McLean County Times

City of Bloomington Committee of the Whole met Oct. 16.

Here are the minutes provided by the committee:

The Committee of the Whole convened in regular session in the Government Center Boardroom at 6:00 P.M. Mayor Mboka Mwilambwe called the meeting to order.

Roll Call

Attendee Name	Title	Status
Mboka Mwilambwe	Mayor	Present
Jenna Kearns	Council Member, Ward 1	Present
Donna Boelen	Council Member, Ward 2	Remote
Sheila Montney	Council Member, Ward 3	Present
John Danenberger	Council Member, Ward 4	Present
Nick Becker	Council Member, Ward 5	Present
Cody Hendricks	Council Member, Ward 6	Present
Mollie Ward	Council Member, Ward 7	Present
Kent Lee	Council Member, Ward 8	Present
Tom Crumpler	Council Member, Ward 9	Present

Mayor Mwilambwe shared that Council Member Boelen wished to attend the meeting remotely due to a medical reason, which was permitted by City Code.

Council Member Montney made a motion, seconded by Council Member Danenberger, to allow Council Member Boelen to attend remotely due to medical reasons.

Mayor Mwilambwe directed the Clerk to call roll:

AYES: Kearns, Boelen, Montney, Danenberger, Becker, Hendricks, Ward, Lee, Crumpler

 Motion carried.

Council Member Boelen joined the meeting remotely at 6:02 P.M.

Recognition/Appointments

The following item was presented:

Item 3.A. Presentation of the Winners of the 2023 City of Bloomington Beautification  Awards, as requested by the Citizen's Beautification Committee. 

Joni Painter, Citizens' Beautification Committee Chair, provided a brief background on the Committee and the Annual Beautification Awards. She recognized all of the Committee Members present.

Dave Lamb, Parks & Recreation Assistant Director and Staff Liaison to the Committee, commended the Committee for their continued dedication and attention to improvements.

Gina Lavazza, Committee Chair, announced the winners for 2023, described the reasons each were selected, and presented them with an image of the landscape bolder award to be delivered to their properties: (1) Janine Toth and Joe Strano of 2 Whites Place (Residential); (2) Izola Thomas of 1202 W. Jackson St. (Residential); (3) West Bloomington Revitalization Project of 724 W. Washington St. (Commercial); (4) Phil and Patty Parette of 1501 Grove St. (Residential); and (5) Paula Massie and David Massie of 1401 Ridgeport Ave. (Residential).

Mayor Mwilambwe thanked the Committee and residents.

Public Comment

Mayor Mwilambwe read a public comment statement of procedure. No emailed public comment was received. Jackie Beyer spoke in person.

Consent Agenda

No items were considered.

Regular Agenda

The following item was presented:

Item 6.A. Presentation on the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) Local 49  2023 Fire Ops 101 Program, as requested by the Fire Department. 

Billy Tyus, Deputy City Manager, introduced the Item and thanked Council for attending the Program. He thanked Bloomington Fire Department ("BFD") staff that designed the Program. He noted staff were conducting a study to determine potential new locations, operational changes that could improve response times, and ways to address the nationwide challenge of hiring.

Eric Hall, Local 49 President, provided background on the 2023 Fire Ops 101 Program and highlighted staff’s commitment to the Program. He noted that BFD began in 1850 with its first full-time staff in 1868. He then provided additional history and discussed support provided, as well as jobs completed.

Cory Matheny, Deputy Fire Chief, echoed his appreciation to Council, City Staff, volunteers, and press for participating. He recognized Mr. Hall and his staff for their dedication to the Program. He noted issues currently facing BFD and praised BFD staff.

Fire Chief, Eric West, thanked Council for their participation.

Mayor Mwilambwe described how difficult the job was and how the Program highlighted all aspects of BFD. He expressed great interest in helping to improve BFD.

The following item was presented:

Item 6.B. Presentation on the 2023 Leaf Collection Process, as requested by the Public  Works and Administration Departments. 

Deputy City Manager, Jeff Jurgens, introduced the presentation. He noted that Public Works Director, Mose Rickey, had been in his position for a few weeks after Council's approval of the Public Works Department reorganization. He thanked Public Works’ staff for their dedication.

Mr. Rickey expressed excitement for leading the Public Works Department and looked forward to celebrating future successes. He noted recent free bulk waste pick-up had been completed on time and recognized multiple staff members. He recognized Colleen Winterland, Operations Manager, for her hard work, and then discussed historical leaf collection challenges, the improved action plan including community education, and key changes to achieve success. He recognized multiple departments involved in the program. Mr. Rickey educated residents on how they could assist the Department in efficient, smooth leaf pick-ups including safety hazards. He shared that staff would run reports and evaluate process throughout pickup looking for continuous improvements.

Council Member Montney praised Mr. Rickey for his presentation and improvements with residents in mind.

Council Member Ward echoed praises. Council Member Ward and Mr. Rickey discussed when the pickup map would be available to the public. Deputy City Manager Jurgens stated that a map and additional reference materials would be available online similar to previous years. Council Member Ward, Mr. Rickey, and Deputy City Manager Jurgens discussed potential for an app residents could use to view leaf pickup progress.

City Manager's Report

City Manager Gleason recognized multiple new hires and internal promotions. He then discussed upcoming events Downtown and within the community. He thanked staff for their presentations and the community for their patience with the redesign of the Council Chambers.

Executive Session

No Executive Session was held.

Adjournment

Council Member Hendricks made a motion, seconded by Council Member Becker, to adjourn the meeting.

Mayor Mwilambwe directed the Clerk to call roll:

AYES: Kearns, Boelen, Montney, Danenberger, Becker, Hendricks, Ward, Lee, Crumpler Motion carried (viva voce).

The meeting adjourned at 7:12 P.M.

https://www.bloomingtonil.gov/government/city-council/meetings-agendas