Town of Normal

The Normal Town Council on Monday heard a proposal for new rules to relax housing construction rules amid an ongoing housing shortage.

Normal City Manager Pam Reece said the town is working with Bloomington and McLean County to reduce the risk of accidents involving e-mobility devices, and is still monitoring possible data center regulations.

A nearly two-year-old dispute is over shared sales tax money dedicated to behavioral health programs, jail expansion bond debt and public safety information systems.

It’s hard to build housing right now, including in Bloomington-Normal. There is a long list of reasons as to why, including the skyrocketing costs of materials, but the high cost of building has developers looking for ways to fund and start projects without breaking the bank.

The town council accepted a proposal from Veolia Water Technologies for up to $90,000 in ammonia removal pilot testing equipment. Five of the dozen wells in the Town of Normal have excess ammonia levels.

Residents of the Town of Normal are grieving the death of former police chief Walter D. "Walt" Clark, Sr., who died Oct. 15 at the age of 82.

Mayor Chris Koos says the town's decision to extend a six-month moratorium through next spring would help it prepare for any new state regulations that could come this fall.

Mayor Chris Koos honored Terri Ryburn as the Town of Normal's Citizen of the Year at a reception on Tuesday. Ryburn is retiring in December as caretaker of the historic Sprague's Super Service on Pine Street.

A legal cease fire between the Town of Normal and City of Bloomington on one side and McLean County government on the other shows signs of deterioration. The two sides again appear headed for court.

Delays and glitches in a new McLean County Computer Aided Dispatch system are frustrating public safety agencies. McLean County is implementing a new suite of software applications to speed up fire and police response in the county. It has not gone well.