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From YouTube: Council Minute February 1
Description
Mayor Tim Busse explains recent funding awarded to the City by the Metropolitan Council to bring affordable homes to Bloomington, updates on boards and commissions interviews and a congratulations to Civics Bee participants.
A
A
We
didn't
have
a
council
meeting
this
week,
but
there
are
three
items
that
I
wanted
to
take
a
few
minutes
to
catch
up
on
today
we
talk
a
lot
about
housing
here
in
Bloomington
and
how
having
a
place
to
call
home
is
such
an
important
factor
when
it
comes
to
a
person's
well-being
and
success
in
life.
No
matter
who
you
are
decent,
affordable
housing
provides
a
solid
foundation
for
everything
else
that
goes
on.
A
Having
a
stable
house
to
come
home
to
each
day
generally
equates
to
more
economic
success,
better
educational
outcomes
and
a
better
quality
of
life.
That's
why
we've
been
working
hard
to
make
Bloomington
a
place
where
people
can
afford
to
live
through
our
opportunity,
housing,
ordinance
and
our
affordable
housing
trust
fund
Bloomington
is
able
to
work
with
developers
to
provide
housing
that
people
can
afford,
and
that
means
folks
in
our
hospitality
industry,
teachers
who
are
early
in
their
careers
and
first-year
police
officers,
but
while
affordable
rental
units
are
a
great
option
for
many
people.
A
A
We
know
that
owning
a
home
is
an
important
part
of
Building
Wealth
homeowners
build
equity
instead
of
paying
rent
and
are
ultimately
able
to
capitalize
on
that
Equity
when
they
decide
to
sell.
So
what
to
do.
Last
year,
the
Minnesota
Department
of
Transportation
released
control
of
five
lots
that
they
owned
near
Humboldt,
Avenue
and
West
82nd
Street
MnDOT
had
bought
the
Lots
years
ago
when
they
thought
they
would
need
the
land
as
part
of
a
possible
widening
of
35W,
but
plans
changed
so
MnDOT
released.
A
The
lots
and
the
city
council
appointed
the
Bloomington
Housing
and
Redevelopment
Authority
as
the
agent
to
manage
and
Market
the
lots
for
development.
The
council
directed
The
HRA
to
explore
long-term,
affordable
ownership
opportunities
for
the
properties,
and
the
HRA
did
just
that.
At
the
January
25th
Metropolitan
council
meeting,
the
HRA
was
approved
for
a
met,
Council
livable
communities,
affordable
home
ownership,
pilot
Grant.
A
Habitat
for
Humanity
is
the
development
partner
for
the
project
and
we
know
the
great
work
they
do
and
between
the
affordable
home
ownership
Grant
from
the
Met
Council
and
HRA
funding.
There
will
be
up
to
one
hundred
and
fifty
thousand
dollars
available
for
each
of
the
four
homes
to
help
close
the
cost,
Gap
and
possibly
to
help
with
down
payment
assistance
for
the
buyer.
The
bottom
line
is
that
there
will
be
four
new
homes
owned
by
low
to
moderate
income
families
and
empty
lots
will
be
put
to
a
good
productive
use.
A
I
am
very
excited
about
this
project,
but
I'll
admit
that
four
homes
sounds
modest.
Four
homes
are
not
going
to
change
the
world,
but
for
those
four
new
homeowners
their
world
will
change.
They'll
have
a
special
opportunity
to
own
their
own
home,
to
build
wealth
and
to
call
Bloomington
home.
Thank
you
to
our
HRA
staff
for
making
this
project
happen
to
the
med
Council
for
the
generous
Grant
and
to
Habitat
for
Humanity
for
their
partnership.
A
As
we
get
into
a
new
calendar
year.
One
of
the
responsibilities
of
the
city
council
is
to
make
appointments
to
a
variety
of
City
boards
and
commissions.
Over
the
past
couple
of
years,
we've
been
working
to
improve
the
selection
process
of
new
board
and
commission
members,
and
earlier
in
January,
the
process
was
fully
activated
on
Saturday
January
21st.
A
If
you
think,
40
applicants
sounds
like
a
lot
you're
right,
it
is
in
fact
it's
the
second
year
in
a
row.
We've
had
more
than
40
applicants,
four
openings
and
it's
a
far
cry
from
when
I
started
on
the
council,
and
there
were
times
when
we
had
to
call
and
recruit
people
to
apply
for
openings
on
boards
and
commissions.
A
So
40
applicants
is
a
lot,
especially
when
there
are
a
limited
number
of
openings
to
fill,
but
having
that
many
talented
and
thoughtful
people
looking
to
be
active
in
the
community,
it's
a
good
problem
to
have
I
think
the
numbers
we're
seeing
now
are
the
result
of
a
few
things.
First,
I
think
the
city
is
doing
a
much
better
job
of
recruiting
and
developing
potential
candidates
from
all
corners
of
the
city.
That's
helped
connect
the
opportunities
with
people
from
different
areas
of
the
city
and
to
people
who
represent
different
ages,
races,
ethnicities
and
backgrounds.
A
Second,
I
think
the
more
formalized
process
that
the
council
asks,
staff
to
develop
has
been
very
helpful.
The
process
stresses
Clarity
consistency,
equity
and
transparency.
People
know
what
they're
getting
into
and
finally
we're
seeing
a
lot
of
people
who
simply
want
to
be
involved
in
their
city.
So
much
of
that
ties
into
the
Bloomington
tomorrow,
together
strategic
plan,
the
goals
of
establishing
a
network
of
diverse
and
trusted
Community
Partners,
removing
barriers
to
participation,
motivating
community
members
to
actively
participate
and
then
seeing
community
members
increasingly
take
advantage
of
opportunities
to
contribute.
A
A
The
council
will
report
out
on
those
recommendations
and
make
the
formal
appointments
to
the
city
boards
and
commissions
at
the
February
6th
council
meeting.
Thank
you
to
everyone
who
applied
and
finally,
today,
a
mayor's
shout
out
to
all
of
the
seventh
graders
in
Bloomington
Public
Schools,
who
participated
in
this
year's
Citywide
Civic
speed
on
Wednesday
January
25th,
nine
students
from
Valley
View,
Oak,
Grove
and
Olson
Middle
Schools
gathered
in
the
city
council
chambers
to
compete
in
the
championship
round
and
I
had
the
pleasure
of
being
the
official
question
reader.
A
A
civicsbee
is
like
a
spelling
bee,
but
instead
of
spelling
words,
students
answer
a
broad
range
of
questions
related
to
Civics.
Very
simply,
Civics
is
the
study
of
citizenship,
as
well
as
its
rights
and
duties.
I
was
so
impressed
with
the
Poise
and
knowledge
that
every
one
of
those
students
showed
some
of
the
questions
were
really
tough
and
they
all
did
a
fantastic
job.
A
Congratulations
to
Zach
Hodgson
from
Oak
Grove,
Middle
School,
who
took
first
place
second
place,
went
to
Aiden
Andrews
from
Olson
and
Momo
Hawkinson
from
Valley
View
took
third
place,
but,
as
I
said,
all
of
the
students
deserve
a
big
round
of
applause
and
a
big.
Thank
you
to
the
folks
who
put
the
whole
thing
together.
The
Civics
beat
was
the
result
of
a
collaborative
effort
by
the
League
of
Women
Voters
Bloomington
and
Bloomington
Public
Schools,
with
support
from
the
community
outreach
and
engagement
division
here
at
the
city.