Hello and welcome to Cats Week. I'm Annalise Poorman.
The Bloomington City Council met on January 14th and discussed a resolution that would approve
recommendations for the Community Development Block Grant funds for 2026. City Clerk Nicole Bolden walked
through an overview of the resolution. Resolution 2026-02 to approve recommendations for distribution
of Community Development Block Grant funds for 2026. The synopsis is as follows. The City of Bloomington
is eligible for an estimated $778,200
$193 in 2026 Community Development Block Grant funds from the United States Department of Housing and
Urban Development. This resolution outlines program recommendations from the Citizens Advisory Committee
and the Redevelopment Commission. Pursuant to federal regulations, CDBG allocations are made across
the following general program areas, social services programs, physical improvements and administrative services.
Director of Housing and Neighborhood Development, Anna Killian Hanson, presented the resolution, saying
that while the grants help spur housing and economic development opportunities, funding can be hard
to come by. Despite CDBG's success, more than $1.1 billion has been cut from the program since 2001.
And I have a feeling that we're not done with those cuts. Next slide, please.
had awards grants to entitlement community grantees to carry out a wide range of community development
activities directed towards revitalizing neighborhoods, economic development, and providing improved
community facilities and services. But all activities must meet a national objective.
All activities must meet one of the following national objectives for the program. Benefit to low and
moderate income persons, prevent or elimination of slums or blight and or urgent need. Which fulfill
community development needs that have a particular urgency because existing conditions pose a serious
and immediate threat to health or welfare of the community. Hand program manager Matt Sweeney highlighted
physical improvements that CDBG dollars could help fund.
We always have to do the contingency language because stated earlier, we never know exactly what our
allocation is gonna be. So the contingency language for physical improvements is as follows. If CDBG
funding for physical improvements exceeds $505,890.45, the additional funding will be used to fully
fund projects in this order. First would be New Hope for Families. Second would be Summit Hill Community
Development Corporation, BHA.
Third would be My Sister's Closet and lastly would be Boys and Girls Club. If the CDBG funding for physical
improvements is less than $505,890.45, funding shall be reduced as follows. The first $12,000 will be
taken from Summit Hill Community Development Corporation and anything over that will be taken from My
Sister's Closet.
Sweeney went on to outline some of the recommendations in the resolution for social services. First
on my list is Community Kitchen with their free meals program receiving a full ask of $25,000. Next,
Beacon Inc. for the Friends Place Emergency Shelter for $20,000. Hoosier Hills Food Bank for their food
distribution program at $20,000 as well.
Boys and Girls Club for the Ferguson Cresmont Center after-school child care and education programs
$18,000 and New Hope for Families Child Care and Early Childhood Education $18,000 and finally Middleway
House for the New Wings Emergency Shelter at $15,744. Killian Hansen responded that these cities should
quote work smarter not harder end quote when it comes to funding requests.
I think that if we are able to collaborate on which projects we're funding and prioritize as a group,
not just with Jack Hopkins independently and CDBG independently, but maybe collaboratively so that we
can meet everyone's community needs. I think that there are times when projects may be funded by multiple
organizations and we don't necessarily know about it. So maybe a little bit more collaboration could
help stretch the dollar a little bit further would be my
hope but We haven't crossed that bridge and we haven't had to yet So I'm really actually dreading the
time when the CDBG may or may not get cut Because look we have two to three times the funding requests
then funding so it is incredibly challenging and our social service agencies really rely heavily on
this funding every year, but I also think that you know, we are restricted with our projects by what what
Is applied for so if that we have community needs that aren't getting applications Then we really need
to be start working smarter about how we're addressing them It's just my personal opinion Mine too.
Thank you. And I wanted to just bring this up to be cognizant of our situation and hopefully people
across the political spectrum will Contact their representatives and say this is unacceptable
This is our tax money. There are people in need. It's unconscionable. It continues to be cut. Councilmember
Isak Asari said that he would like to see better communication between CDBG and the Jack Hopkins grant program.
