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From YouTube: Council Minute November 19
Description
Mayor Tim Busse explains what the governor’s new measures mean for Bloomington, including the closure of Bloomington Ice Garden and Center for the Arts. Plus, the latest on the City’s Park System Master Plan, 2021 budget and a petition from residents requesting a recount of ranked choice voting.
A
Hello
bloomington,
I'm
mayor
tim
bussey,
and
this
is
the
council
minute
for
the
week
of
november
16th.
The
council
meeting
this
week
was
chock
full
of
important
items
for
today
and
for
the
future
and,
as
has
been
the
case
for
the
past
few
weeks,
kobit
is
the
lead
story.
Last
friday
I
declared
a
local
emergency
and
on
monday
night
the
city
council
affirmed
the
declaration
and
extended
the
local
emergency.
The
resolution
will
stay
in
effect
until
the
city
council
takes
action
at
some
point
in
the
future
to
end
the
local
emergency
declaration.
A
So
what
does
that
mean?
Well,
the
declaration
allows
the
city
manager
and
our
emergency
manager
to
take
actions
so
that
our
response
to
the
pandemic
can
be
done
more
efficiently
and
more
nimbly.
Things
are
changing
rapidly
and
we
need
to
make
sure
that
the
city
can
move
quickly
to
ensure
that
we
have
the
right
resources
in
place
and
that
we're
taking
the
best
possible
actions
to
protect
the
public
and
our
employees,
if
necessary.
A
A
They
made
their
decision
based
on
the
facts
and
science
on
expert
advice
from
public
health
officials
and
out
of
an
abundance
of
caution
and
concern
for
the
entire
community
people,
both
young
and
old.
They
were
right
to
do
what
they
did
and
this
week's
action
by
the
governor
to
halt
youth
sports
for
the
next
four
weeks.
It
demonstrates
that
they
made
a
good
call.
Protecting
our
community
sometimes
means
having
to
make
difficult
decisions
thanks
to
the
school
board
for
their
leadership.
A
On
this,
the
governor's
order
to
suspend
indoor
sports
and
activities
means
that
the
city
will
be
adjusting
our
services.
Bloomington
ice
garden
will
be
closed
until
further
notice.
We'll
also
be
closing
the
bloomington
center
for
the
arts,
at
civic,
plaza
until
it's
again
safe
to
resume
socially
distance
use
of
the
galleries
and
the
studios.
A
Now
the
community
has
been
following
cobia
19
safety
guidelines
when
using
these
facilities,
but
the
conditions
have
changed
so
much
that
these
plans
are
no
longer
sufficient,
because
the
pandemic
situation
continues
to
evolve.
The
reopening
of
these
facilities
will
be
reevaluated
on
an
ongoing
basis
and
with
guidance
from
the
minnesota
department
of
health,
we'll
also
be
evaluating
how
we're
delivering
our
services.
Many
of
you
probably
saw
the
news
this
week
that
bloomington
fire
has
been
stretched
thin
by
the
number
of
firefighters
benched
by
covet
or
quarantine.
A
Other
areas
of
our
operations
are
experiencing
similar
staffing
challenges
and
we
want
to
keep
our
city
staff
safe.
The
city,
manager
and
department
leaders
will
be
reviewing
in-person
services
at
civic,
plaza
and
other
city
buildings.
So
you
may
hear
more
about
that
in
the
coming
days
for
other
entertainment
activities
around
town
like
attractions
at
the
mall
of
america
or
the
water
park
at
great
wolf,
the
order
will
shut
those
down
as
it
will
for
gyms
and
for
clubs
too.
A
A
We
are
very
fortunate
to
have
a
great
variety
of
restaurants
in
bloomington
and
I'm
encouraging
all
of
you
to
make
it
a
point
of
community
pride
to
support
as
many
of
them
as
you
possibly
can
over
the
next
four
weeks.
They
need
our
support
and
we
absolutely
want
all
of
them
to
make
it
through
this
very
tough
time.
A
I
want
to
echo
the
governor's
plea
folks.
Do
the
right
thing
limit
your
social
interactions
to
your
immediate
family
for
the
next
four
weeks,
continue
to
keep
yourself
and
others
safe
when
you
go
out,
always
have
a
face
covering
and
always
maintain
that
safe
social
distance,
it's
four
weeks
that
will
make
a
difference
for
our
hospitals,
so
they
don't
get
overwhelmed
and
have
to
turn
away
sick
people
it's
four
weeks
for
frontline
healthcare
professionals,
so
they
don't
get
overwhelmed
overworked
and
overexposed
to
this
virus.
