from our members is the permitting process takes too long. It's
- too rigid
- It's unpredictable and very unclear
- business, especially small locally owned variety are losing time money and
- Opportunity while they're trying to comply with a system that is not built with them in mind
- Looking around we see a lot of empty commercial space
- Bloomington is visible commercial vacancy problem of retail strips standalone buildings even
- downtown properties empty
- The cost of bringing a new tenant into a space often triggers a full site plan requirement under
- the UDO
- Requiring upgrades to landscaping parking and more even if it's not even a new use. It's the same
- as the last this approach
- punishes reuse and reinvestment
- We need to ask ourselves. Are we?
- Incentivizing revitalization or unintentionally promoting vacancy in this process
- We look at the Hopewell or canary in the coal mine the former IU hospital site now
- Hopewell is a showcase for what is not working at least with zoning many parcels
- There are zone medical making it nearly impossible to lease restaurants retail office users without
- complex
- Zoning process so we have this very transformative neighborhood. I'm very excited about yet
- We're sort of choking its potential at the zoning point around it
- We can't afford to stall business growth
- I think what we've heard in this meeting and many others is the Senate bill wanted significantly
- impacts local revenue sources
- If we don't grow our commercial tax base, we risk facing hard choices on public service. Let's be
- clear
- Business growth is not optional. It is essential so protecting this Bloomington's fiscal future
- Requires that a system doesn't block our entrepreneurs before they even get started
- Recommended some things that might work in the future, but let's just
- Think about reframing the word equity to include the barber the Baker and the first-time
- entrepreneur and
- People who deserve a shot at building something without facing six-figure barriers just to open
- their doors
- The chamber is ready to work with the city of Bloomington build that system. We don't see problems.
- We see solutions
- We want to support a thriving diverse business community and a more resilient tax base. Thank you
- Thank you
- Council attorney
- Lainer is there anybody use racer handled zoom?
- No, okay. Thank you
- Looks like we do have another commenter if you could go ahead and sign in and then state your name
- for the record and you'll
- Have up to three minutes
- Hello everyone, I know we have a lot of stuff to discuss tonight, so I don't want to disrupt this
- process
- But I just want to very quickly introduce myself. My name is Julius Mitchell. I am the new
- legislative affairs specialist in the office of the mayor
- So I'm gonna be sitting in on a lot of these meetings going forward
- So I didn't want you guys to have to guess who I am. I figured it would be best to just tell you up
- front
- So in the interest of time, it's nice to meet you all and I look forward to working together
- Thank you and welcome
- Is there anybody else in chambers who would like to make a public comment tonight on items not on
- the agenda
- Has anybody raised their hand on zoom? Yes, we do see one. Okay. Thank you. When you are unmuted
- You'll have up to three minutes. Please state your name for the record
- Good evening council members. My name is Jennifer possibly and I come to you
- And my capacity as council president of the Monroe County Council. I just wanted to say
- I appreciate, you know yesterday was the groundbreaking ceremony of the Convention Center expansion
- And I appreciate it cross collaboration efforts from both city and county elected
- I know overwhelmingly majority of elected supported this project and one thing that really kind of
- grabbed my attention in this particular meeting
- And besides just being nerdy and having nothing else to do to watch the meeting this evening was
- council member
- Rosenberger's comment regarding the
- affordable housing units that are going to
- that are proposed to be coming down and
- I think about this because I too had a constituent that reached out and wants to talk to me about
- that
- But in the spirit of collaboration since we all like to say that word
- I really would like to challenge our city colleagues to come talk to us here in the county again
- Just Clinton at Stanema Financial Lane as the fiscal body member of the county just one of seven
- I am very much interested in what is going to happen
- But as much talks that we've had happen tonight regarding affordable and attainable housing
- I think that it's up to although those buildings are county-owned and
- They are also in city limits. That's something that should be on both bodies to figure out how we
- can make this right for those
- Tenants as well. So I put a call to action
- to not just talk about it, but to also be about it and I look forward to having welcoming
- conversations with city colleagues to figure out
- How we can truly talk about the collaboration and making affordable housing and attainable housing
- for our residents
- So thank you for your time
- Thank you
- Are there any I don't see anybody else moving in chambers and anybody else raise a hand on zoom. No
- Okay
- Thank you very much for your public comments tonight and if you change your mind there'll be
- another public comment period at the end of the
- meeting
- Moving on to appointments to boards and commissions. Do I have a motion?
- Motion
- Councilmember Daley
- Thank you on behalf of
- interview committee team B, I
- Would like to make the following recommendation for the Transportation Commission
- We recommend
- Barbara McKinney to seat C 1
- Stephen Boland to seat C 2 and Brian Drumie to seat C 3
- second
- Thank you. Does anybody have any questions about the recommendations from team B council members?
