Bloomington City Council — Transcript
Monday, October 26, 2026
Climate Resiliency and Sustainable Infrastructure
Solar Permitting Streamlining with SolarAPP+
Fairness in Code Enforcement and Resident Support
City Budget and Fiscal Responsibility
Zoning and Housing Density (James Avenue City Home Project)
Votes (1)
Notable Quotes (14)
This year insurance rates across the entire state of Illinois rose. By 27 % after nearly doubling their all time record of tornadoes.
We could copy umd's ability to achieve larger and larger capital projects through the savings would be accruing. With this, it becomes possible for the city to cooperatively provide municipal utilities saving every resident the equivalent of cutting taxes by two thirds...
Every pound of phosphorus grows 500 pounds of algy and sequesters 2000 pounds of carbon.
Solar app plus as a powerful tool to automate cut costs and greatly accelerate Bloomington's permitting of residential solar and battery storage projects.
Research shows that approximately six to $7000 the cost of of rooftop solar projects in the United States roughly 40 to 60 % are the result of permitting and bureaucratic delays.
The Minnesota Department of Commerce offers an incentive of five. Thousand to $20000 to implement solar app depending on city size and your sustainability goals.
It doesn't have an appeal process. Now I worked in government. We had a, I worked in the appeals and grievance department for 30 years, so I kind of know something about appeals and grievances...
There's nothing on this letter. That says you can go to the HRA. Now, if you folks have all of this knowledge upstairs, why can't it go on something like this?
6.8 %. Increases much better than it's been in the recent past, which I am happy to give you and the staff credit for, but it's still too high in my opinion.
Bluntly, the council, the city, the med council, this county, the state run by DFL people, and in medic councils. Area. DFL appointees over the last past several years are more costly to the residents of Minnesota and the city of Bloomington than the Trump tariffs.
How are we coming along on identifying those duplicative services and plan for liminating?
I'm very involved in the James Avenue City home project that was approved at the last council meeting.
You know, we are going from five homes on that half of James Avenue to 14. Because we chose to go R1R3. Could have gone R one, he still could have built five to seven homes.
Change is only hard if change is bad. If the change is good, change isn't hard.
Ordinances & Resolutions (7)
State statute preventing cities from banning earth-sheltered construction.
Existing fund proposed as a model for larger capital projects and municipal utilities.
Online application for automating residential solar and battery storage permitting.
Code compliance standard for SolarAPP+.
Code compliance standard for SolarAPP+.
Housing and Redevelopment Authority program providing assistance to residents.
Building design guidance mentioned in passing related to the University of Minnesota building.