A
It's
four
weeks
of
limited
social
activity,
so
we
can
regain
a
lifetime
to
enjoy
our
communities.
The
alternative
is
simply
not
worth
the
cost.
In
addition
to
the
emergency
declaration,
the
council
had
a
couple
of
other
important
discussions
on
monday
night
for
much
of
this
year,
staff
and
council
have
been
working
on
a
park
system
master
plan.
A
As
we
worked
on
the
park
system,
master
plan
we've
been
considering
a
lot
of
information,
local
and
national
park
and
recreation
trends.
Community
demographics
facility
needs
current
and
future
programming
needs,
maintenance
needs
and
expectations,
long-term
sustainability
and,
most
importantly,
information
gathered
from
the
community.
A
The
plan
will
ultimately
be
the
foundation
for
future
decision
making
for
program
planning
and
for
budgeting
and
park
system
investments
at
monday's
meeting
staff
and
consultants
led
the
council,
through
a
discussion
of
a
draft
capital
planning
framework
using
a
service
area
model.
This
approach
helps
us
balance,
needs
around
the
community
and
to
prioritize
based
on
facility
conditions.
Community
needs
and
resident
feedback
staff
also
presented
potential
locations
for
the
addition
of
exciting
new
amenities
to
the
park
system,
such
as
fully
inclusive
playgrounds
for
people
of
all
abilities,
skate
parks,
splash,
pads
and
dog
parks.
A
There
is
much
more
to
come
on.
This
staff
will
be
coming
back
to
the
city
council
with
recommendations
based
on
the
discussion
we
had
this
week.
In
the
meantime,
we'll
be
posting
information
to
our
online
engagement
page,
that's
at
letstalk.bloomingtonmn.gov,
and
it's
there
for
you
to
follow
what
we're
talking
about
and
to
add
your
voice.
A
A
The
options
for
reductions
were
bundled
into
three
groups.
Depending
on
what
tax
levy
the
council
decided
to
set
council
had
a
good
discussion
about
what
was
on
the
table
for
reductions.
Now,
there
was
strong
consensus
from
the
committee
that
public
safety
reductions
should
be
among
the
last
considerations
and
the
council
discussion
supported
that.
At
the
end
of
the
discussion,
we
directed
the
city
manager
to
bring
back
a
budget
proposal
in
the
range
of
a
two
and
a
half
to
three
percent
increase
in
the
tax
levy.
A
We'll
discuss
his
budget
recommendations
at
our
study
session
on
november
13th,
but
here's
what
you
need
to
know
about
the
proposed
tax
levy.
For
next
year,
more
than
half
of
our
residential
taxpayers,
56
percent
will
see
an
overall
reduction
in
their
property
taxes
based
on
the
preliminary
levies
set
by
the
city.
The
county
and
the
school
district,
the
city
council,
is
most
likely
going
to
reduce
the
tax
levy
further,
which
means
even
even
greater
number
of
residents
will
see
an
overall
reduction
in
taxes.
A
If
you
are
a
homeowner,
you
should
have
received
your
notice
of
proposed
taxes
for
next
year.
That's
where
you'll
find
out
what
to
expect.
The
city
council
has
scheduled
our
truth
and
taxation
hearing
for
monday
december
7th
at
7
o'clock.
You
can
send
comments
by
email
to
city
council
bloomingtonmn.gov.
A
A
This
week
the
city
received
a
petition
by
residents
requesting
a
recount
of
the
ballots
on
that
one
question
now:
according
to
minnesota
law,
if
an
election
has
a
margin
of
less
than
one
half
of
one
percent,
a
recount
can
be
requested
at
the
city's
cost.
Now,
in
the
case
of
the
ranked
choice,
voting
ballot
question,
the
margin
was
more
than
that.
It
was
a
bit
more
than
two
percent,
which
means
that
the
recount
requesters
must
pay
for
the
cost
of
the
recount.
A
On
monday
night,
the
city
council
set
the
cost
of
the
recount
at
approximately
twelve
thousand
dollars,
based
on
an
estimated
estimate
of
staff
time
and
the
cost
necessary
to
perform.
The
recount
staff
has
notified
the
petitioners
of
the
cost,
and
at
this
time
we
don't
know
if
the
recount
will
proceed,
but
we
will
be
sure
to
let
you
know
the
next
time
on
the
city
council
minute.