- Sorry
- I'm just just a very brief one to what extent because I know
- Wonderful wonderful recommendations the there had been some discussion about the role of this
- Of this of this body particularly as pertaining to the now defunct
- parking Commission and to what extent did
- conversations about how
- What the what the purpose of this body is going to be come up amongst the people that you
- are
- appointing
- Well in particular
- regarding the
- Now defunct parking Commission to for example, that was we had a lot of really good applicants. We
- had I think nine applicants for three seats
- Many of them were from the parking Commission. So we wanted to make sure that we were representing
- all of the units that were
- Being combined into this new Transportation Commission. And so, you know that was
- We had to be very choosy about our representation
- Unfortunately because we had so so little
- Space for everybody we would have loved everybody's expertise
- But we wanted to make sure that we were covering all those areas together that we felt everything
- was fairly well represented in this in this new
- body
- Because I realized I realized that I didn't ask my ask my question very clearly
- We had the notes. It's my fault. I wasn't communicating clearly and it's late. I'm sorry
- When when we approved this commission, we had some discussions about whether or not to include
- stronger language about parking as an example
- the
- Operative clauses of the Parking Commission whether those powers should remain with the with the
- with this new commission
- Which is now fairly advisory in its function. Was that a conversation that was had because I know
- that and I mean, I am
- The reason this is difficult to have I'm not trying to call anybody specifically out
- But but I mean people who you've just mentioned made comments saying that we should keep
- This commission as a Parking Commission or keep the elements of the Parking Commission in we didn't
- choose to do that
- so I'm curious whether or not that conversation came up as part of your
- appointment procedures
- with the candidates that we're appointing I
- Don't believe that it did am I misremembering or am I yeah, that was not part of our conversation
- Are there other questions
- I do have a question that cc3 is
- The the way that it's titled on onboard as they wanted to be MCC SC affiliated in some way is that
- We had only one applicant who was MCC SC affiliated and unfortunately he did not live in city
- limits
- Which was one of the requirements
- We we opted for this candidate had
- Any other good
- reasons also as a
- What we felt was an attractive appointment
- But also thought this candidate has young children and they bike a lot and we thought well
- That's the closest maybe that we can get to that that perspective so that was yet
- Another element that we took into consideration since we could not get we did not have an MCC SC
- applicant
- Okay, thank you
- Any other questions councilmember Flaherty? Yeah. Thank you for bringing that up customer Stossberg
- and just following up on the same point. I I
- know our
- Outreach methods are varied for how we recruit to commissions
- But does anyone know if by chance of folks at MCC SC
- Were contacted about the appointment and that was okay. They had been yeah
- I actually messaged the superintendent and spoke with her in person about it, and I think that the
- mayor did as well
- Thank you. Yeah
- Other questions
- If the clerk could please call the role on
- these
- interview team recommendations
- Councilmember Rallo
- Yes, Piedmont Smith
- Yes, Stossberg. Yes
- Daly. Yes, Zulek. Yes Rosenberger. Yes. I'm sorry. Yes Flaherty. Yes and rough
- Thank you that passes 9-0 and now we have finally reached legislation for the evening
- and
- Please keep in mind that we did change the order on this and the updated agenda that went out this
- afternoon
- So we should be starting with ordinance 2025 22
- All right, then in that case I move ordinance 2025 - 22 be introduced and read by the city clerk
- By title and synopsis only second
- Thank you. Will the clerk please call the roll on the motion to introduce just for clarity. We have
- to call the roll on
- All of these motions tonight because we have a member online
- Councilmember Piedmont Smith. Yes
- daily
- Sorry Stossburg. Yes
- Panicked yes
- Zulik yes Rosenberger. Yes. Sorry
- Flaherty. Yes rough
- and Rallo
- Yes
- Thank you. Will the clerk please read?
- Yes
- Ordinance 20 20 25 - 22 authorizing and approving a payment in lieu of taxes
- pilot agreement with Henderson court housing LLP
- the synopsis is
- The Indiana code provides the opportunity for municipalities and owner developers to partner in the
- development of affordable housing
- Through a payment in lieu of taxes known as a pilot agreement per I see thirty six - one - eight -
- fourteen point three
- This agreement ensures that the city receives some taxes from the property owner on real property
- subject to a tax exemption under state law
- The Indiana code requires the developer to agree to the terms of the pilot including the amounts
- and timing of the payments to the city
- the common council must approve the pilot by passing an ordinance if approved the Honda's Henderson
- court pilot will result in the
- rehabilitation of
- 150 affordable apartment units in an affordable housing community
- The pilot will serve families whose household income is 60% or below the area median income
- Thank you, I move that ordinance 2025 - 22 be adopted second
- All right. Thank you. Who do we have to present?
- 2025 22 today
- Sustainable development and I'm here tonight with Janine Betsy director of tax credit
- Development for the gene be Glick company and Danny Miller and I didn't catch your title
- Development manager, so we'll I'll present and then we'll have Janine and Danny for color
- commentary as needed
- If that's all right
- okay, first, I want to acknowledge that I have the ordinance numbers incorrectly listed on the
- Main slide here. So that's obviously
- 2521 and 2522 my overview
- Summarizes some general information about
- both
- Proposals and then gets into the specifics. So I'll just dive in
- I'll give you a brief overview of pilots an overview of the company details on each property a
- summary of the proposed agreements and a
- summary of outreach to local government units
- So here payment in lieu of taxes or pilot agreements are facilitated by state code and administered
- on a local level
- Pilots may support the renovation acquisition or construction of affordable housing units. They
- require that long-term affordability be guaranteed
- through an extended use agreement
- which is with the IH CDA in
- Pilots the property owner makes a payment at a percentage of the overall tax liability in the
- proposals today the payments
- Are proposed to be fixed at forty five percent of the current tax liability with an annual escalator
- of three percent
- the pilot payments
- This is by state code are then directed to the city
- Which means that 100% of the related tax revenue is diverted from other local government units
- So the pilot payment comes to the city. It does not get redistributed to the government units
- It gets deposited here into an affordable housing fund
- Just wanted to underscore that so pilots are a trade-off of community goods
- They decrease revenue in exchange for the retention or creation of affordable housing units
