Bloomington City Council Meeting – October 12, 2026

Mayor Tim Bussey convened the regular Bloomington, Minnesota, City Council meeting on Monday, October 12, 2026, in the Council Chambers with online viewing. The council approved the agenda 7-0 and then moved through ceremonial items, a 12-item consent agenda, public hearings on assessments and parking requirements, a continued rezoning and townhome proposal, and an informational budget discussion for the city's internal enterprise service departments.

Ceremonial and Recognition Items

• Mayor Bussey proclaimed October 2026 as National Chiropractic Health Month in Bloomington, recognizing Northwestern Health Sciences University and musculoskeletal health care. Student Elise and Dr. Bo Foshi of the Minnesota Chiropractic Association accepted the proclamation and thanked the city.
• Communications staff introduced Trisha O'Brien, the city's new part-time communication specialist. O'Brien has more than 10 years of communications experience and a master's degree in journalism from the University of Southern California.
• The city presented its 2026 communications awards. Bloomington won five Minnesota Association of Government Communicators Northern Lights awards: first place for the Annual Report and for the Public Works/Police Open House promotional video; second place for Bloomington Today and the We Mean Business series; and third place for The Briefing. Nationally, the Bloomington Police Department's Instagram reel, 'Valentine's Day Special,' won a first-place 3CMA Savvy Award and was nominated for a Diamond Award. The reel generated more than 6.3 million Instagram views, reaching 4.7 million accounts, 98% of them non-followers.

Consent Calendar

• Councilmember Robertson presented the consent agenda. Items 3.1 through 3.3 and 3.5 through 3.11 were approved 7-0.
• Item 3.4 was approved 6-0, with Councilmember Loman abstaining.
• Item 3.12, the Axon Enterprise agreement expansion, was discussed in detail. Police Chief Hodges said it would add drone-as-first-responder capability, translation tools, and dispatch technology. He said the program is not spyware, that Axon data is audited and tracked, and that misuse is subject to discipline up to termination. Councilmember Carter moved to approve the agreement through the State of Minnesota NASPO cooperative procurement contract No. 247327. City Manager Zach Walker said the new spending had been programmed into the budget. The motion carried 7-0.

Public Comments & Testimony

• At the council listening session held in connection with the meeting, seven community members addressed the council. Lee and Sue Lang Sheridan voiced concerns about tobacco industry efforts to weaken local regulations as federal oversight declines, and urged Bloomington to remain a public health leader. Matthew Hallett spoke about the budget, climate resiliency, and recent city issues. Paul Coate discussed gun violence. Greg Kyle raised concerns about neighbor code compliance and said the city was not doing enough. Ali Jarvis urged consideration of preemptive animal protection ordinances, including limits on the sale of animals and animal shows such as circuses. Kathy Jones spoke about R1-to-R3 zoning changes and townhomes. Jamie Anthony asked questions about Axon technology, which City Manager Walker answered.
• The public hearings on the 2026 pavement assessment roll and the off-street parking ordinance drew no speakers in chambers or online.

Discussion Items and Public Hearings

2026 Pavement Management Program Assessment Roll (Item 4.1)

• Staff presented the assessment roll for the 2026 P.M.P. street reconstruction project. The total project cost was just over $8.6 million across 13 street segments, with 170 parcels assessed. Single-, two-, and three-family properties are assessed at a 25% rate; other property types are assessed at 50%. Final assessment notices were mailed in September. Property owners may prepay without interest until November 24, 2026, with a $100 minimum. Remaining balances will be rolled onto property taxes, beginning with May 2027 statements, at 5.5% interest over 10 years. Hardship deferral and appeal options were also described.
• Councilmember Robertson moved to adopt Assessment Roll 2026-1. The motion carried 7-0.

James Avenue City Homes (Item 4.2)

• This item was a continuation of a public hearing closed at the September 14, 2026 council meeting. The requests were to rezone 9025 and 9033 James Avenue South from R1 to R3, approve final site and building plans for nine detached townhomes, and approve a Type III preliminary/final plat creating nine townhome lots and one outlot. Staff and the Planning Commission recommended approval. A construction management plan condition was added after earlier neighborhood concerns. Following prior discussion, a 40-foot maximum building height condition was proposed; the applicant agreed on the record to the 40-foot limit. The applicant also did not object to adding approximately 12 trees.
• Councilmembers expressed a range of views. Supporters noted that the area had been guided toward medium-density housing since 1981 and that the project would expand homeownership opportunities, including smaller single-family homes. Councilmembers Dalessandro and Carter opposed, citing uncertainty about whether the two extra lots compared to R1 development would actually result in homes being built, and Carter also objected to what she called piecemeal R3 zoning in the middle of an R1 neighborhood.
• Votes: the rezoning ordinance was adopted 5-2, with Councilmembers Dalessandro and Carter opposed; summary publication was approved 7-0; the final site and building plans were approved 5-2; and the preliminary/final plat was approved 5-2, with the same two councilmembers opposed.

