Donna Boelen, Mayor Pro Tem - Ward 2 Council Member | City of Bloomington
Donna Boelen, Mayor Pro Tem - Ward 2 Council Member | City of Bloomington
City of Bloomington Committee of the Whole met Feb. 19.
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 | Present |
| 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 |
Public Comment
Mayor Mwilambwe read a public comment statement of procedure. Jackie Beyer spoke in-person. No emailed public comment was received.
Consent Agenda
Items listed on the Consent Agenda are approved with one motion; Items pulled by Council from the Consent Agenda for discussion are listed and voted on separately.
Council Member Hendricks made a motion, seconded by Council Member Boelen, to approve the Consent Agenda as presented.
Item 4.A. Consideration and Action on Approving the Minutes of the January 16, 2024 Regular Committee of the Whole Meeting, as requested by the City Clerk Department.
Mayor Mwilambwe directed the Clerk to call roll:
AYES: Kearns, Boelen, Montney, Danenberger, Becker, Hendricks, Ward, Lee, Crumpler Motion carried.
Regular Agenda
The following item was presented:
Item 5.A. Presentation of the FY2025 Budget Capital Projects, as requested by the Finance Department.
City Manager, Tim Gleason, introduced the Item and provided a brief overview of staff’s budget planning for approximately $90 million in capital projects.
Scott Rathbun, Finance Director, explained the FY 2025 budget emphasized public safety, streets and sidewalks, dependable infrastructure, and clean water and sewers. He noted that capital projects made up approximately 28% of the total budget.
Fire Chief, Corey Matheny, reminded Council of the Fire Ops (Operations) 101 event held last fall that focused on staffing and station facility needs. He provided an update on staffing issues that had been addressed since the event and explained that Fire Station 1 had responded to 43% of calls. He discussed how an additional, well-placed, station could improve response times. He then explained Fire’s budgeted requests and walked through options for modifying plans for a new station could reduce costs.
Deputy Fire Chief, Mike Hartwig, discussed the maintenance of multiple fire stations and explained staff’s holistic approach to renovations for Fire Station 4.
Anthony Nelson, Arts & Entertainment Director, discussed the 100-year-old Bloomington Center for Performing Arts (BCPA) building’s desperate need for a new roof and explained two other capital projects at the BCPA.
Eric Veal, Parks & Recreation Director, discussed a Miller Park Feasibility Study to address a variety of items for a park rejuvenation. He touched on deferred maintenance projects at Miller Park Zoo that were required to maintain the Association of Zoos and Aquarium (AZA) designation in the fall. He wrapped up by discussing golf cart path maintenance and upgrades, a variety of park improvement projects, and grant opportunities.
Kevin Kothe, Operations & Engineering Services Director, discussed multiple components of the Fox Creek Road Bridge project and went on to discuss multiple components of the Hamilton Road from Bunn Street to Morrissey Drive project, as well as, street lighting, the Jersey Avenue bridge replacement, EV charging installations, parking garage/lot improvements, Constitution Trail extensions, and multiple construction projects. He noted projects that would receive grant funding and discussed the multi-year sidewalk street, alley repair, and resurfacing programs. He finished by discussing multiple sewer and stormwater fund projects.
Ed Andrews, Water Director, discussed multiple cost-shared projects involving other City departments. He noted budgeted multi-year projects and water main replacements and upgrades. He ended by mentioning projects at the Water Treatment Plant, as well as lake shoreline erosion projects, and multiple watershed improvements.
Mr. Rathbun summarized the budget in regard to capital projects by stating that $43 million would fund streets and sidewalks; $34 million would fund water, sewer, and storm infrastructure; and $11.4 million would fund facility maintenance, parks, recreation, and golf. He added that $6.4 million would be grant-funded and concluded by sharing the schedule for adoption of the FY 2025 proposed budget.
Council Member Kearns and Mr. Nelson discussed an entrance at the BCPA that needed to be fixed. She then talked with Mr. Veal about the AZA designation its importance.
Council Member Montney and Mr. Kothe discussed grant funding and the requirements of specific road projects. They then walked through the amount of street re-pavements planned compared to FY 2024.
Council Member Montney made a motion, seconded by Council Member Hendricks, to extend Council Discussion by 10 minutes.
Mayor Mwilambwe directed the Clerk to call roll:
AYES: Kearns, Boelen, Montney, Danenberger, Becker, Hendricks, Ward, Lee, Crumpler
Motion carried.
Council Member Ward highlighted multiple Ward 7 projects noting their importance. She suggested the installation of solar panels on any proposed roof replacements. and asked staff to consider connecting White Oak Park and O’Neil Park to the Constitution Trail.
The following item was presented:
Item 5.B. Presentation of the 2023 Roadwork Wrap-Up, as requested by the Department of Operations & Engineering Services and the Public Works Department.
Jeff Jurgens, Deputy City Manager, explained that the annual presentation was the idea of the City Manager’s and commented to how it had evolved over time. He shared that staff would show a video celebrating completed projects and noted that a full report of all projects could be found on the City’s website.
Staff played a 2023 Roadwork Wrap Up video.
Deputy City Manager Jurgens then recognized and thanked multiple contractors who had assisted with road work throughout the year, as well as City crews for their dedication to the work completed.
City Manager Gleason acknowledged that continuous roadwork was necessary and appreciated the opportunity to recognize contractor partnerships and work completed in 2023.
Mayor Mwilambwe asked for ideas on how Council could assist in enabling City crews to complete more projects. Deputy City Manager Jurgens shared examples of work currently completed by City staff, as well as a few ideas on what could be done to bring more work in house. He noted staff had wanted to address sidewalks above and beyond what was completed with street repairs. Mose Rickey, Public Works Director, discussed how the Department was looking into ways to operate at a higher efficiency. He stressed that staff tried to address concerns as soon as possible, rather than waiting until larger projects were budgeted for.
Council Member Crumpler and Mr. Kothe discussed when reclamite and pressure pave were used to extend the life of pavement.
Council Member Boelen and Mr. Kothe discussed the use of chip seal off Lutz Road.
Council Member Montney appreciated staff’s desire to in-source to complete projects. She discussed with Mr. Kothe how most projects queued for 2023 had been completed, but that a few still had open contracts. She then made recommendations for future reporting.
City Manager's Report
City Manager Gleason recognized multiple newly hired employees and highlighted a community update presentation by the Illinois Department of Transportation.
Executive Session
No Executive Session was held.
Adjournment
Council Member Boelen made a motion, seconded by Council Member Ward, 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).
https://cityblm.granicus.com/DocumentViewer.php?file=cityblm_29e2b4a01b326852d81dfd745a4852c1.pdf&view=1
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