- The gene Glick gene be Glick company is an Indian Indianapolis-based housing developer and manager
- The company owns and is the long-term operator of the sites and the proposals today
- They own twenty one thousand units in thirteen states seventy two hundred of which are managed by
- the nonprofit Glick Foundation
- The city has had a favorable experience with Glick properties in Bloomington and they
- and they
- Have a specific model where they have on-site coordinators at their developments
- Which is perhaps why they're successful and well managed
- The Glick company has requested two pilot agreements to support the renovation and long-term affordability
- and management of
- both Cambridge Square and Henderson Court
- Pilots exist as a relatively low barrier incentive because it is difficult to close the financial
- gap for affordable housing developments
- Rent rates are restricted which is the whole point of having these affordable housing restrictions
- So the rent cannot be increased to fund improvements or updates
- Janine and Danny can speak to the cash flow impacts year-over-year, but that's an important benefit
- for their management of the property
- And then I just wanted to mention the but for test in order to issue a pilot
- We need to know that the project cannot be completed
- Without it, but for the issuance of the pilot the capital stack wouldn't come together. The project
- wouldn't move forward
- So I'm going to
- Continue in the order Cambridge Square and then Henderson Court, but I acknowledge that I would
- like for you to skip the Cambridge Square stuff for now
- Thank you. All right
- Henderson Court
- Henderson Court is located at 24 75 South Winslow Court
- It was acquired by the Glick Foundation in late 2024. It features
- 151 1 2 and 3 bedroom units at 60% of the AMI the requested payment is
- eighty thousand four hundred dollars or 45 percent of the tax liability
- That's the 24 25 24 pay 25 tax liability, and then there's the escalator of 3% annually
- This makes the annual subsidy
- 98,206 dollars in the annual per unit subsidy is
- 935 dollars the term of the pilot of the proposed pilot is 17 years and the term of
- Affordability for the site is no less than 45 years
- So the term of the pilot runs with the financing for the renovations and the term of affordability
- runs with state and federal
- affordable housing incentives
- So we're insured that
- I included these AMI tables because we talk about AMI all the time
- I thought it would be helpful for the public record and I thought it would be helpful
- Just for this discussion as a reference. So the highlighted fields are the dates
- For the effectiveness, but you can see the 60% AMI line which starts with forty five thousand five
- hundred and forty dollars
- and it increases depending on the number of
- Individuals living in that household. So this is the salary table. That's what that household is
- earning at 60% of the AMI
- And then
- I just wanted to say that given the impacts of SB 1 on all of our units of government and given
- that the pilot would divert
- all of this tax revenue to the city's
- affordable housing fund
- Staff communicated the impact analysis with leadership in each unit
- so
- the responses were
- Pretty similar. I mean everyone was
- Really happy to be informed about the consideration of this pilot
- There was general support. Everyone acknowledged that there was a trade-off. I would say with MCC
- SC in particular they
- They would like they want to do more analysis. So we're I feel really
- Pleased each conversation was really positive. And so we will communicate
- about tax abatements
- Tiff and how that works and pilots and just kind of start doing an exchange where we're
- Sharing information and so I committed to each of these government units that we would share
- proposals well in advance of
- Coming to council. I think with the aim of doing that before it goes to EDC next time and feel good
- about that
- So I will
- Back up to the Henderson court
- Proposal slide and I would be happy to take questions about this
- Thank you. Do we have questions specifically about the Henderson court proposal councilmember daily
- or
- Pilots in general. Yeah. Thank you. Thank you very much for that information. That was helpful
- I'm I'm gonna kind of form my question as I'm asking it because you kind of answered it a little
- bit
- my question was about my concern for like MCCSE losing revenue because they're
- Already going to be losing as we all know a ton of revenue
- So I'm glad you had that conversation with them that that and that it went well
- Do we have any sort of?
- Plan or thought process for maybe how we're going to maybe help make up some of that revenue
- To for example MCCSE or no, it's just we're figuring
- No, go you're good. Yeah, I was kind of petering off
- What happens with that funding so it is supposed to be deposited in an affordable housing fund and
- then that can be used
- to create
- To produce units or to renovate units at 80% of the AMI or below so this
- These pilot payments have a really narrow
- purpose
- Yes, I mean outside of the pilot money then and then I would say
- outside of the pilot
- everything that we are working on is
- In concert with what MCCSE needs so we're not writing checks to MCS MCCSE
- But we are doing everything that we can to create housing units to welcome
- You know working families
- Back into Bloomington City core, which is really one of the challenges
- so one of the challenges for MCCSE of many is the
- You know competition with charter schools
- I would name that as a challenge and then our overall population decline and our aging population
- And so all of our work is to really try to balance that and bring people back into our core
- I don't know if that's satisfactory, but outside of
- Everything that that we're doing we don't have a specific way to drive revenue back to them. It's a
- start
- I appreciate that. I know it's a it's it's quite a conundrum. So thank you for answering that
- Thank you other councilmember questions
- Councilmember Piedmont Smith
- So for Henderson Court, I'm looking at the
- Tax liability table at the end of your packet. Okay
- It looks I just want to make sure I understand this so
- At the line the last year 2043
- The cumulative tax savings
- For Henderson Court is one million two hundred eighty six thousand six sixty nine
- So is that the total amount that the city of Bloomington and the other taxing units is giving up
- Through this pilot agreement
- I'm just pulling that
- And Jessica you have it in front of you and answer that's fine, too
- All right, if you don't mind giving me just a second
- And we're looking at Henderson Court and you're looking at
- So you're looking at the one million two eighty six six sixty nine figure
- Yes, it's in the right column yes, so that is
- The value of the life of the subsidy. Yeah
- So that's what the public entities including the city is
- giving up yes, and
- And then in the column preceding that the cumulative pilot is what they are paying
- Okay, and then in the same table
- um
- There's a column entitled full taxes
- no pilot and
- The tax amount 178 606. I'm looking at again the 24 paid 25 tax liability
- It sells full taxes for all of those 17 years is
- 178 thousand six oh six
- How can that be wouldn't the assessment increase and the taxes therefore increase?
