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true

Officials: Monroe County Food And Beverage Tax Is Working

By Mitch Legan

Posted October 30, 2019

A preferred siteplan of the Monroe Convention Center expansion

(City of Bloomington)

The Monroe County Commissioners, County Council, Bloomington City Council and Bloomington mayor all convened at the Monroe County Courthouse Tuesday night for a second joint session regarding the expansion of the Monroe Convention Center.

The project has stalled multiple times because city and county officials have struggled to work together.

Finances dominated discussion at the session’s beginning, as many officials had previously unanswered questions about funding.

Officials assured those gathered that the city’s food and beverage tax should be more than enough to cover a 30,000 square foot net expansion of the Convention Center. The expansion would cost roughly $44 million.

“It’s the modest plan,” says Susan Sandberg, at-large representative for the Bloomington City Council. “It’s not the Cadillac plan and it’s not the bargain basement plan. It’s one that hits the middle ground.”

Bloomington currently brings in about $3 million a year through the tax, and has already collected about $4 million over the last 18 months. By Summer 2020, those reserves could reach $6 million.

“I think the financial plan is a good one,” says Monroe County Councilman Eric Spoonmore. “It seems pretty airtight to me.”

The money is also there for the construction of a new parking garage, but only through tax increment financing.

After the funds were confirmed, discussion shifted to the project’s next steps.

Some officials wanted to move forward with a plan recommendation, while others wanted to take more time to gather details before voting on a plan.

“I don’t think anyone’s opposed to the Convention Center,” says Bloomington District VI Representative Stephen Volan. “It’s more a matter of the details – how we’re gonna run it, who’s gonna run it, who has say over it, who will own it – these are important questions.”

Officials ended up going around the room and giving their opinions on three topics: retaining the steering committee to help advise future deliberation, whether or not they supported expansion plan 1B, and the creation of a capital improvement board for the project.

They also agreed to hold one more meeting where the final details of the project can hopefully be ironed out.  

“We want this project to move forward as quickly as possible,” Sandberg says. “I think there’s one more meeting on the table; I wish that were not the case – but it is – and however many meetings it takes to get this logjam unjammed, I’m happy to support.”

That meeting is tentatively set for Thursday, Nov. 21.

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