On Friday, Oct. 8, official public notices from the City of Bloomington were published in the Bloomington Herald-Times, marking the next step in the city's annexation process. 

Property owners who oppose annexation now have 90 days to file remonstrances with the Monroe County Auditor. Forms will be available at the courthouse square rotunda from 8-4 weekdays. Cathy Smith, the county auditor, will be offering informational classes on the remonstrance process at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. from Oct. 11-15, also at the courthouse square rotunda.

Read more about the city's annexation process here.

In a 5-hour meeting on Sept. 22, the Bloomington Council approved annexation of most areas proposed by the city administration, but did not move forward with Area 7, covering Bloomington's northern corridor.

​The votes to annex were all 6-3, with opposition from Dave Rollo, Susan Sandberg and Ron Smith.

Residents in the proposed annexed areas now have 90 days to file remonstrances, which are objections to annexation. Several speakers during public commentary on Sept. 22 who opposed annexation – including Monroe County Commissioner Julie Thomas and Margaret Clements, chair of the Monroe County Plan Commission – vowed to help residents with the remonstration process. 

If remonstrances are signed by 65 percent of the affected landowners in a proposed annexation area, or owners of 80 percent of the assessed property value there, then the annexation is automatically stopped. If more than 50 percent but less than 65 percent of affected landowners remonstrate, an appeal to the circuit court can be made. 

Read more about the city's annexation process here.

At their Aug. 11 meeting, Monroe County Commissioners voted to officially oppose the City of Bloomington's proposed annexation. The vote on the 3-person board was unanimous. Watch their comments on CATS here.

The commissioners previously hired Baker Tilly, a consulting firm, to do an independent fiscal analysis of the City of Bloomington's financial plan, to help gauge the impact on Monroe County government. The county also held three informational forums in late July and early August to discuss the plan and hear from residents.

On Aug. 10, Bloomington Mayor John Hamilton recommended removing Area 7 from his original annexation proposal. That area covers much of the northern gateway into the city. Read his press release here.

Bloomington City Council will continue a public hearing annexation on Wednesday, Aug. 11 at 6 p.m. via this Zoom link. Learn more about the city's annexation process here. They are expected to vote on adopting annexation ordinances at their Sept. 15 meeting.

Citing public health concerns related to COVID-19, Bloomington Council canceled the in-person part of its Aug. 4 public hearing on annexation and held the hearing only via Zoom.

The public hearing had been promoted as a hybrid meeting for months – in-person at city hall, and over Zoom, starting at 3 p.m. Less than an hour before the hearing started, the council issued a press release stating that they might hold the hearing over Zoom only. The capacity was limited in council chambers, with chairs spaced more than 6 feet apart and a limited number of people allowed to enter. Nevertheless, councilmembers cited the fear of crowds as endangering attendees. Though the Monroe County Commissioners had issued a mask mandate earlier that day, it did not take effect until Aug. 5. The health order did not limit the size of gatherings or indoor capacity.

After convening the meeting in person at 3 p.m., the council voted to recess and continue the hearing at 4 p.m. over Zoom only. You can watch the meeting via CATS here.

The annexation public hearing will continue on Wednesday, Aug. 11 at 6 p.m. via this Zoom link. Learn more about the city's annexation process here.

Consultants with Baker Tilly presented a financial analysis of proposed annexation at the Monroe County Council on July 27. The report was commissioned by the county to independently assess the financial impact of Bloomington's annexation. 

The report noted some variances between the Baker Tilly analysis and the City of Bloomington's fiscal plan, which is posted on the city's annexation website.  Some of those variances are due to different approaches taken in calculating the impact. For example, the city used 2019 assessment data, while the Baker Tilly consultants used data from 2020.

​Read the report here. Watch the Baker Tilly presentation on CATS here. An "impact calculator" is available on the county's website.

The county has scheduled three public forums to discuss the Baker Tilly report: 
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• July 28 at 6 p.m. at the Old State Road 37 Fire Station (5081 N Old State Road 37) and via Zoom
• Aug. 1 at 2 p.m. at the Fairgrounds (5700 W Airport Rd)
• Aug. 2 at 6 p.m. at the Kennedy Drive Fire Station (3953 S. Kennedy Dr.) and via Zoom

The Bloomington Council will hold a public hearing on annexation at their Aug. 4 meeting starting at 3 p.m. The council is expected to vote on Sept. 15. More about the city's annexation process here.

The City of Bloomington has scheduled four blocks of online "office hours" for residents to discuss proposed annexation. Staff  will be available at these times via this Zoom link:
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• Thursday, July 22: noon-2 p.m.
• Thursday, July 29: 2-4 p.m.
• Thursday, August 12: 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
• Thursday, August 19: 3-5 p.m.

Monroe County is also holding several forums to discuss annexation. Read more about those here.

The Bloomington Council will hold a public hearing on annexation at their Aug. 4 meeting starting at 3 p.m. The council is expected to vote on Sept. 15. More about the city's annexation process here.

Four meetings are scheduled to review a consultant's report that Monroe County commissioned regarding proposed City of Bloomington annexation.

The consultant, Baker Tilly, will make an initial presentation of its report to the Monroe County Council on Tuesday, July 27. That meeting starts at 5:30 p.m. via this Zoom link. In addition, the report will be presented at three public forums: 

• July 28 at 6 p.m. at the Old State Road 37 Fire Station (5081 N Old State Road 37)
• Aug. 1 at 1 p.m. at the Fairgrounds (5700 W Airport Rd)
• Aug. 2 at 6 p.m. at the Kennedy Drive Fire Station (3953 S. Kennedy Dr.)

The Bloomington Council will hold a public hearing on annexation at their Aug. 4 meeting starting at 3 p.m. The council is expected to vote on Sept. 15. More about the city's annexation process here.

At their June 2 meeting, Monroe County Commissioners approved an agreement with Baker Tilly for consultants to review and analyze the City's of Bloomington's annexation fiscal plan. The contract is for an amount not to exceed $50,000.

Commissioners previously released a statement on annexation here.

The City of Bloomington has relaunched an annexation effort that began in 2017 but was halted by state legislative action. The city successfully sued the state and resumed a process that is expected to conclude this fall. More information about the city's annexation initiative is here.

The annexation process that was halted by state legislative action in 2017 will resume in May, according to an announcement this week by Bloomington Mayor John Hamilton.

The city will be distributing revised and updated fiscal plans for the potential annexation areas in early May. City Council is set to review the updated fiscal plans on May 12. After adoption, the public process would continue with re-sending formal notice to current property owners, additional public hearings to review and evaluate potential boundaries, and a City Council vote to approve and/or amend the annexation ordinances, anticipated in September.  

Read the city's press release here. More information is also available on the city's annexation website.