Arts Forward Bloomington is hosting a quarterly meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 14 that focuses on issues related to transportation and the arts.

Topics will include the status of local parking and transportation plans, as well as ways that arts organizations and local government can partner to increase accessibility to those with transportation needs. The discussion also will address how to incentivize patrons to consider alternate forms of transportation.

​The meeting is free and open to the public. It begins at 7 p.m. at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater, 114 E. Kirkwood. Click here for more information on the AFB Facebook page.

As part of its Better Together – Creative Places Initiative, the Community Foundation of Bloomington and Monroe County is seeking applications for $20,000 in grants to activate or create public spaces that advance a more vibrant, welcoming, and inclusive community.

Proposals will be accepted from organizations that are designated as 501(c)(3) entities or that fall within the category of an exempt organization, such as schools, governmental units, and religious organizations.

​Projects proposed should:

• Advance community aesthetics and beautification
• Address quality of place in one or more Monroe County communities
• Create welcoming, inclusive space(s), accessible to all
• Promote a sense of ownership and pride in the community
• Bring community together in all phases of the project
• Contribute to community vibrancy
• Activate underused public spaces or create new ones
• Be completed and open to the public within one year of receiving CFBMC funds
• Have a sustaining impact
  

Click here for more information on how to apply. The application deadline is Feb. 29, with grants awarded in April 2020.

In a unanimous vote at their Dec. 18 meeting, the Bloomington City Council approved the new Unified Development Ordinance (UDO), a major step in the nearly 2-year process to update the city's zoning code.

The UDO, as amended by the Council, will be reviewed by the city's Plan Commission at their next meeting on Jan. 13.

The Plan Commission will also be responsible for recommending a map that will convert the current zoning districts to new ones that align with terminology used in the new UDO. As an example, the current Residential Core (RC) district will be renamed Residential Small Lot (R3). In addition, some new zoning districts, including Residential Urban (R4) and Mixed-Using Student Housing (MS), will need to be added to the map.

A few highlights of the new UDO:

• The option of a payment-in-lieu of building affordable housing is eliminated for planned unit developments (PUDs). However, for other types of development, payment-in-lieu is still allowed. The new UDO clarifies that a timeline should be set for implementation of payment-in-lieu definitions and procedures, and that these procedures should be publicly available.
• Duplexes, triplexes and quadplexes are prohibited in core residential neighborhoods, but are allowed in other residential zones.
• Accessory dwelling units (ADUs) are allowed as a by-right use, rather than a conditional use.
• Signs protruding from downtown storefronts will be allowed.

Click here for more information about the Council's UDO changes.

Monroe County is in the process of selecting a consultant to overhaul the county's zoning code.

At their Dec. 18 work session, Monroe County Commissioners heard from Larry Wilson, the county's planning director. He said that staff and the county Plan Commission recommended hiring Clarion Associates for the new County Development Ordinance (CDO). 

Clarion recently did the City of Bloomington's Unified Development Ordinance (UDO). The firm also has done work for Indianapolis/Marion County, Fort Wayne/Allen County, and hundreds of other communities nationwide.

Wilson said that $105,000 remained from the previous CDO appropriation. The county previously hired Calfee Zoning, but that firm was unable to complete the project and reached a settlement with the county to end their contract.

Commissioner Julie Thomas, who also serves on the county Plan Commission, said she preferred the other finalist, Clearzoning, because she thought their writing was clearer. "But I'm happy to go with the majority of my colleagues," she added. 

Wilson reported that Clearzoning, which is based in Michigan, had no experience with projects in Indiana, and would need to learn Indiana statutory requirements.

​The three-member Monroe County Board of Commissioners is expected to vote on the contract at their Jan. 8 meeting. The seven-member County Council would then be asked to appropriate funds for the work at their Jan. 14 meeting. Wilson told commissioners that he hoped the bulk of the CDO could be completed in 2020.

Click here to watch the Dec. 18 working session on CATS.

The City of Bloomington wants feedback on conceptual designs for three gateways into the city: the Arlington pedestrian bridge over the State Road 46 bypass, Miller Showers Park, and Bloomfield Road next to the Twin Lakes Sports Park.