- The assessment will increase
- Obviously, we don't
- Excuse me. I guess we're all having local problems tonight. Um, so the assessment will increase we
- don't know
- You know by what percentage during what years?
- but the pilot payment
- We we prescribe it to increase 3% annually. So we don't recalculate it based on the AV you'd in
- pilot terms you set
- You set the rate in advance and so that's why the pilot payment column reflects that 3% increase
- annually
- Okay, so you use the
- the current
- Tax rate and you just as our base. Yeah, and you just add 3% in the next column. So it's it's
- theoretical
- Theoretically that 3% annually is keeping up with market growth
- Yeah, and then we leave that
- Full taxes column as is because we're demonstrating that we're not estimating that
- Okay, I have another question but I can wait
- Yeah, I want to follow up on that a little bit because I'm a little bit confused by what you just
- said so
- If the cumulative tax savings on this is the one point two
- million
- but that's based on
- the full tax liability staying the same and
- We know that that tax won't necessarily stay the same like
- is that
- Just I would like to check with the controller McClellan as she prepared the table
- That's the only way that we have you could stay controller McClellan
- That's the only way that we have to estimate what the annual tax savings would be
- That's our that's the kind of like our most conservative estimate and then taxes will go up every
- year
- But we're not going to estimate that in that table. They will probably have
- The developer may have a benefit if taxes go up the pilot does not increase the pilot stays the
- same
- But at at the least this is how much tax savings that they will see and they can use that number
- When they have to go get financing further and build the rest of their project. That's the
- information they need to know right now in it
- There is a chance that there will be more savings to the developer in the future as taxes go up
- So that's kind of like a minimum number that public entities will lose in terms of revenue loss
- Yes, and
- I think one thing that controller McClellan highlighted is maybe helpful for the
- council to know this
- benefit has two roles for the developer so they
- Can count it as part of their capital stack for the development?
- Or the renovation and they benefit annually from the cash flow savings
- So the annual cash flow savings helps with the ongoing management of the property with the hiring
- of these
- Care managers, I think is the title for their on-site staff in the care managers are
- You know, they're there full-time. They're deeply engaged. They're helping residents with
- Life management, and I don't know if the Glick folks or if the council is interested in hearing
- more about that. They can talk about that
- But this is just to say
- It has dual import
- for the property
- Okay, thank you are there other councilmember questions
- Okay, I I have a another question then
- Oh and I want to acknowledge I can't see councilmember Rallo right now on the screen. Does he have
- his hand raised at all?
- Okay, thank you. Um
- So if we go with that like 1.2 million dollars just so I make sure that I'm understanding so for
- this project
- The developer contribution it says a six point seven million dollars. Is that right? So like in
- theory they're getting that
- 1.2 million dollars that like
- tax revenue is being lost and they're
- Committing to invest six point seven million dollars and to renovations for the property. Is that
- am I reading that correctly correct?
- Okay
- Do you agree do you want to add anything to that response?
- Okay
- Please come to the microphone. So the sorry, thank you. My name is Janine Betsy and I do work for
- the gene vehicle a company and
- I'm very short
- But also those
- We take the and we took the investments from the pilot savings and we increase the scope of work
- And then we will fund an annual service coordinator position that costs about
- $80,000 with benefits it definitely pays the living wage
- and then that person puts together a service plan with the residents and we measure the residents
- impact on the 10 like we
- Measure 10 levels of self-sufficiency with most important being housing secure food secure
- And then we kind of work down the list of whether or not people need employment or other items
- But we actively measure those and report on those annually and the service coordinators are
- measured on their ability to help
- residents meet their own goals
- But this property is actually been purchased by the Housing Foundation. And so if the project did
- not move forward
- It's technically eligible to be exempt. So wouldn't pay property taxes at all
- So the doing a tax credit rehab and a pilot puts it back on the tax rolls at a known
- amount so that we know what sort of resources we have to
- Increase our scope of work. So we added HVAC. We have all new electrical panels there
- We have the service coordinator and then we also added
- Washer and dryers putting them in the units, which we usually don't put them in the units. We
- usually have
- Residents bring them so we did we were able to add those very specific items because of the pilot
- Correct add them to the full scope of work. Yeah
- And then just
- To really highlight
- What Jeanine was describing the gene?
