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From YouTube: Council Minute January 11
Description
The City Council approved a $250,000 grant to Artistry, an update on the 2023 legislative agenda and Mayor Busse provides a shoutout to all who helped dig out from the snow.
A
With
the
last
Monday
in
December
and
the
first
Monday
in
January
being
holidays,
the
council
hasn't
met
since
December
19th.
So
this
past
Monday
night
we
had
a
busy
agenda
and
I
wanted
to
highlight
a
couple
of
items
that
I
know.
People
are
interested
in.
On
Monday
night,
the
city
council
approved
a
250
000
Grant
to
Artistry
the
grant
will
help
Artistry
stay
afloat
and
will
hopefully
solidify
artistry's
ability
to
continue
to
provide
a
range
of
artistic
offerings
in
Bloomington.
A
If
you've
been
following
this
issue,
you
know
that
the
pandemic
caused
a
significant
operating
shortfall
in
artistry's
budget
and,
as
the
Artistry
board
chair
told
us
last
fall
that
bad
situation
was
made
worse
by
poor
management
and
LAX
board
oversight.
Artistry
asked
the
city
to
assist
their
recovery
plan
and
in
September
the
city
council
approved
a
150
000
grant
for
artistry
in
October.
A
I
voted
against
the
750
000
Loan
in
October
for
the
same
reason,
and
because
I
didn't
think
it
was
appropriate
for
the
city
to
be
providing
a
loan
at
that
October
meeting.
The
city
council
made
their
support
for
Artistry
very
clear,
but
the
council
also
made
it
very
clear
that
without
detailed
operational
and
fundraising
plans
that
support
would
not
include
City
Financial
backing.
Since
our
discussion
in
October
Artistry
has
taken
significant
steps.
Most
significant
has
been
their
work
with
an
organization
called
propelled.
A
Non-Profits
Propel
specializes
in
financial
and
consulting
services
to
help
other
non-profit
organizations
be
successful
under
propel's
guidance
and,
frankly,
as
a
practical
matter,
Artistry
has
significantly
reduced
their
proposed
budget
and
their
head
count.
They've,
reevaluated
and
restructured
their
program
offerings
and
they've
developed
a
fundraising
plan
that
includes
sponsorships
and
philanthropic
support.
A
In
short,
Artistry
has
done
enough
to
convince
me
and
the
rest
of
the
city
council
that
they
have
a
viable
path
to
move
forward,
not
a
guarantee,
but
at
least
a
viable
path.
The
term
sheet,
the
city
council
approved
specifically
states
that,
with
this
250
000
Grant
comes
the
expectation
that
Artistry
will
not
seek
emergency
financial
assistance
from
the
city
in
the
future.
Artistry
is
an
important
part
of
bloomington's,
vibrant
and
otherwise
thriving
art
scene.
We
know
there
is
a
significant
economic
return
on
the
investment
in
the
Arts
in
Bloomington.
A
A
Bloomington
has
a
formal
list
of
legislative
priorities
that
we
discuss
as
a
council,
we
coordinate
with
our
legislative
delegation
and
advocate
for
in
Saint
Paul
and,
if
you're
wondering,
if
all
of
that
is
really
necessary,
I'd
refer
you
to
the
old
adage,
if
you're
not
at
the
table,
you're,
probably
on
the
menu.
The
list
of
priorities
includes
items
that
the
city
will
actively
work
on,
like
full
funding
for
the
494
project,
expanding
brain
health
services
for
police
fire
and
First
Responders,
and
securing
State
funding
for
the
World
Expo.
A
There's
also
a
much
longer
list
of
issues
that
the
city
will
keep
an
eye
on
and
will
react
to.
If
legislation
starts
moving
issues
like
additional
clarifications
in
the
THC
legislation
that
was
approved
last
year,
prohibiting
landfill
expansion
and
environmentally
sensitive
locations
or
increased
funding
for
affordable
housing.
One
legislative
policy
that
we
continued
the
discussion
on
was
the
possibility
of
a
Bloomington
sales
tax.
We've
been
talking
about
this
for
a
while
now
and
here's
a
quick
review.
A
A
Bloomington
sales
tax
would
be
a
half
cent
added
to
sales
tax
charged
within
the
boundaries
of
the
city.
The
tax
would
only
apply
to
items
that
are
currently
taxable,
meaning
that
things
like
clothing
and
groceries
still
would
not
be
taxed,
but
rather
than
that,
half
cent
going
to
the
state
of
Minnesota
Revenue
collected
through
the
Bloomington
sales
tax
would
stay
right
here
in
Bloomington
and
would
help
pay
for
some
large
high
priority
capital
projects.
A
When
we
started
this
discussion
last
year
we
talked
about
four
possible
projects:
renovation
of
the
Bloomington
Ice
Garden,
a
new
Community
Health
and
Wellness
Center,
an
expansion
of
the
Bloomington
Center
for
the
Arts
and
a
replacement
of
the
clubhouse
at
Duan
golf
course
now,
based
on
a
few
factors.
The
potential
list
of
projects
that
we
talked
about
on
Monday
night
has
changed
a
bit.
A
Given
the
uncertainty
around
Artistry,
we
didn't
think
the
Arts
Center
expansion
was
appropriate
at
this
time
and
we
heard
from
legislators
last
year
that
they
would
not
support
sales
tax
money
going
to
a
golf
course,
so
we're
no
longer
pursuing
funding
for
the
art
center
expansion
or
for
dwan,
the
renovation
of
big
and
a
new
Health
and
Wellness
Center
are
still
part
of
the
conversation
and
we've
also
added
to
the
discussion.
A
renewal
of
the
Nine
Mile
Creek
Corridor.
A
That
project
would
include
improved
trails
and
new
Bridges
restoration
of
Woodland
and
Wetland
areas
and
a
new
park,
shelter,
building
and
Playground.
Now
this
whole
discussion
is
important
in
the
context
of
bloomington's
capital
investment
needs.
You've
heard
me
say
this
before
many
of
our
physical
assets
in
Bloomington
need
significant
investment
or
replacement
for
years.
A
Officially,
we
have
until
the
end
of
January
to
let
the
legislature
know
if
we
plan
to
move
forward
with
a
Bloomington
sales
tax
proposal
we'll
be
making
that
decision
at
our
January
23rd
meeting
and
as
part
of
that
meeting,
there
will
be
an
opportunity
for
public
comment
on
the
proposed
Bloomington
sales
tax,
I
hope
to
see
you
there
and
as
a
reminder.
If
we
do
choose
to
submit
this
to
the
legislature
and
it
is
signed
into
law,
Bloomington
residents
would
have
the
final
say
on
things.
A
A
proposed
Bloomington
sales
tax
would
ultimately
go
before
Bloomington
voters
for
final
approval
and
residents
would
have
the
opportunity
to
vote
Yes
or
No
for
each
project
separately
and,
finally,
today
a
mayor's
shout
out
to
our
Public
Works
team
that
did
a
fantastic
job,
getting
the
city
dug
out
and
moving
again
after
last
week's
15
inches
of
snow.
That
snow
was
wet
and
heavy,
and
there
was
a
lot
of
it.
A
Hats
off
to
our
folks
who
worked
long
hours
to
get
it
plowed
and
cleared
and
hats
off
to
everyone
who
helped
dig
out
or
push
out
their
neighbors
who
needed
a
helping
hand
well
done
Bloomington.
That
will
do
it
for
this
week's
Council
minute,
thanks
for
joining
me
until
next
time,
stay
safe,
Bloomington,.