Preliminary designs by Indianapolis-based landscape architects Rundell Ernstberger Associates are posted online and were presented to the Bloomington Board of Park Commissioners on Dec. 10. Click here to see the designs.
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Click here for the feedback form.

This design phase is funded with $45,800 from the city's 2018 Bicentennial Bond. Additional funds from that bond will be used for building the gateways.

The May 5, 2020 primary election is months away, but Monroe County Elections is already recruiting poll workers. These are paid positions for Election Day.

To be a poll worker in Monroe County, you must meet these requirements: 

1. Be a registered voter of Monroe County.
2. Attend training provided by the Election Board.
3. Have access to transportation.

For more information about the various jobs available – including the student poll worker program – check out Monroe County Election Central or contact their office at 812-349-2612.

The Monroe County Community School Corporation is seeking to fill a board vacancy for a district covering parts of Bloomington's central and eastern sectors.

MCCSC will be taking applications until Jan. 6, 2020 for the District 6 seat, currently held by Lois Sabo-Skelton.  She announced her resignation in November, to take effect at the end of 2019.

Applicants must have lived in District 6 for at least two years, be a qualified voter and be at least 21 years old. They can't be an MCCSC employee. Click here for additional information about qualifications in the MCCSC bylaws. 

The MCCSC board will make the appointment. The board will interview applicants on Jan. 14th and Jan. 21st and must make an appointment by the end of January. They are expected to announce the appointment at their Jan. 28 meeting, when that new trustee would be sworn in.

Trustees of the seven-member MCCSC board serve four-year terms and are paid $2,000 annually plus $112 for each regular meeting, among other compensation. The appointee would serve out the remainder of Sabo-Skelton's term, which ends on Dec. 31, 2020. If they wanted to continue serving on the board, they would need to run for that seat in 2020.

Click here to see a list of MCCSC board meeting dates in 2020.

Not sure if you live in District 6? Click here to find out using the Monroe County interactive GIS system.

Here's a timeline of upcoming meetings and possible actions. For additional background on recent actions, read this article from the B Square Beacon.

• Wednesday, Dec. 4: 10 a.m. Monroe County Board of Commissioners meeting. Commissioners gave a positive response to Bloomington Mayor John Hamilton’s Dec. 3 letter committing to equal representation on a governing entity. They also gave a first reading for an ordinance to create a CIB. They will likely make a decision about creating the CIB at their Dec. 11 meeting.

 

• Wednesday, Dec. 4: 6:30 p.m. Bloomington City Council meeting. They’re expected to vote on a resolution making a specific dollar-amount request of the Food & Beverage Tax Advisory Commission for tax expenditures for the expansion.

 

• Wednesday–Friday, Dec. 4-6 During this time, the hope is that the mayor and commissioners will work out an agreement on governance. This is what county councilors are hoping will happen.

 

• Friday, Dec. 6 at noon. Deadline set by county commissioners to reach agreement with the city on a timeline for next steps.

 

• Friday, Dec. 6 at 3 p.m. Monroe County Council meeting. Depending on what the mayor and commissioners have done, the county council might decide to set a deadline for specific action – which, if not met, could lead councilors to consider a repeal of the food and beverage tax.

 

• Tuesday, Dec. 10 at 9 a.m. Food and Beverage Tax Advisory Commission meeting. The FBTAC is expected to consider the city council’s new resolution that makes a request for a total $6 million expenditure for architectural fees.

 

• Wednesday, Dec. 11 at 10 a.m. Monroe County Board of Commissioners meeting. Commissioners might take action on creating a CIB or an interlocal agreement about signing a contract with the architect.

 

• Wednesday, Dec. 11 at 6:30 p.m. Bloomington City Council meeting. The council is expected to hold a hearing on the appropriation ordinance for a total of $6 million in food and beverage tax money, and vote to pass it.

Bloomington Transit is holding its final session in a weeks-long series of public input sessions about its proposed route redesign. The session runs from 1:30-4 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 3 at the Downtown Transit Center AP Room, 301 S. Walnut.

The proposed changes are part of BT's Route Optimization Study, which began in 2018. More information about this effort is available on BT's website.
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​BT is also looking for feedback on these service changes via an online survey. Click here to take the survey.