The Bloomington City Council on Monday unanimously approved purchasing a new tool to combat taste and odor complaints with the city’s water supply.
Water director Ed Andrews said unseasonably high algae growth in lake sources was proving too much for the current filtration system, noting 15 of the system’s possible 16 filtration beds are now active.
“We have one more bed that we can open up, but we’re not going to get there trying to knock taste and odor back at these levels with just 16 filter beds,” Andrews said.
The department has implemented a temporary powdered activated carbon [PAC] solution to add extra filtration on top of the baseline system. It’s re-purposing of a liquid lime feed system, the use of which got an emergency operating permit last week.
The temporary fix is spur-of-the-moment and would struggle in adverse conditions like cold weather.
It’s for that reason the city council on Monday approved purchasing a new, permanent PAC feed system to consistently bolster filtration efforts. The order with Chemco Systems Inc. will cost up to $755,132 and is anticipated to take about a year to arrive. In the meantime, a bidding process will initiate for contractors to prepare the treatment infrastructure for the installation.
The city has relied on PAC before, but a prior manual feeding system was a method the city “outgrew” in 2002. The device used for that is still around but would be inadequate today, said city officials.
Andrews also discussed addressing lake management at lakes Bloomington and Evergreen to tackle problems at the source. Though the city has not previously held an algicide permit, Andrews said he’s worked with Mayor Mboka Mwilambwe to submit one in an effort to better address future growths.
Among the difficulties in addressing the current situation is a lack of quickly available data to act on, Andrews said. The department currently gets water quality data from testing in South Bend, Indiana, on a delay of a week. The department is working to acquire a gas chromatograph to conduct testing in-house, an acquisition previously approved by the council.
In the meantime, slowly increasing powdered carbon use will be the method of choice.
“Too much of a good thing can be a bad thing,” Andrews said. “PAC blow-through is a real concern. Having those particles show up at your tap in your house is not what we want to have.”
Mayoral candidate Dan Brady attended the meeting to comment on the proposed purchase of the new PAC system. He said not only is the initial price tag large, but new equipment also means more operating costs. Brady said he’d like to see inspections of pumping equipment at the city’s lake sources, as well as a call for more expert assistance.
Public commenters advocate for rent control
Three advocates for the cause of affordable housing spoke to the council Monday night in support of House Bill 3687. The measure would lift a ban on rent control policies, opening the possibility of communities implementing rent control.
Sonny Garcia of Bloomington is the organizer for McLean County’s Lift the Ban campaign. He hopes the council will consider a resolution in support of the legislation to address increasing rent, evictions, and homelessness. Garcia said his daughter recently needed to move back in with him due to an inability to afford her rent.
“So please, we’re expecting every candidate here, even Mr. Brady over there [referring to mayoral candidate Dan Brady, who sat nearby], to stand up to the Realtors’ lobby and stand with the community members of Bloomington-Normal, and support this legislation,” Garcia said.
Other speakers in favor were Georgene Chissell, known for local advocacy with groups like the NAACP and League of Women Voters, and Rebekah Mangels, who said even multiple side jobs haven’t been enough to avoid spending the majority of income on rent.
Preliminary presentation of the 2026 budget
Bloomington’s budget looks a bit leaner next year. Though it’s not official yet, finance director Scott Rathbun presented a budget overview to the council on Monday. Total spending would be $317.9 million, down 4% from 2025.
Among the reasons for the drop in spending are the council's choice not to institute a grocery tax, and to keep the city’s property tax levy flat.
A significant chunk has come out of capital projects spending. At $81.1 million, it’s down 8.4% from 2025. That’s not to say no improvements are being funded, however. Some items presented by department heads include roof repairs for Miller Park Zoo, cooling system updates for Grossinger Motors Arena, HVAC updates for multiple fire stations, sidewalk repair to address resident complaints, and sewer rehabilitation. Some other needs the city anticipates, like an additional fire station, won’t be in the plan for 2026.
Rathbun said the budget will help handle whatever comes the city’s way in the next year. Though spending is down, services have been preserved, he said.
“We balanced this budget without having to impact any services,” Rathbun said. “And that gives us an opportunity to get some visibility on some bigger changes that may or may not be occurring next year.”
Rathbun said among those changes would be the different economic environment of a new presidential administration. The city also will consider efficiency improvements and reducing its workforce.
In other business, the council:
— Appointed member Sheila Montney to the Behavioral Health Coordinating Council. Ward 7 member Mollie Ward moved to delay the vote to the council’s April meeting but was unsuccessful. That would have been after the April 1 municipal election vote, but before new electees were seated. The move passed with a 5-3 vote.
— Unanimously approved a time extension for work on the Meadowbrook subdivision. Water utilities will be dug deeper at the site to ensure separation from other underground infrastructure like sewage.
— Approved a $5.5 million contract with Norfolk Southern Railway for work on Hamilton Road improvements. Work on Hamilton is set to begin this week.
— Delayed a vote that could have appointed a mayor pro-tem for the city, who would fulfill the mayor's duties in the event of their absence.
