City of Bloomington City Council met Sept. 30.
Here is the minutes provided by the council:
1. CALL TO ORDER:
McLean County Board Chairman John McIntyre called the special joint meeting of the McLean County Board, Normal Town Council, and City of Bloomington Council to order at 5:03 p.m., Monday, September 30, 2019.
2. ROLL CALL:
The Town of Normal Clerk called the roll with the following persons physically
PRESENT: McLean County Board Chairman John McIntyre and Board Members Josh Barnett, Jacob Beard, William Caisley, Chuck Erickson, George Gordon, Elizabeth Johnson, Catherine Metsker, Carlo Robustelli, Susan Schafer, Logan Smith, Jim Soeldner, Shayna Watchinski, and Laurie Wollrab.
ABSENT: Lyndsay Bloomfield, William Friedrich, Randall Martin, Gerald Thompson, George Wendt.
PRESENT: Normal Town Council Mayor Chris Koos and Councilmembers, Kevin McCarthy, Chemberly Cummings, Stan Nord, Karyn Smith, Kathleen Lorenz, and Scott Preston.
ABSENT: None.
PRESENT: City of Bloomington Mayor Tari Renner and Councilmembers, Jamie Mathy, Donna Boelen, Mboka Mwilambwe, Jenn Carrillo, Scott Black, and Kim Bray.
ABSENT: Julie Emig, Joni Painter, Jeff Crabill.
McLean County Board Member Sharon Chung, and City of Bloomington Council Member Julie Emig arrived after the Roll Call, but prior to the Pledge of Allegiance.
3. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE:
McLean County Board Chairman McIntyre led the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.
4. PUBLIC COMMENT:
Marc Tiritilli, Normal Resident, spoke in opposition of a Sports Complex in the community, indicating we are late to the table and other communities have completed or nearly completed similar complexes which he feels will pull customers away from us. Mr. Tiritilli also spoke about concerns regarding Connect Transit Board vacancies and indicated he feels the Connect Transit Board is moving forward with decisions and not waiting for the working group recommendations.
5. INTRODUCTION OF CITY MANAGERS AND COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR:
McLean County Board Chairman McIntyre introduced City Managers Pamela Reece of Normal and Tim Gleason of Bloomington. Chairman McIntyre also introduced County Administrator, Camille Rodriquez.
6. PRESENTATION BY MCLEAN COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE:
Representatives from the McLean County Chamber of Commerce gave a presentation that included an overview of the Chamber operations and focus. The presentation also included information about the BN Advantage program and the McLean Community Compact initiative, and it's focus on workforce development. Presenters discussed Compact's structure, investors, areas of focus and expanded engagement.
During the question and answer period there were discussions on rural representation and resources available to those outside of Bloomington and Normal, school outreach, measuring equity and progress of the program, collaboration with other local organizations, and the importance of workforce development within the community to broaden available skills and recruit new business.
An Intermission was given from 5:52 p.m. to 6:02 p.m.
7. PRESENTATION BY BLOOMINGTON-NORMAL AREA CONVENTION AND VISITORS BUREAU:
Representatives from the Bloomington Normal Convention and Visitors Bureau gave a presentation that included what the mission of the organization is, funding sources, and allocation of funds. The presentation also included information on the local economic impact of hotel rooms, major hosted events, trade show and conference attendance, and an explanation of outreach conducted by the organization. Presenters also discussed their work alongside the Illinois Office of Tourism, the Partners in Promotion program, and the Hotel Standards program.
During the question and answer period there were discussions on economic impact numbers, clarification on hotel tax, the direct and indirect impact of local events, convention trends, competition in the marketplace, and what current and future challenges the organization faces.
An Intermission was given from 6:30 p.m. to 6:40 p.m.
8. PRESENTATION BY BLOOMINGTON NORMAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL:
Representatives from the Bloomington Normal Economic Development Council gave a presentation that included background information on the new CEO, Patrick Hoban, an update on the recent changes to the organization, and a review of what the structure and leadership of the organization should look like moving forward. The presentation also included a review of the mission and goals on the organization, highlighting focus on areas such as infrastructure needs, blight elimination, neighborhood beautification, retention and attraction of a skilled work force, business retention and expansion, investment development, streamlined incentives, marketing, and project management. During the question and answer period there were discussions on what the perception of being located in Illinois means and the stigma attached to it, what local government can do to help the organization, streamlining incentives and structuring abatements, prioritizing industry needs, defining standard rules, incentives and policies, and working with other taxing bodies.
9. OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST:
There were no Other Items of Interest.
10. ADJOURNMENT:
There being no further business to come before the Councils and Board, McLean County Board Chairman McIntyre called for a Motion to Adjourn the Special Joint Meeting of the McLean County Board, Normal Town Council, and City of Bloomington Council.
McLean County Board Chairman McIntyre adjourned the Special Joint Meeting of the McLean County Board, Normal Town Council, and City of Bloomington Council at 7:14 p.m., Monday, September 30, 2019.
http://bloomingtonil.iqm2.com/Citizens/calendar.aspx
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