- Beglick Foundation Housing Foundation, which is a non-profit. It's a 501 c3
- They purchased the property in late 2024 and because they're a non-profit the property
- Was eligible for tax exemption
- So the foundation applied for that tax exempt status and they anticipate that it will be awarded
- later
- This year this summer and the idea for them is that they will hold this tax exempt status
- during the period while renovations are happening and when they
- Close, I guess on your permanent financing and activate the pilot
- At that time they will pay this predetermined fee
- so I think what miss Betsy is saying is that
- It's a different situation in this case where if the pilot doesn't go forward
- The tax exemption would likely kick in
- but the pilot is essential for them to complete their capital stack and add the benefits of
- The the care coordinator on site and the increased rent of improvements that they're able to make
- to the units
- Okay, thank you are there questions
- Councilmember Piedmont Smith
- so do I understand correctly that
- The Henderson court project is actually eligible for a total tax exemption and they're delaying
- That until after this pilot
- Runs its course. So no
- the tax exempt status is
- available to them at this time because
- The nonprofit foundation owns the property when they close on their permanent financing
- I think I'm way up on the mic when they close on their permanent financing
- They will have a private partner as an investor and that would push them out of their tax exempt
- status
- so they anticipate that they will lose that tax exemption and
- That is why they are requesting the pilot it is complex. So we I'm happy to pause and have us
- Talk about this in more detail
- Yeah
- Are there other questions right now
- Okay, I'll go then so if
- We vote no on this pilot then it would stay in the non
- Profit or the exempt the foundation and continue to be exempt and not have
- Improvements made is that because because you said the but for and we were talking about the but
- for earlier
- So like so like you as staff are saying unless we do this like these things won't happen
- Yeah, and I think I'll just look to Jeanine while I'm making statements and tell me if this isn't
- correct
- but I assume that based on what they have communicated there would be a reduction in the types of
- improvements that would be made the
- scope of the renovation would be reduced and
- The care coordinator position would be in question
- And so the care coordinator position
- I
- Just want to highlight the city's perspective having spoken with housing and neighborhood
- development
- our legal department
- We are
- supportive of this pilot and in part because of who the partner is the Glick
- Company has a great track record in our community and it is because of the ways that they manage
- their properties
- That they are able to successfully safely
- Cleanly house people at lower income levels some of the challenges that we're seeing with the
- properties that we discussed on a very
- Surface level and our abatement presentation for example do not have the baked-in structure that Glick
- Relys on for their properties that they have across the country. So this model is really critical
- to the success
- of the property
- Okay, thank you are there other questions
- Questions
- All right seeing none
- Let's go ahead and go to public comment
- on ordinance
- 2025 - 22
- So at this time if there are members of the public who would like to comment on this ordinance and
- this pilot project
- specifically for the Henderson court
- housing if you're in chambers
- You can go ahead and make your way to the podium and if you're online you can go ahead and use the
- reactions tab to
- Raise your hand or send a chat message to the host. I
- Don't see anybody moving in chambers right now. I'm gonna give a minute and make sure that if
- people want to raise their hand
- they're able to
- Does anybody raise their hand on zoom no
- Okay, seeing no public comment we are back to councilmember comment
- Are there council members who would like to make a comment regarding ordinance 2025 - 22
- Councilmember sorry
- Just just a super quick one. I mean, obviously I this is the third time. I've got to hear this
- presentation
- So that's why I didn't ask
- any questions, but I mean I just just to emphasize the fact that this is
- The proposal is fantastic. It
- Creates long-term affordability at that am I rate that we've talked about in so many cases is
- really missing
- And for a large number of units
- And so a lot of them at that 60% or below area me am I in many cases below that while allowing the
- developer to complete
- much-needed renovations without sacrificing affordability and
- So I just think that it's a really really positive the type of things that we want to see in the
- way that we want to
- Use this tool and so I'm in great support of it and the lines very well with so many of the other
- things that we've
- Brought up another context. Thank you
- Thank you any other council members wish to make a comment
- I'll make a comment. I appreciate a council member daily bringing up MCCSE and the other taxing
- entities that will
- Kind of lose in this in this deal and
- The thing for me personally that kind of stopped any other
- Questioning did have to do with that tax tax exempt status and it's certainly better to have
- More fully renovated spaces and have some element of taxing coming in
- so that there can be some
- Public good coming from the taxing but also a whole lot of public good for the residents and the
- folks who are actually living
- There so I will plan on supporting this this evening
- And unless somebody else raises their hand for a council member comment, which I don't see
- Will the clerk please call the roll on ordinance 2025 - 22?
- Council member Stossberg. Yes, Daley. Yes, Zulik. Yes, Rosenberger. Yes. Sorry. Yes, Flaherty
- Yes, Ruff Rallo
- Yes, and Piedmont Smith. Yes. Thanks
- Thank you. And now we will move on
- You I move that ordinance 2025 - 21 be introduced and read by the city clerk by title and synopsis
- only
- second
- It's been moved and seconded to introduce ordinance 2025 - 21
- Will the clerk please call the roll on that motion to introduce council member Daley? Yes, Zulik
- Yes, Rosenberger. Yes. Sorry. Yes, Flaherty. Yes
- Ruff Rallo
- Yes, Piedmont Smith. Yes
- I
- Will abstain on this one. Oh
- Sorry, so that motion passes eight zero one
- Will the clerk please read I'm forgetting my job. Oh, it's my job. I oh no
- No, well the clerk. Yeah, the clerk has to read first
- There we are ordinance
- 2025 - 21 authorizing and approving a payment in lieu of taxes pilot agreement with Cambridge
- Square of Bloomington LP
- synopsis is
- The Indiana code provides the opportunity for municipalities and owner developers to partner in the
- development of affordable housing through a payment in lieu of
- Taxes pilot agreement per IC 36 - 1 - 8 - 14 point 3
- This agreement ensures that the city receives some taxes from the property owner on real property
- subject to a tax exemption under state law the Indiana code requires the developer to agree to the
- terms of the pilot including the
- Amounts and timing of the payments to the city
- The common council must approve the pilot by passing an ordinance if approved
- The Cambridge Square pilot will result in the rehabilitation of a 153 unit community of flats
- designed for residents 62
- Plus or differently abled whose incomes are 60% or below the area median income
- Thank you
- So now I move ordinance 2025 - 21 be adopted second
- Thank you. And before we do the presentation on this one
- I need to recuse myself from this discussion about Cambridge Square, which is why I stopped you
- earlier from
- Presenting on that one at all. I have a family member living at that complex
- So in order to ensure there's no appearance of conflict of interest
- I will not be participating in discussion or vote on this matter and will hand proceedings over to
- vice president Piedmont Smith
- Thank you
- All right, miss Cooper Smith, do you have further
- presentation on this particular project
- Just a just a few words on this one. I think if I could if we could have the slide deck back.
