May 30, 2009

What has the city council been up to?

April 29: Special Session

Legislation for Second Reading and Resolutions

We discussed five legislative items which would refinance the following city bonds:

1. General Obligation bonds issued in 1998 to pay for transportation projects, mainly the College Mall Road expansion and the traffic circle at High/Rogers/Winslow.

2. Bloomington Municipal Finance Corporation lease bond issued in 1998 to pay for transportation projects, mainly the Patterson Drive truck route, 3^rd/5^th/Adams intersection, and widening of W. 3^rd St. east of S.R. 37.

3. Mortgage refunding bonds of 1998 for the Showers City Hall building.

4. Parks District revenue bonds issued in 1999 to expand and improve the Cascades Golf Course.

Since interest rates on municipal bonds are currently very low, the city controller, Mike Trexler, brought forward these refinancing proposals to save the city a significant amount of money. All proposals passed unanimously.

Resolution 09-07: To approve an Enterprise Zone Investment Deduction (EZID) in the downtown Tax

Increment Financing (TIF) District. The owners of the property at 215 N. Walnut St., McDaniel Rentals can apply for a tax deduction after making major investments to the property because it is located in an Enterprise Zone. The owners must apply to the county auditor’s office by May 15, and because this particular property is in a TIF district, the city council has to approve the application. McDaniels LLC has invested over $772,000 in the property, which is now the site of Brothers Restaurant and Bar. The tax deduction is on the improvements to the site, not on the overall tax liability. The Council approved the EZID by unanimous vote.

Resolution 09-09:To approve street and intersection changes and site improvements to support an economic development project at the site of Cook Pharmica and the IEC property at Rogers and Patterson Dr. The City Council requested that the final plan for these changes be brought back to the Council for approval when it approved the expenditure of $500,000 from the city’s Industrial Development Fund for this purpose in Sept. 2008. The changes include:

1. Extension of Hillside Drive west from S. Rogers St. to the Cook Pharmica property

2. Addition of a left turn lane for northbound Rogers Street traffic to enter onto the new Hillside Dr. extension

3. Addition of a traffic signal at Fairview St. and Patterson Dr. to allow access to Cook Pharmica. The signal will be triggered by vehicles in the queue to exit the Cook Pharmica parking lot, or by pedestrians.

4. Addition of a right turn lane for eastbound traffic on Patterson Dr. turning south onto Rogers St.

5. Rehabilitation of the stream between the Cook Pharmica and IEC projects.

This was approved by a vote of 8-1 (Volan dissenting due to included street widening).

May 6, 2009: Regular Session

No legislation. The Mayor honored the Bloomington High School South basketball team and the Bloomington High Schools South and North Science Olympiad Teams.

May 13, 2009: No meeting

May 20, 2009: Regular Session

We heard a report on the city’s greenhouse gas emissions and suggestions on how to reduce them from the Environmental Commission.

Legislation for Second Reading and Resolutions

Resolution 09-12: To approve the allocation of additional Community Development Block Grant funding from the federal government. Each year the US Department of Housing and Urban Development doles out CDBG funds to cities for infrastructure and social service agencies to help low-income communities. This year, Bloomington received supplemental CDBG funds through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. $744,000 was already allocated in March, and in May we had an additional $224,578 to allocate. The mayor recommended these funds go toward construction of a sidepath and sewer extension along County Club Drive. The Council approved this recommendation.

Legislation for First Reading

Ordinance 09-09: Neighborhood Traffic Safety Program for W. 7^th St. in the Near Westside Neighborhood.

Ordinance 09-10: Neighborhood Traffic Safety Program for the Diamond Gardens/J.N. Alexander Neighborhood.

May 27, 2009: Committee of the Whole

We discussed the two NTSP proposals.

Ordinance 09-09: The preliminary studies showed that 85% of traffic on W. 7^th St. was going 29-35 mph depending on which block of 7^th St. was considered. The temporary traffic calming devices slowed speeds to 24-27 mph. The proposal was supported by all the members of the public who came to speak on the topic. The Council was supportive of the proposal.

Ordinance 09-10: The preliminary studies showed that 85% of traffic on the neighborhood streets (W. 10^th St., W. Cottage Grove, N. Summit St.) was going 18-29 mph depending on which block was considered. The temporary traffic calming devices slowed speeds to 16-27 mph. Part of the proposal is to add bump-outs from the curbs and sidewalks where there is a current overgrowth of vegetation. The members of the public who came to speak on the topic were divided, although in sheer numbers there were more in favor than against. The Council had many questions about the proposal, including whether the balloting was valid (since one or two supporters went door to door instead of allowing the mail-in ballot procedure to take its course) and whether the traffic calming was just a way for some residents to avoid having to trim their vegetation.