Off-Street Parking Requirements Ordinance (Item 4.3)

• Staff presented amendments to Chapters 12 and 21 of the City Code to right-size off-street parking requirements. The proposal included reductions of about 10-30% for many uses, 50% reductions for some uses, a 10% by-right reduction in designated development districts, a cap of two parking flexibility requests per site, an increase in the number of vehicles allowed to park outside garages at single- and two-family residences, and several clarifications.
• The Sustainability Commission submitted a letter of support, and the Planning Commission recommended approval 4-1. Council discussion focused on enforcement, commercial vehicles, the 24-hour street parking rule, consistency with alternative transportation goals, and Councilmember Rivas's concern that some commercial areas already have difficult parking conditions. Staff noted that larger reductions target industrial uses and that general retail reductions are more modest.
• The council adopted the ordinance 7-0 and authorized summary publication 7-0.

Internal Enterprise Services Budget (Item 5.1)

• The council extended the meeting to no later than 9:30 p.m. and received the budget presentations as an informational item only; no vote was taken.
• Deputy City Manager Elizabeth Tolsman presented an overview of the Internal Enterprise Service Team. The proposed 2027 net budget was reduced by nearly $197,000 while maintaining services. She also highlighted state and federal advocacy results, including $4 million in state funding for the North Sanitary Sewer Project and $1.69 million in federal infrastructure funding.
• City Clerk Jamie Hanson reported that the 2027 clerk's office budget decreases by about $307,000, or 20.42%, primarily due to lower election judge costs in a non-statewide-election year. The 2027 request has a negative net impact of $36,319. The 2028 conceptual budget rises due to the 2028 election, but remains below the 2026 level. Accomplishments included a record-setting 33% primary voter turnout. Plans include consolidating election precincts from 30 to 20 and moving to flat-rate cemetery pricing.
• Communications Director Janine Hill said the newly aligned Communications and Engagement Department's 2027 net budget decreases by $66,441, or 4.15%. Operating reductions totaled about $156,590 after offsets. The department reported 4.9 million media impressions in 2026, worth $368,000 in publicity, and the Hatch program has generated $11.7 million in earned media since its launch. A website redesign is being delayed until 2029 to reduce costs.
• Finance staff reported a 2027 net budget impact of approximately $1.7 million, an increase of 7.7%, with a 2028 conceptual increase of 6.2%. Line-by-line cuts totaled $36,000, but unavoidable cost increases left a net reduction of about $2,500. Finance also assisted in bringing the preliminary 2026 levy to 6.64% in September and is planning to replace the utility billing system before its platform reaches end of life in 2029.
• City Attorney Melissa Vanderscheid reported a 2027 legal budget request of about $3 million, up 5.24%. The city attorney salary allocation changed from 50% city/50% Port Authority-HRA to 70% city/30% Port Authority-HRA. Legal reduced operating costs by about $43,333 after offsets. Accomplishments included trying three criminal jury trials to verdict, a 150% increase over 2025, prosecuting about 5,000 cases annually, generating more than $400,000 in fine revenue, and recovering unpaid wages on city-funded projects.
• IT Director Cheney said the IT budget for 2027 increases expenditures by 3.4% and revenues by 3.7%, lowering the net budget impact by $19,000. The 2028 conceptual budget includes a planned use of about $1 million in fund balance. IT implemented a new firewall, migrated to a cloud-based phone system, and is managing a 30% increase in data requests.
• Councilmember Loman asked whether expenditure growth is being driven by prior compensation policy decisions; no immediate answer was required. City Manager Walker said external services departments would present the following Monday.

Key Outcomes

• Agenda approved 7-0.
• Consent agenda items approved, including the Axon Enterprise agreement expansion, which passed 7-0.
• The 2026 P.M.P. Assessment Roll 2026-1 was adopted 7-0.
• The James Avenue City Homes rezoning, final site and building plans, and preliminary/final plat were approved 5-2 on each land-use action; summary publication was approved 7-0.
• The off-street parking requirements ordinance was adopted 7-0, and summary publication was approved 7-0.
• The budget discussion was informational only; no budget vote was taken.
• Council directed staff to look into potential humane pet store and wild animal-free circus ordinances, agreed to a future study session on parking sign policy, and noted the Comprehensive Plan update as the appropriate forum for broader R3 zoning policy discussion.
• The meeting adjourned 7-0.