Bloomington City Council Special Session and Committee of the Whole on 2027 Budget – September 24, 2026

The Bloomington City Council met on September 24, 2026, in a special session to introduce five 2027 budget-related ordinances and then immediately convened as a Committee of the Whole to review them. No agenda or minutes were supplied; this summary is based on the raw transcript. The committee segment of the transcript says 'Today is Wednesday, September 23rd,' which conflicts with the supplied meeting date of September 24; the date used here follows the supplied timestamp. Committee of the Whole votes are non-binding do-pass recommendations to a future council meeting.

Special Session Proceedings

• The special session opened at 6:30 p.m. with roll call.
• Councilmember Rosenbarger announced she will be absent for medical reasons until November and may attend remotely on October 5.
• Councilmember Stasberg announced a Park Board special meeting on Monday, September 28, at 5:30 p.m. at Switchyard Park to review long-range capital investment priorities, including pool repairs and the ice rink.
• By voice vote, with no audible opposition, the council introduced and referred to the Committee of the Whole:
  • Appropriation Ordinance 2026-02, establishing the 2027 civil city budget and tax rates.
  • Appropriation Ordinance 2026-03, setting the Bloomington Transit Corporation 2027 budget and tax rates.
  • Ordinance 2026-25, fixing 2027 police and fire sworn personnel salaries.
  • Ordinance 2026-26, fixing 2027 salaries for appointed officers, non-union employees, and AFSCME employees.
  • Ordinance 2026-28, fixing 2027 salaries for Bloomington City Clerk employees.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Kevin Keel spoke during the civil city budget hearing. He said he tried to trace the public safety local income tax fund and the PSAP/911 dispatch fund, citing a $2.481 million historical net cash calculation, a $1 million transfer to the new PSAP fund in 2025, a $1.481 million transfer in April 2026, an estimated $3.2 million in city PSAP funds held by the Monroe County auditor, and the unavailability of audited 2025 financials. He urged the city to present a clearer financial story for taxpayers: what the city has, what it owes, what it is trying to accomplish, what it will cost, and how success will be measured.
• Eric Oost echoed Keel's request. He said the city's financial transparency portal publishes expenditures in split-warrant form without fractional accounting by fund, making it nearly impossible to track fund balances. He asked for more information in the portal and encouraged council members to independently verify budget information.
• No public comment was offered on the transit, public safety salary, general salary, or clerk salary ordinances. Public comments were heard during the civil city budget hearing.

Discussion Items

Bloomington Transit 2027 Budget (Appropriation Ordinance 2026-03)

• Krista Browning, BT controller, presented the proposed budget with a total of $37,589,658: $9.6 million personnel, $1.5 million materials and supplies, $3.9 million professional services, and $22.5 million capital.
• Revenue projections included $1.8 million property tax revenue, $627,000 local income tax, $3.8 million ED LIT partnership funds, $2.5 million passenger fares, about $100,000 advertising, $17.8 million federal funds, and $2.6 million from the state Public Mass Transportation Fund.
• BT reported a 2% union CBA wage increase, up to 3% for staff and administration, a 27.5% health insurance increase, a $177,000 decrease in diesel fuel costs, a $325,000 increase in electricity costs, and a $477,000 net increase in professional services. The fleet is about 45% electric with 18 full-time electric buses.
• Councilmembers asked about the final year of the ED LIT agreement, long-term stability, health insurance pooling, fare increases, and administrative salary changes. Several answers were deferred to written follow-up.
• Councilmember Rallo expressed concern that BT is exposed to fuel price variability because Indiana University no longer locks in diesel prices; BT budgeted diesel at $4.50 per gallon and unleaded at $3.50, while current diesel was about $6.50. Rallo said the city should return to locked-in pricing for fiscal stability. BT said it would likely cover fuel spikes from reserves, which were about $16 million at the end of August.
• The committee's do-pass recommendation passed 7-0.

Civil City Budget (Appropriation Ordinance 2026-02)

• Controller McKim presented the state-required budget forms and said the last line of Form 4B is the best proxy for fund reserves.
• The city budgeted a 9% health and life insurance increase to absorb the employees' share; the actual increase was 5.8%. HR Director Paycheck said the AIM trust has helped keep premium increases low and that the administration did not want to offset recent pay increases with higher employee health care costs.
• Public Works Director Adam Wyson said the $2.5 million parking meter fund capital item is a placeholder for replacing aging garages, meters, and technology, with decisions still to go through the Transportation Commission. There was also discussion of a $600,000 ERP/budgeting software estimate.
• Councilmember Stasberg raised concerns about spending two-thirds of the housing development fund in one year, saying large projects funded from it deserve more transparency; she also questioned the $2.5 million parking technology placeholder and the large drawdown of the parking meter fund from an estimated $4.5 million balance to under $800,000. She supported reducing the sanitation fund subsidy.
• Councilmember Asari said he would propose roughly $7 million in cuts, including $3-4 million from the general fund, targeting the parking placeholder, the $600,000 ERP software, the $3 million housing development fund allocation, unfocused studies, one of three park guides, non-required travel, some vacant positions, and possibly reducing the non-union COLA from 2.7% to 2%.
• Councilmember Piedmont Smith said she would cut the vacant transportation demand manager position and the vacant director of community engagement position, possibly repurposing the TDM position to a food systems/climate action staff role, and cut $10,000 for brand implementation.
• Councilmember Zulik said she would have preferred a more equitable pay increase policy that did not widen the gap between higher- and lower-paid employees.
• The committee's do-pass recommendation failed: 0 yes, 5 no, and 2 abstentions.

Police and Fire Salary Ordinance (Ordinance 2026-25)

• HR Director Paycheck said the ordinance reflects previously approved union contracts and 2027 budget decisions, with title and language updates. Councilmembers asked about non-contract pay tracking with CBAs, a training footnote, a clothing allotment, and position counts; Paycheck agreed to follow up in writing.
• No public comment was offered.
• The do-pass recommendation passed 7-0.

Appointed Officers, Non-Union, and AFSCME Salary Ordinance (Ordinance 2026-26)

• Paycheck presented the ordinance, including a 3% COLA for AFSCME, 2.7% for non-union employees, and an updated living wage.
• Councilmember Piedmont Smith voted no because she wants to cut at least one position in the ordinance.
• The do-pass recommendation passed 6-1.

Clerk Salary Ordinance (Ordinance 2026-28)

• Clerk Nicole Bolden presented the ordinance, noting only longevity increases for two staff members and no position or title changes.
• Councilmembers discussed the structure of the clerk's office and thanked clerk staff for assisting the council office after the council lost its legal team. Clerk Bolden thanked her staff by name.
• The do-pass recommendation passed 7-0.

Key Outcomes

• All five ordinances were introduced and referred to the Committee of the Whole by voice vote.
• The committee recommended do-pass for the Bloomington Transit budget (7-0), the police/fire salary ordinance (7-0), the general salary ordinance (6-1), and the clerk salary ordinance (7-0).
• The committee did not recommend do-pass for the 2027 civil city budget (0 yes, 5 no, 2 abstentions), with councilmembers signaling that substantial amendments are coming.
• A council work session was scheduled for Wednesday, September 30, at 6:30 p.m. at McCloskey to discuss amendments and budget questions.
• Budget adoption is expected to be considered at a council meeting on or after October 7, 2026.