Execution, Discipline, and Getting the Basics Right
Over the past eight years at the Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce, I’ve worked alongside businesses, community leaders, and elected officials through periods of both momentum and uncertainty.

As the Mayor prepares to deliver the State of the City address on March 31st, Bloomington faces a series of decisions that will shape its trajectory for decades.

The question is no longer whether we understand the challenges—it is whether we are prepared to act on them with the urgency and discipline they require.

When I first stepped into this role, Bloomington was moving forward—investment was steady, confidence was high, and while challenges existed, the trajectory pointed upward.
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Today, that trajectory feels less certain.

This is not a statement of decline. It is a recognition that we are at an inflection point—and how we respond in the next 12 to 24 months will shape Bloomington’s economic future for years to come.

The 2026 Indiana State Legislative Session ended February 27th — and for Monroe County residents, the results were mixed at best. The session got off to a rocky start when the Trump administration pushed for mid-cycle redistricting, pressuring Governor Braun to bring it to the floor. Indiana's Republican majority pushed back, but the distraction cost valuable legislating time. Bills moved fast, oversight was thin, and the consequences showed.

This development did not stop Rep. Matt Pierce from catching a catastrophic bill, HB 1333, that would have allowed any project to be developed on agricultural zone land if the soil was bad enough. These developments would bypass public hearings and go through only site planning (watch the clip on Indy Star). The common attitude was “let's pass these bills in our chamber, and hopefully the other chamber will fix all their problems.” Not to mention, those Republicans who opposed redistricting are now facing challengers. Folks at the Indiana Chamber are concerned because those same lawmakers are their pro-business voices. 
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The session opened with bold promises: lower the cost of living, address the housing crisis, expand childcare access, and strengthen protections for employers. Most of those promises either died quietly or were watered down beyond recognition. Most notable was HB 1001, which was originally written to remove onerous zoning and permitting requirements imposed by local governments to streamline housing construction and alleviate the housing crisis. Many legislators noted that this bill helps developers more than the homebuyers, but it was a good starting point. The bill lost its teeth when it passed with an opt-in option. This raises the question: how will these changes help Monroe County’s housing crisis? For that matter, will it change anything? HB 1002 experiments with electric utility performance-based rate making as a way to reduce costs and price spikes for low-income populations. Legislators noted that this bill may face backlash. Some consumers like to see what their bill is for the given month to weigh their usage. 

I attend nearly every meeting of the Bloomington City Council — not because I enjoy long evenings under fluorescent lights, but because what happens in that room determines whether Bloomington builds, adapts, competes, or stalls. The business community deserves a voice at that table.

Increasingly, I leave with the same uneasy insight: we are debating process with more intensity than we are debating outcomes.

Process matters. Legislative integrity matters. But when procedure becomes the main event, momentum fades — and momentum is something Bloomington cannot afford to lose.

​Wednesday Night: A Vote About Whether to Move Forward
The Council voted 7–2 not to introduce the ordinance for the Hopewell South housing phase. This was not an outright rejection — several councilmembers made clear they support the development in concept. But the ordinance was stopped before first reading.
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Concerns centered on document clarity, agenda timing, and whether the item felt "fully baked." Councilmember Piedmont-Smith put it directly: she called it a good project, but said no one would be helped by rushing it.

These are not unserious objections. Precision matters. But so does timing.

The Indiana Legislature is under pressure of getting priority bills passed. With a shorter session, legislators have approved bills hoping that they will be properly vetted and amended as they switch to the other chamber. This puts extreme emphasis on the next few weeks, as legislators contemplate affordability for Hoosiers, aiding local government, and how to recover from the backlash from voting not to redistrict. The Indiana Chamber sees many of their supporters being primaried because they turned down redistricting. With 228 active bills, here are some that our advocacy team is watching closely and their latest updates:

​HB 1001 Housing Matters- referred to Senate Committee on Judiciary 2/5

• HB 1001 streamlines local housing regulations by expanding by-right development, limiting restrictions on parking, design, density, and lot standards, capping certain fees, strengthening permit protections, and requiring annual housing reports to the state. All aimed at increasing housing supply and affordability.
• Many believe this bill could be huge for Monroe County. It could allow for developers to expand outside of Bloomington, give more mixed housing options, increase supply while leveling out housing costs, leading to better residence retention. 
• While many of our legislators feel this bill mostly helps the developers and not the homebuyers, bill is a good starting point.  

Last night, I stood before the City Council holding a letter from Monroe County Assessor Judy Sharp’s office. It was not an opinion piece. It was not political. It was a market correction.

In that letter, the Assessor announced that land values along the South Walnut corridor — from 2nd Street south to Hillside — are being rolled back to 2024 levels for payable 2026 and will remain flat into 2027. She described the move as, at best, a “Band-Aid,” and referenced boarded buildings, graffiti, trash, and empty lots. She acknowledged the direct connection between business health and market performance.

Assessors do not lower land values casually. They follow sales data and respond to market conditions. When values are rolled back, something has weakened. And when assessed value declines, so does the tax base that funds public safety, infrastructure, and core services.

At a time when SB1 is already compressing local fiscal capacity, this corridor-level signal should not be dismissed as routine.

It is not routine.

The City of Bloomington Utilities has filed a request with the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission (IURC) that would significantly increase water rates for commercial and industrial users.

For many businesses — large and small — this is not a minor adjustment. It is a material cost increase that will affect operating budgets, pricing decisions, hiring plans, and long-term investment.
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Under the proposal:

• Residential customers would see an increase of roughly 20%.
• Small businesses and large commercial users would face increases of nearly 50%.
• Irrigation users would see rates more than double.​

I’ve been thinking a lot about momentum lately or as the late-great Congressman Mo Udall dubbed it, “The Big Mo”.

Not the buzzword kind, but the real kind—the real McCoy that shapes how a community sees itself and how the outside world sees us. The kind that encourages someone to visit for the first time, to come back for the tenth, or to take a leap and build a life here.

That’s why the success of the IU football team this season matters so much—We want the storybook sequel that lives beyond the falling confetti, cheering fans, and the Hoosiers' first National Championship.

Yes, this run has brought excitement. Yes, it’s created packed restaurants, watch parties, alumni gatherings, and a jolt of energy downtown. But the real value of this moment goes far beyond a single game or weekend.

It’s about narratives. And Bloomington needs a new one.

Economic competitiveness does not happen by chance. It is built over time through consistent investment in education, healthcare, infrastructure, and the systems that support a skilled workforce.

Chambers of Commerce often engage on tax policy through the lens of growth, investment, and long-term economic competitiveness. Businesses also depend on fiscal stability and predictability. Oklahoma’s experience with tax reform offers a cautionary lesson—not because tax reform itself is flawed, but because the structure of how it is implemented matters (Pew Charitable Trusts; National Conference of State Legislatures).

For Indiana lawmakers, the takeaway is straightforward: tax policy only strengthens competitiveness when it is fiscally sustainable.

What Happened in Oklahoma
Beginning in the mid-2000s, Oklahoma enacted permanent income tax cuts while relying heavily on oil and gas revenues to balance its budget. During periods of high energy prices, this approach appeared manageable. When prices fell, revenues collapsed. The tax cuts, however, remained in place (Pew Charitable Trusts; National Conference of State Legislatures).

This mismatch created structural budget instability. Oklahoma faced recurring shortfalls and relied on one-time fixes rather than long-term solutions.
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From a business perspective, this matters. Employers make investment decisions based on certainty. Fiscal volatility introduces risk and limits long-term planning.