I would just like to say that I know we've had a lot of discussions and I think it might be useful for
all of us to, you know, continue to maybe work on this, but both the question of how do we share information
better between Jack Hopkins and CDBG, I know they're on different timelines, but maybe that actually
might help a little bit in sort of feeding information from CDBG and to Jack Hopkins and vice versa.
And then similarly, if any of
My colleagues would like to think about, for example, writing a resolution that we can send once passed
to our members of Congress and Senate, sort of just showing the support to this and what it's done in
our community, I think would be a welcome thing to do as a council. The resolution passed by a unanimous
vote. The next Bloomington City Council meeting will take place on February 4th.
On January 13th, the Bloomington Board of Public Works met and discussed the city's policy on special
events and the public right-of-way. Public Works Director Adam Wason presented a proposal which would
move 4th Street Festivals and other events to Kirkwood Avenue. The policy that we're proposing here
would apply to special events and the public right-of-way.
i.e. events that take place on city streets and it does not apply to events that take place in our parks
or with our parks and recreation department at their facilities. This was co-created with consultation
with our public safety agencies both here in Bloomington and with the state of Indiana other city departments
other comparable cities and our community event organizers.
Several updates of note this establishes three downtown festival footprints for events anticipating
attendance of 1,000 people or more the application use and temporary parking permit fees per the Bloomington
Municipal Code chapter 12.08 and 12.10
Moving forward, there will be a routine annual review of this policy and application and any changes
will be shared with the Board of Public Works. The three suggested downtown festival locations include
Kirkwood Avenue, the Courthouse Square, and the Trades District. The board cited public safety concerns
as the main cause for the change.
We know not all of the participants in the Forestry Arts Festival agree with trying to move their festival
to Kirkwood. This is very much public safety in mind. We recognize that we haven't had a major incident of.
of what we're trying to avoid at 4th Street, but it doesn't mean it can't happen in the future. This
is why we're taking this approach. It is not to target one festival over others. It's one to try to
provide consistency for all of our large festivals in the downtown. The 4th Street Art Festival would
still be permitted to celebrate their 50th anniversary on 4th Street in 2026, but it could be the last time.
Exception for the 4th Street Arts Festival has been granted for the 20s for 2026 in the policy. The
event will celebrate its 50th anniversary this year on 4th Street and we want to help accommodate their
use of 4th Street for this 50th anniversary and in subsequent years would be moved to Kirkwood Avenue.
Volunteers on the 4th Street Art Festival board addressed their concerns about the new policy. They
said that the festival has a long tradition in the Bloomington community and various issues could arise
with the change. Board member Pamela Davidson highlighted possible problems with being located on Kirkwood Avenue.
The city would like to move the festival to Kirkwood and suggest we avoid the bar blocks. How is that
even possible when most blocks have a bar? So that would break up the festival with interruptions. The
flow and continuity would reduce attendees and sales and mar the experience that make it such an exceptional
art fair. Juliet Roberts, president of the Fourth Street Festival, explained that the public safety
is essential when it comes to event planning.
Public safety shade and crowd comfort like you said public safety is of the most the utmost importance
Patron feedback from our on-site survey this year was clear. We need more shade This act this feedback
was echoed by comments on our Facebook post yesterday patrons concerned about heat exposure on Kirkwood
Fourth Street's mature shade trees materially improve safety Comfort and crowd flow during late summer
heat and allow patrons to spend more times browsing the wares Kirkwood Avenue lacks shade Increasing
heat exposure and limiting how long patrons can safely remain on site We have had incidents each year
where patrons have needed medical attention or attention from the firehouse
to deal with heat stroke or heat exposure. The lack of shade on Kirkwood is my largest concern. The
Bloomington Board of Public Works will meet in October of 2026 to review this policy. The next Bloomington
Board of Public Works meeting is January 27th.
