OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Bloomington Common Council Regular Session - January 15, 2026

City Council — Thursday, January 15, 2026
BodyBloomington, Indiana
SessionCity Council
DateThursday, January 15, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:54:58

Transcript — Verbatim
0:00

January 14th, 2026 regular session of the Bloomington Common Council to order.

0:06

Will the clerk please read the roll?

0:08

Yes, Councilmember Clarity.

0:10

Stasburg?

0:11

Here.

0:12

Piedmont Smith.

0:13

Zulik.

0:14

Here.

0:14

Asari.

0:15

Here.

0:16

Daily?

0:16

Here.

0:17

Rallo?

0:18

Here.

0:18

Ruff?

0:19

Here.

0:21

Thank you.

0:22

Excellent.

0:23

This evening's agenda is posted on the doors also online.

0:28

But it includes one resolution resolution regarding 2026 community development block grant funding, three ordinances, including a salary ordinance and two amendments of the UDO.

0:40

There's no legislation for first reading.

0:42

And there will be two opportunities for public comment.

0:46

At this time, I'd like to move for the approval of our minutes.

0:52

Are there any corrections to the minutes?

0:55

Hearing none, is there a motion to approve?

0:59

So moved.

1:00

Is there a second?

1:01

Second.

1:02

All right.

1:03

Do we don't have anybody attending online?

1:05

Can we approve the minutes by voice vote?

1:07

Yes, but before you do so, I didn't catch who the second was.

1:12

Councilmember Daly.

1:14

Okay.

1:15

And the first was there by Councilmember Zulik.

1:19

Okay.

1:19

All right.

1:20

I have a motion and a second to approve the minutes from September 3rd, September 17th, and September 24th.

1:27

All those in favor say aye.

1:29

Aye.

1:29

Any opposed?

1:31

That motion carries.

1:33

Thank you very much.

1:34

Moving on to reports.

1:36

And we'll start with reports from council and council members.

1:43

Does anybody have a report?

1:47

All right.

1:48

Councilmember Pete Montsmith.

1:51

Yeah, two things this evening.

1:52

First of all, I'd like to note the passing of Lee Williams, the founder of the Lotus World Music and Arts Festival.

2:00

Lee was a huge figure in the art scene since uh the early 90s.

2:06

He served as he was one of the co-founders of Lotus, and he served as its director from 1995 till 2014, and as its artistic director uh through 2017.

2:19

And he uh was really, I mean, Lotus has been such uh a boon to the community, to those of us who live here, and also um to many uh people who come from all over the Midwest um and the country to enjoy the international musical acts that um participate in Lotus, and it's uh it's thanks to his um visionary leadership that that is possible and his um legacy will live on uh as Lotus Festival continues.

2:54

Um the second thing I wanted to mention is that uh on Monday is Martin Luther King Jr.

3:00

Day.

3:00

Um and as usual, the city of Bloomington is uh going to have a celebration of Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday with um uh guest speaker, Dr.

3:13

Tracy Parker of uh UC Davis, who is going to speak on the theme of soul, spirit, and sacrifice, honoring the legacy of Coretta Scott King and the women who faced America to save the nation or the United States.

3:28

Um the presentation of the Martin Luther King Jr.

3:31

Legacy Award will also take place.

3:34

Um that uh celebration will start earlier than usual at 5:30 on Monday evening at the Buskirk Chumley Theater so that we can be finished in time to watch the uh college football championship at 7:30.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Affordable Housing███████████████████████████27%
Zoning Regulations██████████████████18%
Procedural█████████████13%
Public Engagement████████████12%
Community Engagement████████████12%
Arts And Culture████4%
Fiscal Sustainability████4%
Miscellaneous███3%
Public Records██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Bloomington Common Council Regular Session - January 15, 2026

The Bloomington Common Council held its regular session on January 15, 2026, addressing a resolution on community development block grant (CDBG) funding, three ordinances (salary, two UDO amendments), and multiple public comments. All votes taken were unanimous (8-0). The meeting also included reports, committee appointments, and discussions on affordable housing incentives and transparency.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved minutes from September 3, September 17, and September 24, 2025, by voice vote.
  • Appointed Catherine Tiamoa, Cameron Greer, and Eddie Rue to the Jack Hopkins Social Service Grants citizen committee.
  • Adjusted committee chair appointments: Councilmember Piedmont Smith to chair the Budget Committee; Councilmember Stasberg to chair the Special Processes Committee.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Kevin Keo (lifelong resident, IT auditor) expressed concern about delayed release of the city's FY2024 annual comprehensive financial report (due Sept 30, 2025, still not public) and about reliance on Placer.ai data for policy decisions without reproducible records. He urged transparency and record preservation.
  • Terry Amsler (former CAC member) spoke during the CDBG hearing, noting the erosion of funding levels and the need for improved public engagement and participation in city processes.
  • Christopher MG (Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce) commented on Ordinance 2026-01, supporting the mayor's proposed amendment regarding deed restrictions for owner-occupied affordable housing, emphasizing flexibility and reducing complexity in development.
  • Steve Volan (via online) memorialized Lee Williams, co-founder of the Lotus World Music and Arts Festival, during the second public comment period.

