►
From YouTube: Council Minute March 1
Description
Mayor Tim Busse gives a shoutout to all who keep the roads and sidewalks clear during this challenging winter, welcomes the City’s new Port Authority Administrator and talks economic development, plus possible changes to the process of how the City does licensing and fees.
A
A
I
know
it
wasn't
the
snowmageddon
that
some
predicted,
but
13
inches
of
snow
is
still
a
good
sized
storm
and
the
fact
that
it
fell
over
the
course
of
three
days
made
things
even
more
challenging
I'm
proud
of
the
work
that
our
staff
did
to
keep
the
city
safe
and
move
in.
So
beyond.
The
13
inches
of
snow
here
are
some
numbers
for
you
here
in
Bloomington
we
have
more
than
2
000
Lane
miles
of
streets.
A
We
have
250
miles
of
sidewalks
and
more
than
500
cul-de-sacs
and
officially
there
are
28
plow
operators
in
our
Street
Maintenance
division,
but
when
the
snow
falls,
whether
it's
the
big
totals
like
we
saw
last
week
or
just
five
or
six
inches
snow
removal
becomes
the
responsibility
of
multiple
departments
across
across
the
city.
Street
Maintenance
takes
the
lead
and
coordinates
and
communicates
with
Park
and
Recreation
facilities,
Fleet
Services
and
utilities.
A
They
are
all
part
of
the
snow
removal
team
and,
of
course,
Public
Safety
like
police
and
fire
also
have
plenty
to
do
when
a
snowstorm
hits
plowing
out.
The
city
is
a
big
job
and
I
hope.
Everyone
appreciates
the
time
and
hard
work
and
resources
that
goes
into
making
sure
it
happens
and
is
done
well,
and
we
can't
Overlook
the
efforts
throughout
the
community
during
a
big
snow
event.
Simply
getting
cars
off
the
street
when
a
snow
emergency
is
called
is
enormously
helpful
and
I
heard
and
read
of
dozens
of
examples
of
neighbors
helping
neighbors.
A
It's
been
a
challenge:
keeping
the
streets
and
sidewalks
and
trails,
clear
hats
off
to
our
city
staff
for
the
great
work
they
have
done
and
given
that
we're
just
getting
into
March
the
great
work
they
almost
certainly
will
be
doing
again.
In
the
weeks
ahead.
Last
week,
the
Bloomington
Port
Authority
officially
welcomed
Holly
masick,
as
our
new
Port
Authority
administrator
Holly
comes
to
Bloomington
from
the
Rochester
downtown
Alliance,
where
she
served
as
director
for
almost
four
years.
A
I'm
very
excited
to
welcome
Holly
on
board
I'm
also
excited
because
it
continues
the
momentum
and
solid
work
we
have
underway
here
in
Bloomington
in
the
area
of
Economic
Development.
You
might
recall
that
last
fall.
The
council
approved
a
restructuring
of
the
Housing
and
Redevelopment
Authority
and
the
Port
Authority
in
a
way
that
refocused
their
work
to
better
serve
bloomington's
housing
and
economic
development
goals.
A
For
three
decades,
the
Bloomington
Port
Authority
has
been
a
very
successful
Economic
Development
agency
that
works
to
expand
the
city's
tax
base,
promote
and
attract
quality
job
opportunities
and
supports
real
estate
Redevelopment
and
economic
development.
The
restructuring,
which
was
the
result
of
an
analysis
done
by
an
outside
consultant,
expands
the
port
Authority's
role
to
more
actively
include
Business
Development
expansion
and
retention
and
IT
restructures
staff
to
meet
these
priorities.
A
A
A
Closer
to
home,
City
staff
and
elected
officials
worked
very
closely
with
the
Bloomington
convention
and
visitors
bureau
to
ensure
the
strength
of
the
hospitality
industry
and
I'm
sure
you've
heard
that
we're
in
the
process
of
developing
A
Small
Business
Development
Center
on
the
city's
East
Side.
We
also
partner
with
Hennepin
County
and
the
Metropolitan
Council
whenever
possible,
and
we
acknowledge
that
Bloomington
is
part
of
a
global
economy.
A
Bloomington
is
active
with
the
Minneapolis-St
Paul
foreign
trade
zone,
we've
hosted
Hiroshi
Tajima,
the
council
general
of
Japan,
and
last
week,
I
attended
an
event
in
Chicago
at
the
consulate
General's
office
and
last
year.
I
was
proud
to
be
part
of
an
event
with
the
German
American
Chamber
of
Commerce,
and,
of
course,
if
we
land
the
World
Expo,
it
affirms
that
our
reach
is
truly
Global,
with
a
strong
and
stable
economy,
good
Transportation
infrastructure
in
place
and
a
hard-working,
well-educated
Workforce.
We
know
that
Bloomington
is
a
great
place
to
do.
A
Business
I
feel
good
about
the
existing
and
growing
efforts.
We
have
in
place
to
tell
that
good
story
to
businesses.
Both
big
and
small
we've
seen
results
sick
Industries
located
in
their
North
American
headquarters.
Here
is
the
most
recent
example,
but
like
a
lot
of
our
work,
this
is
a
marathon,
not
a
Sprint,
I'm,
confident
that
our
steady,
systematic
work
will
continue
to
pay
off
for
Bloomington
in
terms
of
jobs
and
economic
development
now
and
in
the
future.
A
Finally,
today,
on
Monday
night,
the
council
had
a
good
discussion
about
City
business
licenses
about
the
process
of
doing
licensing
the
fees
charged
and
the
rationale
behind
what
we
do.
It's
very
day-to-day
Municipal
business
and
it
takes
place
in
City
Halls
across
Minnesota
and
I
appreciate
that
staff
took
a
close
look
at
some
possible
ways
to
do
things
better.
A
A
The
bottom
line
is
that
in
this
instance,
a
public
hearing
is
not
very
efficient
and
you
could
argue
that
it's
probably
not
needed
so.
On
Monday
night
staff
proposed
approving
liquor
licenses
as
part
of
our
consent
agenda,
rather
than
through
a
public
hearing.
The
background
checks
and
the
site,
inspections
and
other
license
requirements
would
still
stay
the
same,
but
eliminating
the
public
hearing
requirement
would
decrease
the
time
needed
for
it
to
process
a
license
by
at
least
three
weeks.
It
would
provide
flexibility
for
City
staff
and
the
applicant,
and
it
would
save
money.