Bloomington City Council: Public comments address roadways and safety act

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – The Bloomington City Council held its first council meeting of the month on November 13.

Public comments addressed concerns about the city. Among these were apprehensions regarding the structural integrity and safety of Bloomington’s roadways, with specific emphasis on sidewalks lagging behind in compliance with handicap accessibility standards, unattended potholes and a perceived oversight in the management of leaf disposal by the public works department. Additionally, residents voiced their concerns about the disruptive noise coming from motorcycles on public roads.

Addressing these concerns, the Council duly acknowledged the public feedback and provided updates on pertinent matters, notably the leaf pickup schedule, which can be accessed on the city website.

The council also gave an update on the recently enacted safety act. Residents were keen to understand the impact of this legislation in terms of the demographic composition and numerical change of the McLean County jail population, as well as the statistics related to individuals released as opposed to being detained.

While statewide figures experienced a large change in both of these, McLean County’s remained stable. A noted expert in the field, a Professor of Criminal Justice at Loyola, attributed this lack of change to the pre-existing effective practices of the local police department and district attorneys.

Bloomington has the opportunity to reduce their tax rate to keep the actual amount that residents pay flat. The city captures more in sales taxes alone than the net of this property tax increase that is being talked about happening. The decision about reduced or raised tax rates will be held next meeting.

The next Bloomington City Council Meeting will be on November 27 at 6:00 p.m.