OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Bloomington Common Council Meeting June 11, 2026: Abatements, AI, and Carless Kirkwood

City Council — Thursday, June 11, 2026
BodyBloomington, Indiana
SessionCity Council
DateThursday, June 11, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
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Transcript — Verbatim
0:00

I'd like to call this meeting of the um common council to order um for June 10th.

0:07

And will the clerk please call the roll?

0:09

Councilmember Flaherty?

0:10

Here.

0:11

Stasberg?

0:12

Here.

0:12

Piedmont Smith.

0:14

Here.

0:15

Zulick?

0:16

Here.

0:16

Sorry.

0:17

Here.

0:17

Daily?

0:18

Here.

0:18

Rallo?

0:19

Here.

0:20

Rough?

0:21

Rosenbarger?

0:22

Here.

0:23

Thank you.

0:24

Thank you so much.

0:25

All right.

0:25

The agendas are posted there.

0:26

There's some uh printed out there.

0:28

We have quite a few items for second reading today.

0:32

Um, and in addition to the many um other things.

0:35

Are there any motions for the agenda?

0:37

I move to amend the agenda to move the reading of ordinance 2026-12 so that it is considered immediately after resolution 2026-10.

0:46

Second.

0:46

There's a motion and a second.

0:48

Um will the clerk please call the roll on that?

0:53

As discussion points, Councilmember Stasberg.

0:57

I guess like I don't necessarily have that huge a concern except that that's an agenda item that a lot of people might have wanted to do public comment on.

1:04

And I guess I'm just concerned that people, especially who might be online might be arriving late, uh, knowing that it's toward the end of the agenda.

1:12

Is that a concern for anybody else?

1:18

I thought it was actually being kind by trying to move it faster so that people could be done with their night sooner who were looking to comment.

1:26

All right.

1:26

I mean, I if that's not a concern for anybody else, then that's okay.

1:31

Any other comments?

1:32

Fantastic.

1:33

Will the clerk please call the roll?

1:38

Councilman Clarity.

1:39

Yes.

1:40

Stasper.

1:41

Yes.

1:41

Piedmont Smith.

1:43

Yes.

1:44

Zulik?

1:45

Yes.

1:45

Sorry?

1:46

Yes.

1:46

Daily?

1:47

Yes.

1:48

Rahlo?

1:49

Yes.

1:50

Ruff?

1:50

Yes.

1:52

Rosenbarger.

1:53

Yes.

1:54

Thank you.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Public Engagement████████████████████20%
Economic Development███████████11%
Technology and Innovation███████████11%
Transportation Safety██████████10%
Procedural████████8%
Cannabis Regulation████████8%
Public Safety███████7%
Public Transportation█████5%
Affordable Housing████4%
Summary of Proceedings

Bloomington Common Council Meeting - June 11, 2026

The Bloomington Common Council held a marathon regular meeting on June 11, 2026, covering the 2025 tax abatement compliance report, a resolution on existential AI risk, a controversial ordinance to make carless Kirkwood seasonal and permanent, and several other items. The meeting included extensive public comment and multiple votes, including a split 5-4 decision on Kirkwood.

Reports and Presentations

  • Tax Abatement Compliance Report and PILOTs: Director Jane Cooper Smith and Assistant Director Andrea Delarosa presented the 2025 Tax Abatement Compliance Report (unanimously approved by the Economic Development Commission on June 2, 2026) and information on active PILOT agreements.
  • Economic impact: New real and personal property investment increased assessed value from $164 million to $203 million. Projects reported 1,938 total jobs and $152 million in salaries. While some projects fell short on job targets, several exceeded wage projections (e.g., Catalant's average full-time wages around $81,000).
  • Affordable housing outcomes: New Urban Station provides 15 affordable units (tenants' average AMI 41.75%, average rent $815/month); Southern Knoll has 31 units at 28% AMI and 94% occupancy; Union at Crescent is a 146-unit mixed-income development with 102 units committed at ≤60% AMI, where property management reverted to the Annex Group in March 2025, $1 million was spent on capital improvements, and staff recommended substantial compliance.
  • Other projects: Retreat at Switchard (64-unit affordable housing, with units reserved for Stone Belt clients), Woolery Mill (historic redevelopment with $4.3 million invested; 60 jobs created), and Catalant/Novo Nordisk (1,867 employees; staff recommended compliance for resolutions 1506/1904 and substantial compliance for 2206 with continued monitoring).
  • Active PILOTs: Evergreen Village (115-unit care facility), Country View (206 affordable apartments, active and compliant), Cambridge Square (153 units; interiors completed, stair repairs ongoing), and Henderson Court (150 units; interiors completed, remaining exterior work).

