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From YouTube: Council Minute November 25
Description
Mayor Tim Busse provides an update on a future veteran’s memorial, utility rates, and ranked choice voting petition to recount the vote total.
A
The
council
meeting
started
this
week
with
an
item
that
is
long
overdue
in
bloomington
development
of
a
veterans
memorial
for
the
past
couple
of
years,
city
staff
and
a
committee
of
bloomington
veterans
have
been
working
to
advance
the
idea
of
a
veterans
memorial
in
the
city
of
bloomington.
The
committee
established
a
nonprofit
bloomington,
remembers
veterans
to
further
the
project,
and
this
year
momentum
is
definitely
building.
Earlier.
This
year
the
group
put
out
a
request
for
qualifications
to
artists
and
design
teams
interested
in
submitting
a
design
concept
proposal.
A
A
At
our
meeting
monday
night,
bloomington
remembers
veterans
worked
with
city
staff
to
present
the
selected
team,
the
team
of
creative
designers
at
leo
a
daily
a
planning
and
architecture
and
engineering
firm,
and
they
shared
with
us
the
concept
that
excited
the
planning
team
and
matched
their
project
goals
with
a
creative
and
a
unique
vision.
Based
on
the
idea
that
a
memorial
can
be
more
than
just
a
place
of
remembrance,
but
also
one
of
reflection.
A
The
concept
incorporates
both
natural
and
constructed
elements.
It
includes
a
walkable
experiential
design
that
takes
advantage
of
the
open
spaces
on
the
site,
at
civic,
plaza
and
has
unique
opportunities
for
veterans
and
for
non-veterans
to
reflect
remember
and
to
learn.
As
I
said,
this
is
long
overdue.
Having
this
discussion
a
couple
of
weeks
after
veterans
day
and
during
the
thanksgiving
week,
it
really
seemed
serendipitous
to
me.
The
city
council
was
united
in
their
support
and
their
enthusiasm
for
this
project,
and
I
know
we're
all
excited
that
soon.
A
We'll
see
this
beautiful
addition
to
the
civic
plaza
campus,
there
are
still
a
couple
of
things
that
I
need
to
make
very
clear
about
this
project.
First.
This
is
not
a
city-led
project,
we
have
our
outreach
team
and
our
facility
staff
working
with
bloomington
remembers
veterans
and
their
supporters,
because
the
memorial
will
be
situated
on
city
property
and
because
we
want
to
make
sure
that
the
design
process
includes
the
different
voices
of
the
community.
A
Also,
this
is
not
not
a
city
funded
project.
Bloomington
remembers
veterans
will
be
doing
the
fundraising
necessary
to
move
this
project
forward.
The
concept
presented
by
the
selected
firm
has
a
budget
of
about
seven
hundred
thousand
dollars.
That's
a
heavy
lift
for
a
group
of
community
volunteers,
but
then
again,
these
are
people
who
knows
what
it
means
to
take
on
big
challenges:
they're
not
about
to
back
down
to
this
one
we'll
be
sure
to
let
you
know
when
the
fundraising
takes
off
in
earnest.
A
We
all
want
to
see
this
veterans
memorial
at
long
last.
How
long
it
takes
to
get.
There
depends
on
support
from
the
community
from
people
like
you
for
more
information
about
the
memorial
and
how
you
can
support
it.
Please
visit
bloomington
veterans,
stay
tuned
for
more
information
in
the
very
near
future.
A
A
Now
your
utility
bill
includes
charges
for
water
service,
waste,
water
management,
storm
water,
drainage
and
solid
waste.
This
year
the
staff
and
the
city
council
were
very
conscious
of
the
uncertain
impact
of
the
economy,
and
the
very
modest
increases
to
the
utility
rates
are
a
reflection
of
that
concern.
A
A
However,
after
several
years
of
rate
increases
in
the
eight
to
nine
percent
range,
we
thought
it
was
a
good
idea
to
hold
rates
as
close
to
flat
as
possible
this
year.
The
same
is
true
of
the
stormwater
system,
for
which
we
approved
a
two
percent
increase.
That
system
also
has
heavy
capital
costs
to
maintain
and
to
replace
storm
sewers
and
to
maintain
effective
storm
drainage
ponds
around
the
community
wastewater
was
kept
flat
for
2021
and
the
increase
in
the
solid
waste
fund.
A
36
cent
per
month
increase
is
tied
to
the
existing
garbage
contract.
A
A
These
are
the
core
basic
functions
of
local
government
and
our
crews
in
public
works
do
a
fantastic
job
of
making
sure
that
you
never
have
to
worry
about
how
well
those
systems
work.
Last
week
I
shared
with
you
that
a
petition
had
been
submitted
requesting
a
recount
in
the
vote
total
for
ballot
question.
Three
rank
choice:
voting
the
ballot
measure
passed
with
51.19
percent
of
the
vote.
A
A
Petitioners
were
notified
of
the
amount
and
they
didn't
come
forward
with
a
bond
for
the
amount
by
the
deadline
of
last
friday.
So
city
staff
will
begin
working
on
implementation
of
ranked
choice,
voting
for
the
2021
city
elections
next
november.
Our
cv
can
only
be
used
for
the
mayor
and
city
council
member
contests.
It
doesn't
apply
to
the
school
board
or
to
any
of
the
offices
that
were
just
on
the
ballot.
A
In
november
we
will
have
quite
a
bit
of
voter
education,
material
rolling
out
next
spring
and
into
the
summer,
so
keep
your
eyes
open,
as
we
all
learn
a
new
way
to
exercise
our
civic
duty.
Finally,
today,
I'm
sure
that
everyone
knows
that,
with
cases
of
covet
19
surging
in
minnesota,
governor
walls
has
turned
back
the
dials
and
has
placed
restrictions
on
bars
and
restaurants
during
a
temporary
pause.
A
Let's
show
bloomington
businesses,
the
love
and
the
support
they
need
to
get
to
the
other
side
of
this
pandemic.
Well,
that's
a
wrap
on
this
week's
council
minute
from
my
heart.
I
hope
that
you're
able
to
enjoy
this
thanksgiving
weekend-
and
I
hope
that
you
embrace
this
holiday
season
with
gratitude
and
with
grace
gratitude
for
the
many
blessings
we
have
as
a
community.