Monroe County and the City of Bloomington are accepting applications for their respective advisory committees related to upcoming redistricting. Monroe County will be redrawing precinct boundaries for the county, and possibly district boundaries for the Monroe County Board of Commissioners and Monroe County Council. Redistricting occurs every 10 years, following the U.S. Census results. Results of the 2020 U.S. Census were released in mid-August. To apply for the Monroe County redistricting advisory committee, click here. Bloomington Council will be redrawing its six districts. More information about the council's Citizens' Redistricting Advisory Commission, including an application, is here. Local redistricting work can’t be finished until the state-level districts are drawn. If an existing precinct is split by a state legislative or congressional district, it has to be redrawn so that it is not split. Indiana’s state legislators are expected to complete that work in mid-to-late September.
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Lee Marchant, a local businessman who has served on the Monroe County Convention Center Building Corporation Board of Directors and was president since its inception 30 years ago, resigned in August. The announcement was made at the board's Sept. 7 meeting. "We just really are deeply moved by Lee's leadership and we thank him so very much for that," said Jim Murphy, the board's vice president. The Building Corporation Board oversees the Convention Center facilities and operations. At the Sept. 7 meeting, the group also elected new officers. They are: Cindy Kinnarney, president; Jim Murphy, vice president; Jerry Neely, treasurer; and Joyce Poling, secretary. The U.S. Commerce Department's Economic Development Administration (EDA) has awarded $3.5 million to the City of Bloomington to support construction of the Trades District Technology Center. The center is intended to facilitate the growth and commercialization of second stage, tech-based businesses. The city applied for the grant in partnership with the Bloomington Economic Development Corporation, and the EDA funds will be matched by $1.6 million of local investment from the Bloomington Redevelopment Commission. Read the city's press release here. The Trades District is a 12-acre area that's part of the Bloomington Certified Technology Park. Learn more here. The Bloomington Council held four nights of budget hearings from Aug. 23-26, with staff presentations and discussions about priorities for the city. Each night focused on different areas. You can watch the presentations by following the links below to CATS recordings for each department. The Council is expected to hold a public hearing on the budget on Sept. 29, with final action on Oct. 13. Last spring, Congress passed the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) on March 11, 2021 to provide economic relief to state and local governments as they confront fiscal challenges caused by the ongoing pandemic. As one of the many recipients of this 350 billion dollar aid package, Monroe County is set to receive 29 million dollars in funds to address the specific needs of its unique community. To help decide how this federal funding should be well spent, the Monroe County Board of Commissioners is asking the public to share their ideas on their website, here, on how these funds can be best allocated to ease the economic challenges caused by COVID-19. Be sure to follow the previous link to let your funding suggestions be known. To read more about ARPA and the specific areas where Monroe County can apply these funds, follow this link to US Department of the Treasury's website. The Monroe County Affordable Housing Advisory Commission has three vacancies. The AHAC makes recommendations to the county Board of Commissioners, which appoints the members. The commission meets on the third Friday of each month from 8-9 a.m. Meetings are currently held via Zoom. Learn more about the AHAC here. Find the application form here. The City of Bloomington's 4th Street parking garage, at the corner of 4th and Walnut, will open on Monday, Aug. 23. The structure has over 500 spaces, a covered bicycle area, public bathrooms and retail space. The smaller parking garage that had been on the spot was closed in 2018 and taken down. A public art display will be installed in early October. The city plans to have a dedication ceremony in the fall. The Monroe County Planning Dept. is hosting in-person and Zoom meetings on Module 2 of the Monroe County Consolidated Development Ordinance (CDO), which focuses on development standards. The county is asking that participants fill out this survey to help with planning for COVID-19 safety for in-person meetings. They will send additional information to those who fill out the survey about how to attend via Zoom. In-person meetings are planned for:
Find more info about the Monroe County CDO process here. Responding to an increase in complaints about vandalism, aggressive behavior and other public safety issues, the City of Bloomington has released a statement about actions to improve safety in public spaces. Among the actions are:
The Bloomington Urban Enterprise Association is seeking applicants to serve on its board, which meets monthly. The applicant must live in the BUEA zone and be affiliated with the non-dominant political party. (In Bloomington, the Democratic Party is the dominant political party.) More information about the BUEA's work and how to apply can be found at https://bloomington.in.gov/business/buea. |
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