Council president Hopi Stosberg addresses public after UDO resolutions fail to be presented.
(Courtesy, Zoom)
The Bloomington City Council halted development changes before they could begin Wednesday night.
Two resolutions were blocked in tie votes involving special discussion rules.
The resolution presented changes to the city’s Unified Development Ordinance (UDO). If those resolutions had passed, they would have been presented to the city’s Plan Commission for further debate.
The resolutions would have addressed several aspects of housing development, including loosening restrictions on duplexes, triplexes, and fourplexes; adjusting sustainability requirements and incentives; revising parking lot requirements; amending affordable housing incentives, and more. However, the resolutions never made it to discussion.
Council parliamentarian Courtney Daily attempted to introduce special rules for resolution reading and debate, but that motion was rejected by councilmembers Andy Ruff, Dave Rollo, and Isak Asare.
Council president Hopi Stosberg motioned to have the first resolution read. That resulted in the first 4-4 vote from the council, with councilmembers Ruff, Rollo, Asare and Daily voting against hearing the resolution. With councilmember Sydney Zulich absent, the resolution failed to earn enough votes to be presented.
The motion to read the second resolution also failed, with the same councilmembers voting against introducing the resolution.
“Seeing as that’s once again tied 4-4, that also fails.” Stosberg said. “So, we will not hear that legislation tonight, which means there will be no comment on that legislation either.”
Confusion surrounding resolution discussion became a key factor in the rejection of both pieces of legislation.
Councilmember Andy Ruff attempted to ask a question about the structure of Daily’s motion, but council president Stosberg said the question was likely not allowed.
“So, if I have a question about the structure, that’s not a question to be asked now?” Ruff asked.
“The details of how the presentation will be structured is not part of this motion,” Stosberg replied. “It’s just the time constraint on the presentation that’s a part of the motion.”
In a statement sent to WFIU/WTIU News, councilmember Asare said the entire process was flawed.
“Many of us, like the general public, first learned that these items would be on the agenda late Friday, with no meaningful opportunity to shape the discussion—granted, this is not totally unusual,” Asare explained. “However, it was then proposed to proceed in a way that wouldn’t allow for meaningful debate or even amendments—only an up-or-down vote or a delay. It was handled as though the outcome was predetermined, rather than as a serious collective deliberation on the future of our city.
“I believe such decisions should be made transparently, with full public engagement, and with clear accountability for results. Rushed votes and limited input do a disservice to the residents of Bloomington, and I will continue to push for a process that respects both our city’s values and the voices of the people we represent.”
The council’s meeting wrapped up with a brief public comment period for items not on the agenda, a note about council schedules, and then adjournment.
“I really appreciate the public coming out tonight and I’m sorry there was not a discussion around what I suspect is why you came out,” Stosberg said.
