By: Diane Benjamin
Eric’s Too Beer Garden got sent back to the Liquor Commission. I was disappointed to see Scott Black absent sent he had sent this email: (Received by FOIA)
If Eric’s was doing outdoor seating before the Council approved it, the Liquor Commission should deny their request.
Otherwise the meeting was fairly boring. A lot of it was proclamations, appointments, and presentations. One item was pulled by Jenn Carrillo so the City Manager could investigate why a local bid wan’t accepted even though it was higher.
Since this is being paid with Community Block Grant funds, the rules may be the lowest bid must be accepted.
Public Comment only had two people, both talked about Eric’s Too. Surena Fish also thanked Public Works for the great job in her neighborhood picking up the latest bu-annual bulk waste. (24:00)
The whole meeting was less than an hour:
I don’t think there actually was a meeting. City policy, as you pointed out, Diane , prohibits having a meeting on a holiday. Also, there was no published agenda.
There was an agenda. the system has changed and now it’s more difficult to find. I didn’t listen to the beginning to see if they explained why they were violating City Code.
Why did five members leave the room and all return at the same time ? Did they have a meeting within the meeting ? or did they all have to go to the bathroom ?
Anybody connected to Rotary recused themselves from a vote.
Wonder if Scott would be as vocal about noise and crowds in the street if the bar/liquor license holder was located in Downtown Bloomington. The idea of local sourcing (by both private and public sector) is noble, but it requires having ambitious companies at scale that can competitively bid. Let’s face it, people aren’t starting or growing companies in Bloomington-Normal (unless of course its another restaurant).
What was it exactly that caused three members to abstain from voting ? All that I understood was a connection with the Rotary.
That’s it, nothing else