Bloomington’s new one-stop shop for city services is officially open for business.
The Hub opened Monday on the first floor of the downtown Government Center. Specially trained staff from multiple departments are available to assist residents with questions and payments. It’s open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
That’s a shift from the previous approach that sometimes forced residents or developers to bounce from building to building to get the help they needed.
“That can be quite an inconvenience for folks who are looking to do business,” said Mayor Mboka Mwilambwe. “We do know their time is precious, and that time is money these days.”
It’s not just residents who will benefit from The Hub, said Mwilambwe.
“If you’re a developer, you can talk to folks from Public Works about some of your plans, but at the same time you can talk to someone from the Legal Department about your plans and the legal implications of what you’re trying to do,” he said.
“And if there are questions that people have where there’s not a representative (at The Hub), there’s videoconferencing capabilities. There’s a room off to the side that people have access to where you can connect with a staff member in that department.”
The city tested out The Hub model at Grossinger Motors Arena during the COVID-19 shutdown.
"Council made it clear that they wanted to improve customer service to our residents, and this is a huge step in the right direction," said City Manager Tim Gleason.
The Hub move is one of several that will happen as part of a phased plan to address space needs and increase efficiencies within the city. That includes the city council moving its meetings to the same chamber where the McLean County Board now meets, at the Government Center.
