By: Diane Benjamin
Last night’s Bloomington Committee of the Whole:
- Walkable and vehicle-less zoning does NOTHING to increase the housing supply. Staff was charged with studying that issue. The presentation failed to address the real problems of interest rates and loan availability. (probably because they can’t change economics)
- The Council was given lots of documents CITIZENS didn’t get. See 1:34:02 for Sheila Montney talking about 2 local housing studies. Neither mentioned zoning as being a barrier to construction. Missing Middle Housing got ZERO votes as important in the second study.
- We still don’t know how much the Opticos report cost. No one from that organization was present or on the phone last night. FOIA will be filed for their contract.
- Opticos has a Chicago office. The Mid Illinois Realtor Association brought them here and convinced staff to hire them.
- Mollie Ward tried to claim the May discussion was illegally tabled indefinitely. Funny how legal matters except for alderman breaking city code and possibly the City Manager exceeding his spending limits. Anyway, the City lawyer proved her wrong. See 1:52:50
- Mollie Ward is going to force a vote with a Council initiative if necessary. It wasn’t clear if she has 5 votes to do that.
- 1:26:30 – Abby Scott claims government would never screw homeowners. Laugh now.
- Staff will consider all comments and see what changes need to be made. It will be brought back at some future date, unknown at this time.
Also on the agenda was a discussion of video gaming. Start with the Public Comment at 33:35 from a downtown bar owner that isn’t allowed to have video gaming because of the arbitrary limit on the number of establishments the City set. Now see 2:11:20. Cody Hendrick states discriminating against businesses without gaming because of that arbitrary limit isn’t fair. Currently 12 establishments are on a “waiting” list and will probably never get a license unless City policy is changed.
Removing the limits won’t increase gambling, it will just spread it over more locations. The Public Commenter stated that limit could put them out of business since other bars collect an additional $10,000 or more a month they can put back into the business. 2:08:20 – Sheila Montney recaps how much money leaves Bloomington from gambling. The numbers are huge, but so is hiring out of town consultants and Amazon purchases by the City. Citizens are often forced to purchase online because of limited shopping options locally. Lots of money leaves, downtown entertainment and visitors to town won’t replace it.
The City should either ban all gaming machines (won’t happen) or allow anyone who wants a license to have one. Montney also recapped the social problems gambling causes.
There was a long line of people at Public Comment covering a variety of issues, including housing. One issue involved Wesley United Methodist Church and the City preventing a police officer from speaking at their event. See 25:35. I don’t know anymore than what was said.
Saw a post that police officer not allowed to speak at meetings on how to avoid an ice raid. Mayor put a stop it. Mayor does not believe it is in their scope of work. It is not. This is the problem with current BPD admin…feelings…nothing more than feelings. A police officer probably should not be telling people how to avoid the law.
In regards to the bar owner on the list. They knew about the list, the waiting period going in. Now faced with the reality of their concept not being fully appreciated, seeks the additional income. Tried to open up a high price place in a low income location. They gambled, they lost.
You okay with government picking winners and losers?
There is also a matter of quid pro quo. Shake It Up bar was host to Cody’s campaign fundraising events and election watch party.
Cody should have learned in Kindergarten that life is not fair.
Does he treat all of his students in the exact same way?
The City has a budget deficit. Can it afford to send more $$ out of town?
Structural deficit? Those are caused by spending, no revenue
Cody loves spending.
After listening. It appears that different factions are pushing in different directions on the idea of reengineering established neighborhoods through zoning changes.
1. Hendricks, Ward, Scott would have voted to accept the recommendations of Opticos after the first presentation, without discussion because they swoon over the undefined word “sustainable” and love anything that has to do with government control over the choices of the ignorant citizens. They also don’t care for the idea of a free market. They prefer to pass out resources to the ones they like and starve the ones they don’t. You could tell that they want to vote ASAP before Sheila asks more questions or brings more information into the light. They see their ship sinking and their distress was oozing out all over the room. You could see it on the crooked smiles and side glances.
Thanks to Mayor Brady for an even keeled response to their pressure to name a date for a vote before the citizens understand what’s going on and important questions are answered! Group 1 prefers to hide in the dark.
2. The staff are trying to walk back their recommendations from – we should do this, to we are just presenting options. Although they’ve already pre-concluded the answer because a slick promo is easier to purchase than hard work on their part.
3. Sheila Montney is the only one with common sense and the strength to ask hard questions (which annoys the heck out of group 1). – The council is wasting its time on of redefining how neighborhoods are zoned mainly because zoning changes aren’t what the citizens want. We need to focus on the 900 properties that could be rehabilitate.
Hold the line Sheila! There are more of us than you know supporting you. Keep standing up to the loud minority, their unjustifiable support for MMH does not hold up to a few of your well placed questions.
4. The rest of the council looks like they are just seat warmers. I assume that enough of them secretly belong to group 1 or group 1 wouldn’t be pushing so hard for a vote.
City collects sales tax revenue from online sales. City does not pay taxes.
The dollars spent buying online zoom out of town!
Community Engagement Officer does not speak for the majority. He has NO business giving information on immigration issues. Chief needs to be kicked out–Community Engagement Officer needs to demoted. WHY is BPD working against the federal government? Brady was right to say no to this nonsense. We do not interfere with federal officers from doing their job. Someone better clear the air hear. Shame on the church.
I absolutely detest the government picking winners and losers. The opinion stated above has nothing to do with that concept.
Cody is trying to get a license for his friend.