Bloomington City Council Meeting Summary - October 13, 2025

This meeting, held Monday, October 13, 2025, focused on major project approvals (Community Health and Wellness Center GMP, MnDOT I-494 municipal consent, Heights HIA bonds), several public hearings (parking appeals, assessment rolls, district plan amendments), and budget discussions for 2026. The council operated with five members due to two absences. The agenda and minutes were not available; this summary is based solely on the transcribed proceedings.

Consent Calendar

• Consent agenda items 3.1 through 3.25 (excluding 3.3) were approved unanimously 5-0. Items included routine approvals, contracts, and resolutions.
• Item 3.3 was pulled for individual consideration: a resolution to rename Valley View Tennis Courts to the Marsha Bach Tennis Courts. Councilmember Loman praised Marsha Bach's over 50 years of service to Bloomington tennis. Bach was present and spoke emotionally, thanking staff and family. The resolution passed 5-0.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Item 4.4 public hearing (PMP assessments): Michael Coda, owner of a rental property at 8400 Old Cedar, expressed concern about a new bike path being constructed within 20 feet of his bedroom side, stating he felt "bike path to death" with three trails nearby. He requested screening (bushes or fence). Staff indicated they would work with him on options; the council directed staff to explore screening and design alternatives.
• Residents at council listening session: The Mayor noted one and a half speakers: Elizabeth Cambrone (Newton neighborhood) raised construction communication issues, and Brian Emerson sought information on prior discussions. (Summarized from Mayor's remarks; no direct quotes.)
• No other public speakers appeared at any hearings.

Discussion Items

• Hennepin County Commissioner Update (Item 2.1): Commissioner Debbie Gootell presented county achievements: $3.1 billion annual budget, 1.3 million residents served, 2026 levy of $1.13 billion (7.79% increase). She highlighted affordable housing investments ($19.5M in 2024 capital funds), the Elevate Hennepin program (3,262 entrepreneurs, 41,712 hours, 222 businesses launched), school-based mental health (260 fewer suicide attempts, 6,600 students served), and police-embedded social workers (1,046 referrals from Bloomington PD in 2024). She announced grants to Bloomington, including $10,000 for basketball equipment, $25,000 for Kennedy High School music equipment, and $7,000 for Oak Grove Middle School. She also discussed the tree canopy program (576,000 trees planted since 2020) and the I-494 project. Council members thanked her and asked about Metro Transit and traffic concerns on Penn Avenue.
• Community Health and Wellness Center (Item 5.1): Presenters from HGA, JE Dunn, and others provided a design update (100% design development, LEED Silver target). The project budget is $104.8M, including $3M in bond interest. The guaranteed maximum price (GMP) construction contract with JE Dunn is $82,157,823, plus a 5% city-held contingency of $4,107,891, totaling $86,265,714. Councilmember Nelson questioned the escalation clause; staff and JE Dunn clarified: about 60% of the project is quoted, and savings beyond the GMP revert to the city. Council members requested exploration of traffic mitigation on Newton (e.g., reconfiguring parking lot, wayfinding, bigger trees) and discussed the berm buffer. The GMP resolution was approved 5-0.
• MnDOT I-494 Municipal Consent (Item 4.2): Andrew Lataya from MnDOT presented phase 2 details: work on Highway 100, 35W, and between 35W and 24th Avenue, including bikeways, sidewalks, and bridge replacements. The city's cost share is estimated at approximately $1.6M (including $100k for off-Right-of-Way connections, $750k for signals at France/82nd, and $160k for street lighting/engineering). Construction is staged 2027-2030, maintaining three lanes in each direction where possible. Staff received one public comment on 82nd Street pedestrian facilities. Public hearing closed with no speakers; council approved municipal consent 5-0.
• Third Avenue Parking Appeal (Item 4.3): Due to concerns about event parking at Kennedy Stadium, staff surveyed 26 affected properties; results were close, with a slight preference for restricting parking on the west side (school side). An appeal requested the east side (residential side) instead. Arguments included sidewalks and safety. Public hearing closed with no speakers. Council debated: Councilmember Nelson preferred to honor resident survey, Councilmember MUA supported the appeal for safer traffic flow, and Councilmember D'Alessandro suggested a compromise (time-based). Motions initially failed (east side 2-3, west side 3-2), but after reconsideration, the west side restriction (no parking 24 hours) passed 4-1. The restriction applies between 96th and 98th Streets.
• PMP Assessment Roll (Item 4.4): Staff Bob Hansen and Brian Hansen presented the 2025 pavement management program reconstruction project (8 segments, total cost $8.4M). Assessments are based on adjusted front footage (25% or 50% rates). The roll includes special benefit adjustments for three parcels. Public hearing included Michael Coda's comment. The resolution approving the assessment roll passed 5-0.
• South Loop District Plan Amendment (Item 4.5): Planner Ramler Olson presented an update to the 2012 plan, functioning as an addendum. The planning commission recommended approval 6-0. Changes include committing to study land use intensity (height, FAR) and preserving a future trail connection near Hogback Ponds. Council discussion addressed airport parking (language left vague) and sustainability (incentive-based approach preferred). Public hearing closed with no speakers; resolution approved 5-0.
• Normandale Lake District Plan Amendment (Item 4.6): Staff proposed removing the $5M pedestrian bridge over 84th/Normandale from the plan, replacing it with a $3.5M intersection safety improvement. Councilmember Nelson questioned the necessity given low crash data; staff indicated proactive safety philosophy. Councilmember MUA supported keeping the project to encourage future connectivity. Public hearing closed with no speakers. Two resolutions passed 5-0: adopting the pedestrian safety study findings, and amending the district plan to remove the bridge reference.
• Strategic Plan and Strategic Priorities Fund (Item 5.2): Elizabeth Tolzman and Kari Carlson updated council on the Bloomington Tomorrow Together plan, noting community team sessions and a council retreat. The Strategic Priorities Fund balance is $9.8M; a draft 2026 budget was presented with categories, spending about $3M. Council members discussed the process: Dalessandro wanted faster, direct council decisions; Nelson preferred drawing down the fund for budget programming; Loman supported community engagement; MUA emphasized tax levy stabilization. No action taken; staff will refine and bring back.
• 2026 Budget Discussions (Items 5.3 and 5.4): Tolzman and Economy Scholer presented the Internal Enterprise Services Team and Finance department budgets. No new FTE requested; potential savings estimated at $300k. Topics included revenue opportunities (broadband franchise fee, charitable gambling, cannabis fees), cost savings (consolidating polling places from 31 to 20, accrual caps, reducing subscriptions), and emerging items (cybersecurity, AI, state compliance). The Finance presentation noted stable revenues, 28 FTEs, and a net increase of $160k. Council thanked staff for excellence.

Key Outcomes

• Community Health and Wellness Center GMP approved (5-0) for $86,265,714 with authorization for staff to execute documents.
• MnDOT I-494 municipal consent approved (5-0).
• Third Avenue parking restriction approved (4-1) to be posted on the west side (school side) between 96th and 98th Streets, no parking 24 hours.
• PMP assessment roll approved (5-0).
• South Loop District Plan amendment approved (5-0).
• Normandale Lake District Plan amendment approved (5-0) to remove pedestrian bridge and adopt safety study.
• Heights HIA bond award (5-0) for $959,000 to Huntington Bank at 5.09% interest; final assessment roll adopted.
• Consent calendar approved (5-0) excluding 3.3, which was approved separately (5-0).
• Council directed staff to explore screening and design options for the bike path near 8400 Old Cedar.
• Council will revisit Strategic Priorities Fund structure after further refinement.