A recent change to Indiana’s biennial budget bill could terminate Bloomington’s annexation plans.
The bill’s language voids annexation action on all properties proposed after December 31, 2016 and before July 1, 2017.
Bloomington Director of Communications Mary Catherine Carmichael says the bill’s narrow framing targets Bloomington.
“I think this is a very clear case of the legislature overreaching,” Carmichael says.
She says the bill will bring a premature end to the city’s proposed annexation and many planned meetings with county groups will fall to the wayside.
“We were only allowed to get halfway through the process. So we weren’t done talking, we had a lot more talking we wanted to do,” Carmichael says.
Mayor John Hamilton said during this week’s “Ask The Mayor” he’d be surprised if the annexation boundaries didn’t change more during the public review period.
The next public hearing is scheduled for May 31st at Bloomington High School South. Boundaries were scheduled to be set end of June.
Legislators plan on discussing the bill within the next 24 hours.