Council Committee Reports

  • Hiring Committee (Councilmember Zulik): Received five applications for the council attorney position; interviews will occur over the break. Councilmembers Flaherty and Rosenbarger were appointed as alternates to maintain quorum.
  • Fiscal Committee (Councilmember Stasberg): Provided a written summary of the committee's activities, including meetings every two weeks alternating administrative and council-related topics.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • First period: No speakers.
  • Resolution 2026-10 (AI): Jamie Scholl spoke in support, describing her son's experience and urging oversight. Another speaker expressed anti-AI and anti-government sentiments. Paul Rousseau spoke in favor, calling for democratic control and a decentralized collective response from city councils.
  • Ordinance 2026-12 (Carless Kirkwood): More than a dozen speakers commented both for and against. Supporters included Zach Amberman, Ted Pauly, Claire Woods, Joan Middendorf, Alex York, Tessa Donahue, and the Yoder family (via email), who cited safety, community, and third places. Opponents included Hart Martel (34-year merchant), Chris Firmgy (Chamber of Commerce), Chris Durbaum, Carol Canfield, John Santos, Paul Gillard (former Kirkwood restaurant owner), and a business manager, who cited accessibility, loss of parking, business viability, and lack of funding. Hilary Martell expressed nuanced concerns about creating a true pedestrian mall without significant investment. Jamie Scholl read Facebook comments illustrating community concerns about accessibility and business impact.
  • Resolution 2026-09 (Mitigation Plan): No public comment.
  • Ordinance 2026-13 (Utility Loans): No public comment.
  • Resolution 2026-11 (Jack Hopkins): Carol Canfield spoke against funding Planned Parenthood; Joan Middendorf spoke in support of Planned Parenthood.
  • Resolution 2026-12 (Alcohol Permits): Steve Volan, Aubrey Williams (Heartwork Brewing), Galen Cassidy (Uptown Cafe), and Christopher MG (Chamber of Commerce) all supported the resolution with suggestions; Williams asked for a waiver for local producers.
  • Ordinance 2026-14 (Sponsorship): No public comment.
  • Final comment: Jamie Scholl discussed food resilience and the need to strengthen local food systems.

Discussion Items

  • Resolution 2026-10 (Existential Risk of AI): Councilmember Rallo presented extensively, including a video from economist Peter Berizen and remote testimony from Dr. Anthony Geary of the Future of Life Institute. Council discussed the local relevance and the mayor's stance. Passed unanimously.
  • Ordinance 2026-12 (Carless Kirkwood): Sponsors introduced amendment one (removing alleys, changing whereas clauses, setting effective date of April 21, 2027), which passed unanimously. Transportation Commission Chair Steve Volan reported a 5-1 positive recommendation after rejecting staff's negative recommendation. Council debated funding, accessibility, and business impacts. Final passage was 5-4 (Rallo, Rosenbarger, Flaherty, Asari, and Daly voting yes; Ruff, Stasberg, Piedmont Smith, and Zulik voting no).
  • Resolution 2026-09 (Multi-hazard Mitigation Plan): Presented by Jamie Nevil of Monroe County Emergency Management. Councilmembers raised concerns about errors and representation. Passed unanimously.
  • Ordinance 2026-13 (Loans Between Utilities): Adopted after an amendment by Councilmember Stasberg to clarify the code language; both amendment and ordinance passed unanimously.
  • Resolution 2026-11 (Jack Hopkins Social Services): Councilmember Daly presented the committee's recommendation to allocate $499,995.63 to 35 agencies (two agencies denied). Council discussed operational expenses and Planned Parenthood funding. Passed unanimously.
  • Resolution 2026-12 (Alcohol Permit Districts): Councilmember Asari presented; much discussion centered on discretionary criteria, living wage requirements, and the 60% food revenue threshold. After public comment, the council voted to postpone consideration to the July 22, 2026 meeting (unanimous).
  • Ordinance 2026-14 (Councilmember Sponsorship of Legislation): Sponsored by Councilmember Piedmont Smith; discussion addressed transparency and process. Passed on a roll call vote, with Councilmembers Asari and Rosenbarger voting no.

Key Outcomes

  • Approved the 2025 Tax Abatement Compliance Report (unanimous).
  • Adopted Resolution 2026-10 on AI existential risk (unanimous).
  • Adopted Ordinance 2026-12 as amended, codifying seasonal carless Kirkwood (5-4).
  • Adopted Resolution 2026-09 (Multi-hazard Mitigation Plan) (unanimous).
  • Adopted Ordinance 2026-13 as amended (unanimous).
  • Adopted Resolution 2026-11 (Jack Hopkins funding) (unanimous).
  • Postponed Resolution 2026-12 (alcohol permit districts) to July 22, 2026.
  • Adopted Ordinance 2026-14 (council sponsorship requirement) (7-2).
  • No consent calendar, minutes approval, or board appointments occurred.

Meeting Transcript

I'd like to call this meeting of the um common council to order um for June 10th. And will the clerk please call the roll? Councilmember Flaherty? Here. Stasberg? Here. Piedmont Smith. Here. Zulick? Here. Sorry. Here. Daily? Here. Rallo? Here. Rough? Rosenbarger? Here. Thank you. Thank you so much. All right. The agendas are posted there. There's some uh printed out there. We have quite a few items for second reading today. Um, and in addition to the many um other things. Are there any motions for the agenda? I move to amend the agenda to move the reading of ordinance 2026-12 so that it is considered immediately after resolution 2026-10. Second. There's a motion and a second. Um will the clerk please call the roll on that? As discussion points, Councilmember Stasberg. I guess like I don't necessarily have that huge a concern except that that's an agenda item that a lot of people might have wanted to do public comment on. And I guess I'm just concerned that people, especially who might be online might be arriving late, uh, knowing that it's toward the end of the agenda. Is that a concern for anybody else? I thought it was actually being kind by trying to move it faster so that people could be done with their night sooner who were looking to comment. All right. I mean, I if that's not a concern for anybody else, then that's okay. Any other comments? Fantastic. Will the clerk please call the roll? Councilman Clarity. Yes. Stasper. Yes. Piedmont Smith. Yes. Zulik? Yes. Sorry?

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