- Thanks
- So Cambridge Square of Bloomington is located at 307 North Pete Ellis Drive nestled between I don't
- know what well
- Yeah, Woodbridge Post Office on 10th Street and the cat cafe in Williamsburg Court off of 3rd
- Street. You're welcome
- They're just kidding. The property is 45 years old and features 153 one-bedroom units
- They are available to residents 62 and up or differently abled and earning
- 60% or less of the AMI. Sorry, the 60% AMI applies to everyone and
- Residents can be 62 and older or differently abled
- Just a reminder of the income limits the AMI at 60% is
- 65,000 and 40 for a four-person household or 45,000 540 for a one-person household
- Yeah, you did it okay and then
- The proposed agreement details are quite similar
- The payments smaller because the assessed value is lower
- So the Cambridge Square agreement would include an annual payment in lieu of twenty nine thousand
- three hundred seventy six dollars
- with a three percent annual escalation
- That makes the annual subsidy thirty five thousand eight hundred and forty one dollars in the
- annual per unit subsidy
- 392 dollars the term of the pilot is
- Seventeen years, which is the length of the financing for the project again. However, the term of
- affordability is no less than 45 years
- The agreement auto terminates after 17 years
- It can terminate if both parties agree and it can terminate if the property through sale to a
- different developer or through non-compliance
- so if it sells to a developer that is does not meet the code requirements for 60% AMI and having a
- long-term agreement with IH CDA
- that would terminate the
- Affordability or sorry that would terminate the pilot
- I think those are the broad strokes and then on this pilot it is
- Entirely on the private side of the organization. So there's no tax exemption
- Change happening
- So I think that's
- Enough for the overview I guess
- Happy to answer questions
- Thank You director Cooper Smith, are there any questions about the Cambridge Square? Yes councilmember.
- Sorry, just a super brief one
- Am I right in remembering that though the tax payment last 17 years that the requirement that it
- served that population is
- Forever or something like that. It was so long ago that we had this conversation Jeanine can speak
- to that
- So there the IHC da
- Agreements, could you please remind us of your name for the record? I'm sorry
- my name is Jeanine Betsy and
- Yeah, so the
- The affordability period from IHC da is governed by a land use restricted agreement the Lura
- And that is a 15 year initial period and a 30 year extended use period and you are not
- Able to opt out of the extended use period anymore
- Additionally the bond Lura that also is in the project
- Requires that as long as you have section 8 in the property that you will continue to maintain
- affordability and Cambridge Square is a hundred percent section 8, so
- We would be required to keep it affordable in perpetuity
- Again the section 8 requirement contract requires that as well
- We really value section 8 as you can't get new contracts anymore
- And that means that the residents are not paying more than 30% of their income towards rent and HUD
- covers the balance
- These are not part of the intended
- Budget cuts at HUD
- And these are long-term subsidies that likely will never come back
- For any new project so it's that we find at our organization
- It's imperative that we maintain them and keep them affordable
- as long as possible
- Because it's some of the most important things that we can do and a lot of these properties are
- located in some of our best neighborhoods
- Like you couldn't build Henderson Court where it is today
- Nor could you build Cambridge Square where it is today and keep it affordable for residents?
- but so it's a
- We make a commitment to keep our properties affordable in perpetuity
- But those are the documents and the timelines that guide
- The three or four agreements that will sign to keep it affordable
- Thank you
- Thank you any other questions about the Cambridge Square pilot proposal I
- Guess I will ask one and I just noticed a big difference in the per unit subsidy
- between
- Cambridge Square where it's one hundred ninety two dollars and
- Henderson Court where it was nine hundred thirty five dollars. Is that just the extent of the
- renovation? That's different or
- Could be I can say - yeah
- It's primarily driven by the acquisition because Henderson Court was just purchased in December
- 2024 and the other project has been in the portfolio for such a long time
- And frequently when properties are sold that have a hundred percent section 8 units
- They're sold above
- the value that can be financed
- Because the section 8 contract has a long-term value. So the
- Cambridge Square of Bloomington as is appraisal was significantly less than the Henderson Court
- Family sized appraisal and cost to purchase those properties
- So that's the really the difference
- Henderson Court also needs more work than Cambridge Square of Bloomington
- Glick has an extensive
- ongoing maintenance
- Program at all of our properties. We do asphalt every year if we don't if we're not doing a big
- rehab
- We're still doing a certain amount of windows and doors every year HVAC system
- So frequently a property that's been in the click family portfolio for a number of years is better
- Kept then a property that we purchased and so since we just purchased
- Henderson it both cost more per unit and the need of the work is greater
- Thank you for that
- I had another question that I meant to ask with the other item and now I need to find it. Sorry
- It's in the the actual text of the resolution
- I
- For pilot for country view or or sorry for Cambridge Square or Henderson Court
- Cambridge Square, okay
- I believe this language was in both of them, but
- So at the bottom of the first page of the actual ordinance language
- That whereas clause at the the last one on that page
- It says 192 dollars per unit
- blah blah blah do honor before May 10th and November 10th for each assessment year after the
- closing of the project in
- Accordance with section 1.4 of the agreement. What is the closing of the project? What does that
- mean?