Discussion Items

  • Resolution 2026-02 – CDBG Funding 2026
    • Anna Killian Hansen (Director of Housing and Neighborhood Development) presented the $778,293 estimated allocation breakdown: 20% administration ($155,658.60), 15% social services ($116,743.95), 65% physical improvements ($505,890.45).
    • Physical improvement projects included: Boys & Girls Club (gym/security, $127,580), Life Designs (group home flooring, $19,420), Middleway House (fire panel, $11,334), Reverend Butler (playground/courtyard, allocated but not specified), My Sister's Closet (renovations, $144,556.45).
    • Social service projects included: Community Kitchen ($25,000), Beacon Inc. ($20,000), Hoosier Hills Food Bank ($20,000), Boys & Girls Club ($18,000), New Hope for Families ($18,000), Middleway House ($15,744).
    • Contingency language for over/under funding was detailed. Council members discussed declining federal CDBG funding (from ~$20B in 1980s to $3.3B now) and the need to supplement with local resources like Jack Hopkins funds.
  • Ordinance 2026-03 – Salary Ordinance Amendments
    • Dr. Pitchak presented amendments aligning with the newly negotiated AFsME agreement (passed 8-2 in December). Changes include administrative cleanup, grade designation updates, enhanced step progression for faster pay increases, increased premiums/allowances (on-call pay, tool/clothing allowances, shift premiums), CDL incentives, and a new relocation incentive for hard-to-fill positions. A cap at step 3 for Grade 14 department heads was included.
  • Ordinance 2026-02 – UDO Amendment (Response to Resolution 2025-17)
    • Jackie Scanlon (Assistant Director of Planning & Transportation) presented three changes: (1) Reduce AMI eligibility for tier one to 90% and tier two to 70% (with whole percentages), (2) Revise PUD qualifying standards to match tier one affordability requirements, (3) Eliminate the definition of “workforce housing” as unused. Plan Commission voted positively on November 10, 2025.
  • Ordinance 2026-01 – UDO Amendment (Response to Resolution 2025-12)
    • Jackie Scanlon presented changes to affordable housing incentives: (1) Increase maximum impervious surface coverage to 80% for single-family detached and duplex lots in R1-R4 districts (owner-occupancy projects), (2) For tier-two projects, allow a 10% increase in impervious surface and a 10% decrease in landscape area, (3) Increase payment-in-lieu amounts from $30,000 to $50,000 per unit (with $5,000 extra per bedroom over 3 for 4-5 bedroom units) and raise the eligible unit calculation from 20% to 30% of total dwelling units.
    • Mayor Thompson proposed a later amendment to address deed restriction issues for owner-occupied units, which would require flexibility to avoid mortgage lending problems. The proposal was not yet drafted. Council agreed to postpone the ordinance for further review.

Key Outcomes

  • Resolution 2026-02 adopted (8-0).
  • Ordinance 2026-03 adopted (8-0).
  • Ordinance 2026-02 adopted (8-0).
  • Ordinance 2026-01 postponed to February 4, 2026, following a motion by Councilmember Rallo (8-0), to allow time for review of the mayor's proposed amendment and legal questions.
  • All votes on substantive legislation were unanimous (8-0).

Meeting Transcript

January 14th, 2026 regular session of the Bloomington Common Council to order. Will the clerk please read the roll? Yes, Councilmember Clarity. Stasburg? Here. Piedmont Smith. Zulik. Here. Asari. Here. Daily? Here. Rallo? Here. Ruff? Here. Thank you. Excellent. This evening's agenda is posted on the doors also online. But it includes one resolution resolution regarding 2026 community development block grant funding, three ordinances, including a salary ordinance and two amendments of the UDO. There's no legislation for first reading. And there will be two opportunities for public comment. At this time, I'd like to move for the approval of our minutes. Are there any corrections to the minutes? Hearing none, is there a motion to approve? So moved. Is there a second? Second. All right. Do we don't have anybody attending online? Can we approve the minutes by voice vote? Yes, but before you do so, I didn't catch who the second was. Councilmember Daly. Okay. And the first was there by Councilmember Zulik. Okay. All right. I have a motion and a second to approve the minutes from September 3rd, September 17th, and September 24th. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed? That motion carries. Thank you very much. Moving on to reports. And we'll start with reports from council and council members. Does anybody have a report? All right. Councilmember Pete Montsmith. Yeah, two things this evening. First of all, I'd like to note the passing of Lee Williams, the founder of the Lotus World Music and Arts Festival.

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