The Bloomington Common Council held its annual organizational meeting on January 8, 2026 (the meeting was called to order at 6:30 PM on January 7, 2026 per the transcript). The agenda included election of officers, committee assignments, appointments to boards and commissions, first readings of three ordinances, and adoption of a resolution updating the Jack Hopkins Social Services Funding Committee. The meeting began with a tribute to the late Perry Township Trustee Dan Combs, who served for nearly 40 years.
First Readings of Ordinances: Three ordinances were introduced by title and synopsis only:
All three ordinances were approved for first reading by voice vote and will proceed to second reading.
Resolution 2026-01 (Jack Hopkins Social Services Funding Committee): Sponsored by Councilmember Stasberg. This resolution consolidates scattered documentation about the committee's membership and funding conditions into one resolution. It changes the appointment of resident members from sole chair responsibility to council-wide approval, to better handle conflict-of-interest paperwork. It also clarifies term dates. Councilmember Daly, the incoming chair, expressed support and noted she would bring appointment recommendations to the full council next week. After discussion, the resolution passed unanimously (9-0 on roll call).
The meeting was adjourned.
Seeing that we have a quorum and it's 6 30. I'm gonna go ahead and call to order this uh session of the Bloomington Common Council here on January 7th. Will the clerk please call the roll? Councilmember Flaherty. Heref Rahlow? Here. Piedmont Smith. Here. Stasberg? Here. Daley. Here. Zulick? Here. Rosenberger? Here. Asari? Here. Thank you. Thank you so much. Before I do the agenda summation, I would like to start by paying tribute to longtime Perry Township trustee Dan Combs, who passed away this week. He first took office in 1986, so he served uh the Perry Township for almost 40 years, which I think is pretty amazing. Umseeing the operations and administering aid uh from the township to thousands of residents. So if you could uh join me in a moment of silence in his uh memory, that would be great. Thank you. Thank you so much. Condolences go out to his uh friends and family. Um this evening we have just a few things on our agenda. It is our organizational meeting, um, so we will be uh doing a whole bunch of um elections and assignments and appointments and things. Uh but we'll start off with kind of the normal reports uh first from council members. Uh we don't have a report from the mayor and city offices. We don't have a report from council committees, uh, so then we will go straight to reports from the public. That will be the first opportunity for the public to comment on items not on our agenda. Uh after reports are done, we will have election of officers every year at the organizational meeting. The president, vice president, and parliamentarian uh potentially swap around, and so we will do that. Um after that uh council members might switch up seats according to the newly elected president's uh assignments. Um then we'll have assignments to council committees if the uh new president is prepared to do so, and then appointments to various boards and commissions that council members uh belong on. After that, we do have some legislation for first reading this evening. We have ordinance 202601 amending title 20, the unified development ordinance with regard to affordable housing incentives and payment and lie provisions. Then we will have ordinance 202602 also amending Title 20, the Unified Development Ordinance with regard to qualifying standards for uh PUD subsections, and that also should uh change um AMI numbers as well, I believe. Uh, and then ordinance 202603 to uh amend ordinance 2025 40, which fix the salaries of appointed officers, non-union and afsme employees. Uh there are changes to the AFSME uh employee salaries based on uh new negotiations that uh completed late last year. And then we do have one resolution tonight that we will actually discuss resolution 202601 update updating membership requirements and program funding for the Jack Hopkins Social Service Funding Committee of the Council. After that, we will have additional public comment if uh there are members of the public who want to speak to items not on the agenda this evening. Um we will have any notes on council schedule and then we will adjourn. So going back to the beginning, starting with councilmember uh reports. Um I'll go ahead and start down here on my right tonight with Councilmember Flaherty. Uh I just want to say a thank you to council leadership that is outgoing. Um Councilmember Sasberg, Pete Montsmith, and Daly, uh, thank you for your service in those roles this past year. I think you did a great job.