Bloomington City Council: Public Safety Concerns and a New Water System

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – The Bloomington City Council concluded its final meeting of the month on Nov. 27.

The council gave the floor to four residents who would have three minutes to address issues they believed should be resolved in the Bloomington community. Some of the notable features from this meeting were the concerns of the raked leaves on the curb that were supposed to be picked up by the city but no one came.

A resident of the Bloomington area said, “I’m coming to you about the leaves that were raked in the street; they were to be raked in the parkway. The city didn’t come pick them up and with the recent snow, they were forced everywhere. This leaves it up to the owner to be responsible for picking up those leaves again. ”

The same resident had concerns that the sidewalks not being ADA-accessible.

“We were supposed to get ADA sideways in 1990. I’m still waiting,” he added.

Another resident came to voice her opinion on the increasing percent of the Waste Sewer Trash (WST) over the last year.

She said, “From October 2022 to October 2023 there has been a 5.3% increase. This will not only effect me and my husband’s arising rates but the community as a whole.”

After a motion was passed 9 ayes to no nays, the council directed their attention to Director Ed Andrews who is responsible for proposing the new water structure systems that will take place.

With the new proposal of a replacement value of about $850 million – which would include the new water plant, all of the water mains and dams that would hold the infrastructure together.

“This new investment will help ensure the safety and quality of our drinking water,” Andrews explained. “We have invested in smaller pipelining to ensure for cheaper processing value.”

To conclude the meeting, City Manager Tim Gleason gave word of the upcoming events for the holiday season:

• November 30: Special Opportunities Available in Recreation (SOAR) – Holiday Favorites show
• December 1: Once Upon a Holiday
• December 1-2 and 8-9: Miller Park Zoo – Wild Lights at the Zoo
• December 9: Miller Park Zoo – Ugliest Sweater Run
• December 16: Downtown Bloomington –  Stocker Stuffer Saturday
• December 23: Grossing Motors Arena – Holiday Farmers’ Market

The Bloomington City Council will meet again December 4 at 6 p.m.