The Richland Township and Town of Ellitsville Reorganization Committee met on January 13th and finalized
subcommittee responsibilities and members. Town attorney Darla Brown explained the steps to determine
subcommittee meeting schedules. Somebody needs to put together a comprehensive list of all
of the subcommittee members with their contact information. So what we had talked about was having
town supervisors and or individuals from the township trustee also join the board so that they can be
helpful in explaining what the government does. And I think we leave it to each, this isn't just my
opinion, leave it to each individual subcommittee to decide how often you meet.
Committee member Mike Corman asked how Bloomington's 2017 annexation attempt could affect the Ellisville
reorganization if Bloomington wins its case in the Indiana Supreme Court. Ellis said that the committee
should continue planning the reorganization with the entirety of Richland Township, regardless of that
outcome. We can adjust if the court rules. I mean, right now Bloomington's lost at the appellate
They've lost at the trial. So, I mean, I don't want to assume anything, but I'm thinking, why would
we leave those people of Richland Township out in the wind? The committee agreed to discuss map boundaries
at future meetings. The committee then moved on to discuss the reorganization website contract. Ellis
says the reorganization committee needs a website for the public to easily access information. The biggest
thing is we just need this
on the website. Most of the links will be from the Town website. Videos will come from the YouTube channel
that Dawn has set up with the Township, so they'll have a one-stop shop for everything, including the
minutes and discussions we've had
on this. The committee approved the website contract. The town of Ellitsville will pay the $1,500 contract
with money from the local income tax economic development fund. The website will also have a link to
information about the Sheridan Adams township reconciliation, which town manager Mike Farmer says was
a similar situation to this reorganization. I feel like we're on the right road. I left there feeling
very good about
our situation because it was so similar to their situation and they were on a pretty tight schedule
as well. The next meeting of the Richland Township and Town of Ellisville Reorganization Committee will
be on January 21st.
The Ellisville town council met on January 12th. The council members started the meeting by electing
Scott Oldham as president and Dan Swafford as vice president. The council then moved on to a presentation
by deputy fire marshal, Shane Jarrett, regarding community risk reduction. Jarrett explained that CRR
aims to identify and reduce local fire hazards through education, prevention and community partnership.
Community risk reduction,
is a strategic approach aimed at lowering all hazards within the community. You have to identify the
hazards, you prioritize the hazards, and then you implement programs with the resources that you have
available to you or requesting resources to help reduce their occurrence and impact on a local level.
It emphasizes collaboration amongst community members to address specific hazards
enhance preparedness and improve resilience against the disasters. Jarrett then gave a proclamation
designating January 19th through the 25th as Community Risk Reduction Week.
Next, the Council discussed wastewater treatment plant updates, highlighting the upcoming replacement
of the plant's system control and data acquisition system. The original system is from 1997. The lowest
price for the replacement is around $105,000. Utilities Director Jeff Farmer explained the benefits
of the new system. Once this panel is purchased and
We get it in. You will, I mean, we'll see. I'll be presenting you a quote from Wessler Engineering to
actually do all the integration. Term price includes computers, software, licensing, and all the stuff
that goes to make this all happen. And then they integrate all the equipment into it. We've also prepared
it that way. We can also integrate
Our water towers, water booster stations, lift stations can all be on one SCADA system and that you
can get on your phone, your laptop, your computer, anybody can look at it, but only certain people can
use the controls. Next, the council discussed a proposal to have Baker-Tilley conduct a financial study
for establishing a fire protection territory between the town of Ellisville and Richland Township.
Fire Chief Kevin Patton explained the territory will not be needed if the Ellitsville Richland Township
reorganization passes. If the consolidation goes through the territory just is assimilated into the
consolidation and no changes. If the consolidation was not to go through then Ellitsville Fire still
provides fire protection to Richland Township just like we've been doing.