- So I think that means the closing of the financing to facilitate the renovations
- Okay, so so it doesn't mean the completion of the renovations it means the
- closing of the financing
- That's my understanding Audrey is that
- And I'm gonna follow up with a naive question and that is what does closing of the financing mean
- So I can tell you what that means
- Closing of the financing on a 4% tax credit deal like this. My name is Janine Betsy, by the way
- it means that you close the tax credits you're selling the bonds that makes up the debt and
- you are
- Also
- That's all of the sources
- So that's everything closes at once and then you enter into a fully amortizing loan at closing
- So we're immediately paying on that loan just like you do on your mortgage at your house when you
- close
- But the closing means that you close all those sources of financing at one time. It's really fun
- and
- But it does not mean we will close the project. We will just close on the sources of funds
- And I guess in that context then
- When do we can we expect the first pilot payments since they're expected after the closing of the
- project?
- Sorry, Audrey Brittingham city attorney, so
- We agree that that it really is closing of the financing and then it references section 1.4 in the
- agreement
- And so if you go down to section 1.4 it that just outlines
- They both outline when the payments are due and you'll notice in 1.4
- It makes it clear that the pilots essentially starts January 1st 2026 of the assessment year
- payable
- 2027 so we wouldn't actually see
- Pilot payment until 2027 for the payable 2026 year
- so
- close
- 2025
- this increase or assessment 2026 payment 2027
- Okay, and that's the first payment of 17 years, yes, okay. All right. Thank you so much for clarifying
- that
- You know, we're late people up here trying to understand all the lingo
- Are there any other questions about the Cambridge Square?
- pilot
- Okay, we can go to the public. Is there any member of the public who would like to comment on
- This resolution about Cambridge Square pilot
- Payment in lieu of taxes. I see we have one person coming to the podium
- Please state your name for the record and you'll have up to three minutes
- Randy Cassidy local community individual and somewhat of a historian based on what I just heard in
- 1981 I worked at Walker standard which is at Kingston and 3rd Street and
- It had just been built and there was a 65 year old woman
- I cannot remember her name, but I can tell you she had a
- 1967 XR cougar lemonade or that she brought in and
- She it was something she had got for her son after he graduated college. She lived at Cambridge
- Square
- She had been widowed and she said can you believe I can live here?
- At what I have
- And I she would come in I would take her back and I don't know about the financing
- I do know that Cambridge Square was taken care of then as I drive by it now
- It still looks in as good a condition as it with was when I took her home
- So from a condition of what Glick has done. I didn't even know Glick owned it
- and I thought I knew a lot about Bloomington and
- It's just one of those things when you drive by it and you see it it's been taken care of and from
- that long-term
- Affordability, I still remember her saying that and when I heard that at least I should get up and
- say something about that
- Thank you
- Are there any hands raised on zoom for people who want to speak to this? No
- No, okay. I don't see anybody else in council chambers. So we'll come back to
- Council members, are there any final comments on?
- resolution 20 25 - 21
- Seeing none will the clerk please call the roll on resolution 20 25 - 21
- Councilmember Zulek. Yes
- Sorry, I'm sorry Rosenberger. Yes. I'm sorry. Yes
- Flaherty
- Yes
- rough
- Rollo
- Yes, Piedmont Smith. Yes
- Stasberg
- And daily, yes
- All right that passes with a vote of eight zero do we count the recusal as an abstention
- Anybody know
- It counts it doesn't count
- So is it count as an abstention eight zero one then okay, there we go and I'll hand the gavel back
- to
- President Stasberg. Thank you moving on to our last piece of legislation for the evening. I
- Move resolution 20 25 - Oh
- Nine put my glasses on. Yes. Thank you be introduced and read by the city clerk by title and synopsis
- only
- Second so moved and seconded to introduce resolution 20 25. Oh nine. Will the clerk please call the
- roll?
- Councilmember Rosenberger. Yes. Sorry. Yes clarity. Yes rough. Yeah, Rallo
- Yes, Piedmont Smith. Yes
- Stasberg yes and daily. Yes. Oh and Zulek. Yes. Thank you
- Res oh, sorry. It's late. I move ordinance 20 25 - oh nine be adopted
- Thank you
- Don't I need to read it first, oh, oh gosh, I'm sorry that was me boy. It is late. It's late. I am
- so sorry
- I'll go for it resolution 20 25 - oh nine authorizing the allocation of the Jack Hopkins Social
- Services program funds for the year
- 20 25 and related matters the synopsis is
- This resolution brings forward the recommendations of the 20 25 Jack Hopkins Social Services
- Committee
- The principal task of the committee is to recommend funding for local social services agency
- Proposals that best meet program criteria and best meet the needs of the community. This resolution
- allocates a total of five hundred and ten thousand
- Seven hundred and seventy seven dollars and 27 cents to 35 different agency programs the resolution
- also approves the funding agreements with these
- Agencies and authorizes the council president to execute such agreements
- Accepts the report of the committee and authorizes the chair of the committee to resolve any
- questions regarding the interpretation of the agreements
- Thank you, I'm sorry that I'm already on summer recess right now
- Yes, I move ordinance 2025 - oh 9b adopted
- resolution I
- Move resolution 2025 - oh 9b adopted second. There we go
- Councilmember Asari, are you gonna present the resolution on the funding recommendations?
- Already did if you have any questions happy to answer them
- And I don't know if there wasn't the amendment for the clerical error. Is that necessary?
