Bloomington City Council passed $11.6 million in general obligation bonds Wednesday but delayed final action on the proposed Monroe County local income tax (LIT) hike until April 27.
Earlier this month, Mayor John Hamilton proposed a 64 percent increase to the current LIT rate of 1.345 percent. If successful, this increase would bump the LIT to 2.2 percent and generate $18 million in annual revenue for the city.
After nearly four and a half hours, council voted 8-1 to postpone the decision until next Wednesday. Councilmember Steve Volan voted against the motion.
“I’m generally supportive of postponement, but I think I’d like to hear what my colleague think about what they’ve heard tonight,” Volan said. “There are some important ideas to exchange among us.”
Councilmember Matt Flaherty said he would depart for the evening if the motion to postpone failed.
“I don’t think at 10:51 [p.m.] or past 11 o’clock at night, we’re well served by council member debate,” he said.
Council directed most of its questions earlier in the meeting toward the proposed Bloomington Transit (BT) East-West express route, which would cost $2.1 million each year.
“It’s a bold project, and that’s why its pricey,” BT general manager John Connell said.
Screenshot of the proposed Bloomington Transit East-West express route. (Courtesy: City of Bloomington)
Councilmembers expressed concern over whether the route could be extended to Ivy Tech and Cook Medical despite both properties not being in city limits.
“The actual pattern or route is conceptual at this point, that would have to be vetted out through the public process,” Connell said. “Obviously, we want that route to serve areas where people want to go.”
Connell said BT would attract ”choice riders” if it has more frequent routes. Such riders are residents who have other means of transportation and do not currently rely on BT to get around town.
General Obligation Bonds
Council passed two, $5.8 million general obligation bonds Wednesday. These bonds are part of Hamilton’s new revenue proposal, whereas the LIT increase is another portion.
Councilmembers Flaherty and Isabel Piedmont-Smith offered an amendment which narrowed the list of projects to ensure the projects meet the council’s goals.
“It’s not that the items that are cut from this list are unworthy projects or not important, they are,” Flaherty said. “I think there are other good funding mechanism to pursue those things.”
Councilmember Matt Flaherty is an at-large representative for the City of Bloomington Common Council. He was first elected in 2019. (Courtesy: City of Bloomington)
The original list was valued over $5 million and included backup projects in case a top project fell through. With less projects on the amended list, it’s possible the city has leftover bond money. In this case, it will go back to council for reappropriation.
The public works bond now prioritizes only four projects:
$2.5-$5 million for a multiuse path on High Street from Arden Drive to Third Street
$1.5-$2 million to convert all streetlights to LED lights
$500,000-$1 million for construction of downtown ADA-compliant curb ramps
$300,000-$1 million for sidewalk improvement projects
Most of the discussion centered on the High Street multiuse path.
One member of the public spoke against the project, and said High Street already has sidewalks. Councilmember Piedmont-Smith grew up on the road and pushed back by saying the sidewalks are old and unsafe.
“The traffic on High Street goes very fast and the sidewalk is right next to the street,” she said. “Bicycling on High Street is certainly something, even in my day, that we didn’t do because it is quite dangerous.”
Council voted 5-4 to narrow the list, and then passed the amended bond 8-1. Councilmember Dave Rollo voted against but said he is generally supportive of side paths throughout town.
“This one I’m a bit troubled by, simply because I think that by approving this ordinance, we circumvent further input from council,” Rollo said.
Flaherty and Piedmont-Smith also offered an amendment to the park’s department general obligation bond. This amendment narrows the previous list to five projects:
$200,000 to replace a segment of missing sidewalk on South Rogers Street by Switchyard Park
$1.5 million for protected bike lanes on West Second Street from Walker Street to the B-Line trail
$800,000-$960,000 to design a multiuse path on North Dunn Street from the S.R. 45/46 bypass to Old S.R. 37
$2.4-$2.9 million for protected bike lanes on Covenanter Drive from College Mall Road to Clarizz Boulevard
$375,000 for Griffy Loop Trail dam crossing
The parks board will hold a public hearing and take final action on its bond April 26.
Each bond will increase the property tax rates by $0.033, meaning property owners who have a net assessed value of $50,000 will pay an extra $16 for each package, or $33 total.