Councilmember Scott Oldham said that the Town of Ellitsville has been providing fire protection for
Richland Township for 79 years. Patton then stated that he has not had any complaints with the service.
The next Ellitsville Town Council meeting will be on January 26th.
The Monroe County Commissioners met on January 15th and discussed the NDOT Community Crossing Matching
Grant. Highway Director Lisa Ridge said Monroe County was awarded $1 million for paving projects in
2026. Ridge said the grants were very competitive this year because of funding cuts. It was very competitive
this time around. The funding, I believe, used to be around $350 million that was given out for this program.
100 million. I think there is a house bill out now to try and increase that back up to maybe 175 million.
So we're very fortunate. I know a lot of local partners around here, entities that we work with surrounding
counties were not awarded. So we're very fortunate that we actually were a success in this award.
Commissioner Julie Thomas said that the city of Bloomington did not get the grant this year. Thomas
then highlighted that the voter registration office will temporarily move to the second floor of the
Showers building starting on February 9th. I just want to make sure I understood everything that's happening
and that the public more importantly understood everything that's happening. A lot of moving parts here.
Yeah, for sure. And it would be nice to do some signage now even just to let people know that that's
coming because
You know, voter registration is an important thing before in an election year. So we gotta make sure
that folks have that opportunity to get that done. The current voter registration office is undergoing
flooring renovations. Commissioner Thomas closed the meeting by paying respects to longtime Perry Township
trustee, Dan Combs, who died last week at the age of 73. We have lost a key
member of local government. Dan Carpcombs was the Perry Township trustee for 40 years. My gosh. Amazing,
amazing guy. I mean just so wise, so knowledgeable and he listened and he learned and he just he got
things done for the people and so we're
really, really going to miss him and send out our deepest sympathies to his family and all of his friends
in the community, which are numerous. So we are going to miss him. Commissioner Jodi Madeer acknowledged
Combs' teaching career at Bloomington High School South, saying it's a huge loss in the community. I
had people reach out who were in
their teens, 20s, 30s, who had been his students. And his loss is felt as a teacher, as a person.
I mean, he was really the beating heart of our, one of the beating hearts of our community in so many
ways. And his loss is very deeply and keenly felt. Yeah, it's huge. It is huge. And it's something we're
going to be feeling for quite some time. Yes, irreplaceable. Yep. Yep.
Um, so, uh, but I stopped by and talked to staff briefly this week and they're doing well and as can
be expected. Um, but it's, it is a huge loss and, um, we encourage folks to share their memories. Um,
Dan comes as teacher, Dan comes as township trustee, Dan comes as all around great guy who understood
nature in ways that most people never will.
I've learned a lot from him, so I'm really gonna miss him. The Monroe County Board of Commissioners
will meet again on January 22nd. The Bloomington Arts Commission met on January 14th to discuss budgeting
and projects for the upcoming year. Assistant Director for the Arts, Holly Warren, discussed funds allocated
to public art projects. In the past, we've had $16,500 for public art projects.
That money still exists in our budget. I just don't want to necessarily put it here until we come up
with a real idea for spending it. Warren suggested treating this money as emergency reserve until the
commission can determine how to use the funds. What kind of situation we might be in with organizations
funding being pulled by
just state and federal and other agencies that we might want to be prepared to make quick moves on the
way we were kind of able to at the end of the last year. Warren also revealed the launch of a public
art database in collaboration with Indiana University's GIS department. Elena, who was my O'Neill practicum
student, helped me revitalize it and worked with our IT GIS department to do not just a revamped database,
which is really a spreadsheet,
of artwork, but also creates a publicly accessible map that folks can use to do self-guided tours and
just learn more information. The database contains 20 of Bloomington's most recent and beloved artworks.
It will be launched at the end of January. The next Bloomington Arts Commission meeting will be held
on February 11th. And that is all for Cats Week. Thank you for joining us. For Cats and WFHB, I'm Annalise Poorman.