- Yes, so just make mention of that. But yeah, any questions happy to answer them
- Shall I move thank you. Yes was amendment one and the
- It was omitted from the packet by accident was it in the addendum. Nope. Oh
- Its absence was
- Discovered about 4 p.m. Today
- Yes, please amendment one be introduced and
- Something just just be introduced second
- All right. So this is just correcting a typo in the
- resolution
- the table where it lists the
- recommended funding and the purpose for each
- grant
- the purpose for Bloomington Cooperative Living was
- Was incorrect so this just replaces the current text with
- this HVAC upgrades to communal living home for
- Bloomington Cooperative Living
- Does anybody have any questions on the amendment
- Let's go to the public then I'll take public comment on this amendment one to
- resolution
- 2025-09 if anybody wants to
- Make a comment about this
- Correction of purpose if you're in chambers, please make your way to the podium
- If you're online, you can go ahead and raise your hand. Is there anybody raising? There's one. Okay
- I do want to make sure that that public commenter
- We are specifically taking public comment on the amendment
- To the resolution not the resolution itself. So when you are unmuted, you can go ahead and state
- your name for the record and
- Then you'll have up to three minutes
- Her hands not raised right now, okay, but I was wondering if she might want to comment on the whole
- resolution instead of the amendment
- So for a lack of any public comment about the amendment if the clerk could oh going back to council
- Do council members want to make any closing comments on the amendment?
- I'll just say thank you councilmember Piedmont Smith for
- cross referencing things and noticing that
- Will the clerk please call the roll on amendment one to resolution 2020 509 councilmember? Sorry.
- Yes
- Flaherty. Yes, Ruff. Yes, Rallo
- Yes
- Piedmont Smith. Yes, Stasberg. Yes, Daly. Yes, Zulek. Yes and Rosenberger. Yes. Thank you
- Great. So now we are back to the resolution as amended
- So are there any council member questions about the funding?
- recommendations from the committee
- No questions, um, I have a question
- Oh, maybe I don't have a question hang on I might have gotten that answer already. Oh
- I actually do have a question and it's a question from the
- The funding agreement between the city of Bloomington and so it's attachment a
- So this might be a question for our attorney that I noticed
- this afternoon one of the things that we are asking the agencies to provide and
- See if I can figure out section for part D the reporting requirement
- Requires that the report be submitted in word format and I'm wondering if there's a reason why we
- require it to be in a word
- I'm not aware and aware of a reason in the past that has been the case
- This is essentially the same funding agreement that has been used last year
- And I believe largely in prior years
- Okay, is there like could we change that and would we have to?
- Do any kind of official I mean does does the resolution reference the way that this is worded yes
- Yes part of the resolution
- Adopting this funding agreement. So to change the funding agreement we would
- Okay, I
- Guess I don't really feel like doing an amendment on the fly if agencies haven't complained about
- this in the past
- but if in the future, maybe we could amend that so that
- We don't require that in word anymore just because a lot of people don't necessarily use word now
- because of Google Docs, etc
- etc
- Which is an issue we've come across in something else lately recently. So
- If we could just keep that in mind in the future, that would be great
- Will do thank you. Thank you
- I don't think I have any other questions. So let's go ahead and move to
- public comment on
- Resolution 2025 - oh nine as amended if you are a member of the public who would wish to comment on
- this
- If you're in chambers, please make your way to the podium
- If you're online, you can go ahead and raise your hand using the reactions tab or send a chat
- message to the host
- I do believe we have somebody online now
- So if when you're unmuted if you could state your name for the record, and then you'll have up to
- three minutes
- I
- I'm not sure if that was a glitch of your audio
- Or if that was deliberate if you could maybe send a chat message to the host to let us know
- What might be going on with that and we'll just give it a minute here for you to take a minute
- Does it appear that we should try again to see if that audio can be corrected we'll try it again,
- okay
- We've had other other audio work, okay
- Is there any chance that this person could type their public comment into the chat?
- Do we have any information from the staff table?
- No, no chat message at this time.
- Okay.
- Yeah, any public, any comments, of course, can be sent by email.
- I'm really sorry that that audio seemed to be malfunctioning.
- We've had other Zoom comments today.
- So I'm not sure what there is on our end that we could do with that.
- Has anybody else raised a hand?
- No, no hands are raised.
- Thank you.
- Seeing any public comment in chambers, we will bring it back to council for any last
- questions or closing comment.
- Any comments from council?
- Councilmember Piedmont-Smith.
- Just to thank all of the good agencies that are helping people who are in need of assistance
- in our community, and thank you to my colleagues and the three members of the public who served
- on the committee.
- Thank you.
- Any other comments?
- I would also just like to thank everybody who served on the committee, including our
- community members.
- We had three community members on that committee.
- With that, if the clerk could please call the roll on resolution 202509.
- As amended.
- Councilmember Flaherty?
- Yes.
- Ruff?
- Yes.
- Rallo?
- Yes.
- Piedmont-Smith?
- Yes.
- Stasberg?
- Yes.
- Daly?
- Yes.
- Zulek?
- Yes.
- Rosenberger?
- Yes.
- Asari?
- Yes.
- Thanks.
- Thank you.
- And that completes our legislation for the first part of this year, as a matter of fact.
- And now we've moved on to the second period of public comment for items not on the agenda.
- If you are a member of the public and you would like to comment on something not on
- the agenda, if you're in chambers, you can make your way to the podium.
- If you're online, you can go ahead and use the reactions tab to raise your hand or send
- a chat message to the host.
- I don't see anybody moving in chambers, but I'll give it a minute for anybody online.
- Has anybody raised their hands online?
- No.
- Okay.
- Thank you very much.
- I'll move on then to our notes of council schedule.
- As I mentioned, this is the final meeting before summer recess and we will convene our
- next regular session on Wednesday, July 16th at 630.
- And as a reminder and clarification to the community that just because there's a break
- in Wednesday night meetings does not mean that we are on vacation as a council.
- There are still other meetings and work still does happen.
- Are there any other scheduling notes from council members?
- Then we are adjourned.
- Thank you.