Coughing through Budget Week
David R. Grubb is back to visit us. It’s an unusual week here at City Council. Normally we meet Wednesday nights at 7:30, but¬†this week we’ve been hearing the proposal from each city department for...
View ArticleThis week in Council: off
The Council won’t meet this week for its usual Committee of the Whole. We had only one item for First Reading at last week’s Regular Session. Anticipating the Thanksgiving holiday, we held a Committee...
View ArticleThanksgiving Day; no post-meeting report
Normally from now on I’ll post a post-mortem on the previous night’s Council meeting. There was none this week because of the holiday. Don’t eat too much turkey! Continue reading
View ArticleTempest in a tea-cup: AZ SB1070 and our intent to boycott
A regular session of the Bloomington city council with no items on the agenda is going to be a short one. Last night’s was 35 minutes, most of it taken up by public comment. One commenter spoke against...
View ArticleRegarding city council redistricting
2010 Census Block Map, Bloomington Township, Monroe County, Indiana In discussion of the decennial mandate to redraw the city’s council districts.
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The very basics of how Bloomington’s city council works: update
Your humble servant, en portrait c.2007. It’s not a great photo, I know. Note the gavel peeking out at right.Wednesday nights are Council meeting nights, and they can go on. Last night’s committee of...
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How to start your own town, Hoosier-style
Last week, in addressing what Bloomington could do to see more “affordable” housing built, I wrote this: Council has some authority, but not that much in a country called the United “States” of...
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AMA: How to follow an item through City Council
Q: What’re the first steps someone needs to take to get involved in local government? And do you need to be affiliated with a party? — Citizen Newbie A: Newbie, I’m going to dodge the intent of this...
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A decade later, the chicken suit lives on
It’s been a busy month, faithful readers. To ease my way back into the writing habit, I bring you an anniversary treasure: ten years ago today, I wrote on this blog about wearing a chicken suit to a...
View ArticleOrdinance: vetoed. Veto: overridden.
Did I mention that the ordinance I authored earned the mayor’s veto? Just as I was anticipating the establishment of a new Bloomington Parking Commission in the last post, I was taken aback by Mayor...
View ArticleAn Open Letter to Mayor John Hamilton Regarding the Police Department’s...
Steve Volan, Member, District 6, Common Council, City of Bloomington • Wednesday, February 21, 2018 Dear Mayor Hamilton — This document explains my understanding of the decision to purchase a Lenco...
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