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From YouTube: Council Minute July 20
Description
In this week’s Council Minute, Mayor Tim Busse explains the legal process and next steps after receiving a petition from a group opposed to ranked choice voting. Plus, he explains the strategic priorities fund.
A
Hello
bloomington,
I'm
mayor
tim
bussey,
and
this
is
the
council
minute
for
the
week
of
july
18th.
At
our
meeting
on
monday,
the
city
council
officially
accepted
a
certificate
of
sufficiency
regarding
a
petition
for
a
charter,
amendment
related
to
rank
choice.
Voting,
as
I'm
sure
you
remember,
back
in
november
of
2020,
the
voters
of
bloomington
approved
a
ballot
initiative
on
the
question
of
ranked
choice.
Voting
rank
choice.
A
Voting
is
a
method
that
allows
voters
to
rank
candidates
in
order
of
preference
and
it
eliminates
the
need
for
a
primary
because
it
combines
the
primary
and
general
election
into
one
event.
The
ballot
question
in
2020
asked:
if
bloomington
residents
wanted
to
adopt
ranked
choice,
voting
to
elect
the
mayor
and
city
council
members,
51.2
percent
of
voters
or
a
total
of
25
339
bloomington
residents
said
yes
and
48.8
percent,
or
a
total
of
24
158
residents,
said
no
ranked
choice.
Voting
was
used
for
the
first
time
in
november
of
2021
in
three
city
council
races.
A
So
now
fast
forward
to
june
21st
of
this
year,
the
city
received
a
petition
from
a
group
of
residents
who
are
opposed
to
rank
choice.
Voting
the
petition
asks
that
the
question
of
ranked
choice
voting
be
put
back
on
the
ballot
again,
this
fall
now
when
a
petition
is
submitted
that
proposes
changing
the
city
charter.
There
are
some
very
detailed
steps
that
need
to
be
taken
that
are
set
out
very
specifically
in
state
law.
A
A
A
Now,
regarding
that,
the
number
of
signers
needed
to
equal
at
least
five
percent
of
the
total
votes
in
the
last
state
general
election.
For
this
petition,
the
minimum
number
of
signatures
needed
was
2769
and
there
were
more
than
3
300
valid
signatures,
so
we're
good
there
and,
of
course
those
signatures
need
to
be
from
registered
bloomington
voters.
As
I
mentioned,
this
is
all
laid
out
in
state
law,
chapter
4,
10
12..
A
Now
you
might
be
wondering
what
the
petition
actually
says.
The
petition
seeks
to
make
four
amendments
to
the
bloomington
city
charter.
The
first
one
restores
the
primary
that
was
removed
when
ranked
choice.
Voting
was
put
in
place.
The
second
is
related
to
the
filing
of
candidates,
and
it
again
it
goes
back
to
the
language
in
place.
Pre-Ranked
choice
voting.
A
It's
that
two-thirds
requirement
that
has
our
city's
legal
team
concerned
that
the
amendment
could
be
subject
to
a
legal
challenge.
Minnesota
state
law
only
requires
51
percent
voter
approval
on
any
charter.
Amendment
ballot
question
minnesota
courts
have
said
that
a
city
cannot
place
a
question
on
the
ballot
if
it's
manifestly
unconstitutional,
inconsistent
or
preempted
by
state
law
or
inconsistent
with
public
policy.
A
A
We
hope
to
get
a
response
from
the
attorney
general's
office
that
will
offer
some
guidance,
but
frankly,
there's
no
guarantee
that
we
will
that's
why
we
accepted
the
petition
on
monday,
but
put
off
any
discussion
on
the
ballot
language
until
mid-august.
Now,
depending
on
what
we
hear
from
the
attorney
general's
office.
A
There
is
a
lot
more
to
come
on
this
stay
tuned.
Also.
On
monday
night,
the
city
council
approved
the
transfer
of
funds
into
and
then
allocations
from
the
city's
strategic
priorities
fund.
So
what
is
the
strategic
priorities
fund
each
year
when
the
annual
external
audit
is
complete
and
the
city
has
a
good
picture
of
where
the
prior
year's
financials
have
settled?
