City Council - Regular Meeting

Hello Bloomington, I am Mayor Tim Bus and here is the report of the Municipal Council for the week of September 14. Monday evening, the Municipal Council took a new step in the budgetary process of 2027 by approving a preliminary tax and a general fund budget. The goal of the 2027 budget is quite simple. Maintain and improve the excellent quality of life that we have here in Bloomington, while recognizing that families are facing real economic pressures and that our community is changing. These objectives lead directly to some fundamental priorities. To finish what we started with, to improve the quality of our services, to remain financially strong, to show fiscal discipline and to ensure that our budget corresponds to our long-term strategy. The preliminary municipal tax is $100.24 million, or an increase of 6.24 million or 6.64% compared to 2026. The preliminary budget of the General Fund is $129.7 million. You have already heard me say that the municipal government is above all a matter of service appreciation. Thus, 74% of the general fund is dedicated to staff, because municipal services are provided by people. Police officers, firefighters, public works teams, parks and leisure staff and community development professionals. We must therefore be intelligent in the management of our workforce, the people we need, the required skills and the way we recruit, retain and prepare the next generation of municipal employees. We also have to take the best out of the resources we have. This means using technology to help our current staff work more efficiently, notably through IA and work flow tools, intervention drones and an integrated technology platform for public safety. We also adopt a disciplinary approach in debt and capital. For 2027, we propose reducing the tax on debt of 1.39 million dollars, repaying certain obligations in advance and using liquidity for certain investment projects, thus reducing the need to borrow in the future. We are also looking for savings, with a reduction of about 910 euro-dollars proposed on various expenses. But discipline does not mean stop investing. In fact, 1.79 million dollars of the increase in the budget for 2027 continues investments already started. This includes nine additional firemen positions. fire equipment, a fire department program, support to health and community welfare centers, as well as preventive maintenance of parks, urban forestry, climate action and the appeasement of traffic in the neighborhoods. In other words, we are not content to launch a new project. We finish what we started and we make sure that these investments benefit Bloomington. It is the philosophy behind this budget. Protect what makes Bloomington a place where it is good to live, work and raise a family. to improve our services to citizens, while being responsible for the money of the taxpayers and maintaining Bloomington financially strong. On Monday evening, residents told us about their concerns concerning the cost increase, tax cuts, federal uncertainty and the importance of ensuring that our investments bring value. I appreciate their contribution, which emphasizes that this budget is not yet definitive. According to the law of the state, the preliminary collection sets the maximum amount that the city can receive. We can reduce it before the final adoption in December, but we cannot increase it. We still have work to do, and you will have the opportunity to share your thoughts with us. A public hearing on public funds and public services will take place on November 9th. A public comment session is scheduled for the November 16th study session, and the annual public hearing on truth and taxation is scheduled for December 7th. The Council will examine the budget and the final loan for 2027 on December 14th. Until then, we will continue to seek ways to manage costs, to make legal investments, and to ensure that the budget reflects our priorities. On Monday, we also celebrated the third year of Hatch Bloomington and honored five local companies selected to receive financial aid via the Hatch Loves Local program of this year. Hatch started in 2024 in the form of a pitch competition worth $100,000 to help an entrepreneur open a physical business here in Bloomington. Our first two laureates were Scramble Egg in 2024 and Bookmother in 2025. The program also helped to make known the history of the small businesses of Bloomington, far beyond our city, reaching an audience estimated at about 250 million people via the online press, written, television, radio, YouTube and social networks. This year, we recognized that the small companies existing were faced with real economic pressure. So we have evolved the program. Instead of a unique reward for a new company, we now support several existing Bloomington companies. L'autorité portuaire de Bloomington a ajouté 24 000 $ au budget initial du programme de 100 000 $, nous permettant de distribuer 124 000 $ entre cinq entreprises. Félicitations à Otozoto Body Collision and Repair Center, une entreprise de Bloomington vieille de 12 ans que la propriétaire continue de gérer avec sa fille après la perte de son mari. Afghan Darbar, un restaurant familial servant une cuisine afghane authentique. Nine Mile Brewing Company, la première et unique brasserie et salle de dégustation de Bloomington. Bloomington Garden Center, with its five greenhouses and its unique and pleasant shopping experience. And Zig's Place, a classic local restaurant that has been part of Bloomington for more than 40 years. Business owners have expressed what this support represents. That it is to perpetuate a family heritage, to extend their activities or to have more people to discover the local places that make Bloomington so special. Thank you to each company for applying, to the port authority for its contribution to the aid fund, and to our team for developing a program that supports both new entrepreneurs and companies that have already invested in our community. Finally, on Monday, the Council passed the project to improve the Duane golf course to its design phase by approving two contracts for architectural and engineering services. The first is a contract with Wendell Architecture to design the replacement of the old Duane clubhouse. If you have played at Duane, you know that the current clubhouse is obsolete, in poor condition and does not meet the accessibility standards in force. The new clubhouse should include an accessible toilet shop, a better restoration service, an improved parking and indoor and outdoor restoration spaces. The second agreement was concluded with Norbi Golf Course Designs. Norbi will develop improvements in terms of safety, playability, drainage, irrigation, bunkers, training areas and toilets on the course. Duane has not had a full refund since its opening in 1970, although it remains one of the 18 most frequented holes in Minnesota, with more than 49,000 games played each year over the past five years. The two design teams will work together so that the clubhouse, the parking lot and the improvement of the course form a coordinated project. The work should start in autumn 2027 and continue until spring 2028. L'équipe du projet s'efforcera de garder la majeure partie du parcours ouverte, en limitant les fermetures totales autant que possible à la fin de l'automne et au début du printemps. C'est tout pour le compte-rendu du Conseil de cette semaine. Merci beaucoup de nous avoir suivis aujourd'hui. À la prochaine, prenez soin de vous, Bloomington.