The Bloomington City Council adopted a $290 million budget on Monday — the largest in the city’s history, and nearly 8% higher than the current year’s spending plan.
City leaders say the budget reflects a period of economic growth, and allows Bloomington to put money into capital projects that improve quality of life.
“It’s exciting because this is a budget that I believe captures the vision of council, captures the desires of the community,” said City Manager Tim Gleason, adding, “We’re in a period of more, and we’re very fortunate that as a municipal organization we can deliver that to the community.”
In a separate matter, Gleason said O’Neil Pool won’t open in May, another delay in a project OK'd two years ago. He said a number of factors caused the latest stall, including the construction climate that’s been plagued with supply issues.
Besides adopting the budget, council votes Monday created a new high-level administrator post; OK’d a site plan for a Starbucks on West Market Street, and authorized spending more than $500,000 on public works vehicles and equipment.
Multimillion injection to capital projects
The council adopted the FY24 budget on a 7-2 vote, with Ward 1’s Grant Walch, and Ward 3’s Sheila Montney voting against it. Montney said she doesn't like the city's budget trends over the past few years, and wants to see a better framework for measuring the effectiveness of city spending.
Mollie Ward, of Ward 7, praised the budget, noting a quarter of the spending is on capital projects, while another quarter is on public safety. That's shows city leaders are taking seriously the responsibility of maintaining the community, she said.
Deputy City Manager Billy Tyus said the FY24 budget goes beyond the basics of municipal government — such as public safety, and utilities.
“(This budget) does more. It continues to build the local quality of life,” he said, adding such investment is keeping Bloomington alive. U.S. Census data shows Bloomington inching forward, while other Illinois cities are declining, said Tyus: “We continue to grow and people continue to choose us.”
About a quarter, or nearly $70 million, of the FY24 budget is dedicated to capital projects — up $13 million from the current plan, said Scott Rathbun, Bloomington finance chief.
“So, the majority of that ($21 million) increase for the citywide budget is made up of those capital projects,” he said.
Bloomington’s general fund represents nearly half the budget. At $129 million, it’s a 5.5% increase from the current budget.
Other budget highlights include the city funding public safety pensions at 100%, with more than $12 million of this year’s budget; and almost $37 million dedicated to roadwork, said Rathbun.
The city is putting $10 million into road and sidewalk repairs, while it’s chosen to spend nearly $27 million of its state motor fuel tax fund on Fox Creek Road street and bridge work, and the Hamilton Road project.
Because the city’s annual budget includes a $45,000 contribution to the McLean County Museum of History, the budget proposal was split into two votes. Ward 4’s Julie Emig, who is the museum’s executive director, recused herself for the separate vote. That piece passed unanimously.
Bloomington administration adds second deputy
Monday was a big step in restructuring the city’s administration, with the council approving creating a second deputy city manager.
Duties will be split between Tyus and a new, equal-level deputy, with both administrators reporting to Gleason. Both are expected to manage four or five departments. Gleason, the city’s top non-elected official, would directly supervise the remaining departments, as well as several administrators.
The restructuring has been in the works for some time, and comes as the city continues to experience growth, said Gleason, who began his post in 2018. The focus is on creating a more efficient administration, and strengthening local government accountability, he said.
Ward 5’s Nick Becker said he supports the additional deputy city manager because he views it as more than just adding to the head count.
A second deputy city manager will create a stronger management team, and allow the city to provide more accountability to residents, said Becker, with Montney and Ward 9’s Tom Crumpler echoing those sentiments.
The position also could better the administration’s responsiveness to the community, added Emig.
Staff will return to council later this year, with a proposed hire. Salary is expected to be about $180,000.
Starbucks to open on West Market Street
About six weeks after the Bloomington Planning Commission rejected a proposal to locate a Starbucks on the city’s west side, the city council OK’d an amended version.
Traffic congestion was the commission’s major concern. But the amended proposal before council Monday made adjustments.
Now, a Starbucks, with a drive-thru window, can open at 1609 W. Market St. Ward said she believes this will become the first coffee shop in Ward 7.
“I’m thrilled to see that this is coming forward. It’s about time, because people in Ward 7 need some coffee,” she said.
Still, prior to its vote, the council spent a half hour debating whether the amended site plan would address traffic congestion worries. The council even considered sending the proposal back to the planning commission first.
O’Neil Pool won’t see a May opening
Gleason said more details about the O’Neil delay will be discussed April 17 presentation during the committee as a whole session. Today’s construction climate, with supply-side issues is partly to blame, he said, but it isn’t one thing causing the issue.
“We had held onto hope until late March that it was going to open,” in May, he said.
It’s been more than two years since the council OK’d spending nearly $12 million to demolish and rebuild a bigger and better O’Neil. In October 2021, leaders gathered for a ceremonial groundbreaking.
After Monday’s meeting, Gleason told WGLT the delays have been a letdown. “There’s disappointment. We are disappointed, for sure,” he said.
Besides an update on the O’Neil project, the committee session will include updates on the Bloomington Public Library expansion, as well as reports from Connect Transit, said Gleason. Also, the city’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion staff will share information on a minority business enterprise proposal, and talk about the city’s efforts to meet Americans with Disabilities Act requirements.
In other business, the council approved
- The city’s annual action plan for the Community Block Development Grant program, as required by the state.
- Bloomington’s participation in settlement agreements, tied to the national opioid crisis class action lawsuits.
- The rejection of a bid for a new maintenance facility at Lake Bloomington.
- Spending about $515,000 with COE Equipment for public works vehicles and equipment.
- Spending about $100,000 with Axon Enterprise for the Bloomington Police Department to add three drones. The purchase will be repaid as part of a state crime prevention grant.
An amendment to the FY24 Henson Disposal contract for bulk waste disposal, making it $57.40 per ton.