Staff
totals
up
the
positive
budget
variances
from
each
budgetary
fund
and
those
dollars
are
reallocated
to
the
strategic
priorities
fund.
A
It's
a
fund
that
helps
ensure
resources
are
available
for
special
projects
or
initiatives
or
activities
on
a
one-time
basis
or
as
a
transitional
source
of
funding.
The
city
manager
works
with
the
executive
leadership
team
to
identify
projects
that
support
the
council
strategic
initiatives.
They
address
long-standing
maintenance
issues
or
otherwise
support
city
service
delivery.
A
The
dollar
amount
in
the
fund
ranges
from
year
to
year
and
2021
was
a
high
year
of
positive
budget
variances.
With
a
total
of
about
6
million
dollars
of
that,
the
city
council
approved
the
allocation
of
3.49
million
dollars
to
projects
in
the
areas
of
police
parks
and
recreation
and
public
works.
The
police
department
will
receive
five
hundred
and
forty
thousand
dollars
for
four
projects
that
modernize
their
facilities,
improve
conditions
for
police
officers
and
enhance
the
department's
commitment
to
respectful
service
to
the
community.
A
Specifically,
the
projects
include
a
remodel
of
the
jail
facility,
the
purchase
of
a
body
scanner
for
the
jail
that
will
improve
safety
in
the
facility,
a
remodel
of
the
fitness
center
at
civic,
plaza,
that's
used
by
all
employees
and
is
heavily
used
by
our
officers
and,
finally,
a
shared
values.
Organizational
development
process
that
reflects
chief
hodges
commitment
to
creating
a
values-driven
organization,
the
1.7
million
dollars
that
will
go
to
park
and
recreation
will
provide
a
jump
start
to
a
lot
of
the
priorities
identified
in
our
recently
adopted
park
system
master
plan.
A
The
projects
include
a
new
pool,
filter
plus
ultraviolet
disinfection
for
the
floomington
family
aquatic
center.
It
includes
a
replacement
of
the
smith
park
playground
and
also
a
variety
of
park.
Improvements
across
the
city,
including
basketball
court
upgrades
at
cedar,
crest,
dred,
scott
smith
and
valley
view
parks.
A
The
addition
of
bag
toss
games
at
busch
lake
moyer,
normandale
lake
and
valley
view
the
redecking
of
10
bridges
at
central
highland
and
normandale
lake
parks
and
the
replacement
of
the
gazebo
roof
in
normandale
lake
park,
the
pool
filter
and
the
smith
park
playground
replacement,
they'll
be
completed
next
year
in
2023.
All
other
projects
should
be
completed
yet
this
year
and
finally,
in
public
works.
The
1.2
million
dollars
allocated
will
advance
the
council's
commitment
to
sustainability
in
our
natural
resource
environment
and
will
initiate
studies
to
enhance
the
livability
in
this
community.
A
The
studies
will
cover
topics
like
electric
vehicle
charging
stations,
an
active
transportation
study
that
would
replace
or
update
our
current
alternative
transportation
plan
and
a
study
to
help
sort
out
the
most
effective
ways
to
slow
down
traffic
on
our
streets
and
in
our
neighborhoods.
Now,
six
million
dollars
is
not
an
insignificant
amount
of
money,
and
I
want
to
share
a
bit
more
detail
on
this
positive
budget
variance
for
this
year.
This
year's
positive
budget
variance
is
actually
a
cumulative
amount
from
the
past
couple
of
years.
A
A
A
Others
might
ask
well
why
not
use
it
to
reduce
taxes
for
the
coming
financial
year?
That's
a
good
question,
but
if
the
money
was
used
for
something
other
than
one-time
projects,
it
would
create
a
structural
imbalance
in
our
budget,
because
expenses
and
obligations
are
ongoing
as
part
of
our
service
delivery
in
the
city
infusing
money
one
year
and
then
not
having
the
same
amount
to
infuse.
The
next
year
would
result
in
ups
and
downs
in
the
budget
and
the
tax
levy.