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 Aug. 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 |
No recognitions or appointments were presented.
Public Comment
Mayor Mwilambwe read a public comment statement of procedure. Surena Fish provided in person public comment. 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.
The following item was presented:
Item 4.A. Consideration and Action to Approve the Minutes of the June 17, 2024, Regular Committee of the Whole Meeting, as requested by the City Clerk Department.
Item 4.B. Consideration and Action to Approve the Minutes of the July 15, 2024, Regular Committee of the Whole Meeting, as requested by the City Clerk Department.
Council Member Boelen made a motion, seconded by Council Member Hendricks, to approve the Consent Agenda as presented.
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 Progress Report Prepared by the Special Commission for Safe Communities, as requested by the Special Commission for Safe Communities.
City Manager Jeff Jurgens provided introductory remarks and called Scott Denton to present.
Scott Denton, Special Commission for Safe Communities (SC2) Chair, reminded Council of the directives given to the SC2, as well as the reporting requirement. He recognized current Commission members thanking them for their service. He explained how the SC2collected, evaluated, and assessed data. He discussed how the Bloomington Police Department (BPD)
Community Engagement Unit worked tirelessly on community outreach; how BPD Intelligence researched and collected data; and then shared SC2‘s goals for prevention, intervention, and suppression of life impacting events. He stressed the importance of realistic training in the BPD Active Shooter Program, as well as the impact of school resource officers on interrupting gun violence. He reported data from the Coroner, PATH, and Moms Demand Action, who provide help to survivor moms. He shared that the SC2 had reviewed scholarly papers of academic research, U.S. Department of Justice resources, and U.S. Surgeon General findings. Mr. Denton reported that SC2 looked to review National Integrated Ballistics Information Network (NIBIN) in the future, as well as hold additional gun buyback and speaker events. He reiterated that the SC2‘s objectives were to collect, evaluate, and assess gun violence data, as well as identify patterns and underlying causes of gun violence and other weapon violations within the Bloomington area. He stated that SC2 planned to provide specific recommendations to address identified issues during their final report to Council.
Mayor Mwilambwe thanked Mr. Denton for his work.
Council Member Ward echoed thanks to SC2. She discussed a recent shooting near her residence and stressed how the threat of gun violence affects the community. She expressed appreciation for the swift and empathetic response of BPD and implored Council to support SC2.
Council Member Boelen made recommendations for presenters at SC2 and expressed her support for SC2.
Mayor Mwilambwe questioned domestic violence within the work of SC2 and was interested in how the City compared to other surrounding communities. Mr. Denton discussed the ripple effects of domestic violence, how SC2 performed research, and how the community compared to others. Mayor Mwilambwe spoke to a tragic incident that had taken place and looked forward to continuing to make the community safer. He reiterated thanks to Mr. Denton and SC2 members.
The following item was presented:
Item 5.B. Presentation by Bloomington Bison Head Coach Phillip Barski on the Upcoming Inaugural Season, as requested by the Administration Department.
Phillip Barski, Bison Head Coach, discussed recruitment and presented his five-part plan including curating a strong leadership team, building their analytical model of the players, creating strong organization structure and culture, and spotlighting the opportunity. He talked about improvements being made at Grossinger Motor Arena and shared they’d hired all local contractors. He highlighted signing 3 of the 24 Bison players needed and was excited about the future. He looked forward to growing the local Bison community and ended by expressing appreciation to City Manager Jurgens.
City Manager Jurgens thanked Coach Barski. He reminded the community that the team would be playing professional level hockey beyond what the Arena traditionally saw, which was club level. He shared opening season details, expressed excitement in seeing the organization get off the ground, and noted that 700 season tickets had been sold.
Coach Barski reported on the team’s possibility of being a dual affiliate with the New York Rangers (already secured) and the possible future affiliation with the Chicago Wolves.
Mayor Mwilambwe echoed excitement.
City Manager's Report
City Manager Jurgens stressed the importance of community safety and quality of place. He introduced Sue McLaughlin, new Deputy City Manager, and Wayne Carl, new Interim Director of DOES (Department of Operations & Engineering Services). He highlighted summer events, the success of the Bloomington Public Library’s Summer Reading Program, and BPD’s involvement at the Miracle League Home Opener.
Executive Session
No Executive Session was held.
Adjournment
Council Member Boelen made a motion, seconded by Council Member Hendricks, 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 6:53 P.M.
https://cityblm.granicus.com/DocumentViewer.php?file=cityblm_8b625b5cf86a814f7d46c9bd10afd0c7.pdf&view=1
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