By:  Diane Benjamin

Next Monday is when the Bloomington City Council will make their final decision on manufacturing, processing, distributing, selling, and use of marijuana.  Merry Christmas Bloomington, dollar signs and social justice warriors will decide Gettin’ High is the Way To Fly!

12:15  Chris Collins of Housing Our People Everywhere wants some of the 3% tax to build houses for the homeless and teach job skills.  See his website:  http://www.projecthope.global/

15:35 Karen Kinsella spoke against the cannabis legalization, she has worked with youth and is appalled Bloomington is encouraging it.  She wants the citizens to vote on consumption on-site.

19:15 Renee Martin wants the city to opt-out.  She talked about a city in Colorado and the effects on their kids and schools.

Now jump to Jenn at 41:20.  She wants Bloomington to lead, not follow.  She thinks opting out is governing by fear, she wants to govern by courage.  Social equity is the excuse she uses to repair relationships harmed by the war on drugs.  She claims the problems people are worried about are already here.

Kim Bray followed at 44:50.  She nicely told Jenn that her position is still the same as it was before any discussions took place.  She urged the rest of the Council to look at all the available information.  

I predict the vote will still be 7-2, maybe a few Council more members will resist on-site consumption.  Smoking isn’t allowed anywhere indoors, it’s ridiculous to promote it now.  Whatever the vote turns out to be, it will be predetermined.  public comment demanding reparations and parents wanting to protect their kids will all be there.  It will all be a vain, just a show.

37:10   Tari congratulated Scott Black for getting married.  My congrats to Scott too.

23:20   Jamie Mathy wants to clarify the money spent for the roof and HVAC system at the Creativity Center was not taxpayer money, it was privately raised years ago.  The meeting documentation does not say that.  

Bloomington taxpayers are paying a fundraiser to raise money for the Friends of the BCPA, but you aren’t allowed to know how much.  Somehow spending their money gets incorporated in the Bloomington budget and has to be approved by the Council who had no part in raising it.  The whole thing stinks.  The Creativity Center should be given to the Friends and removed from taxpayer responsibility.

The actual business part of the meeting was really short  Your property tax rate isn’t going up, your bill will only be higher if your assessed value was increased.