[0:00] Okay. I will call this the city council listening session to order. It is 05:45 on Monday 5 August, and we will get started here. Like I said earlier, we got a full group of people who want to talk this evening, so we're gonna try and get through as everybody in an expressive amount of time. Why don't we start with Kim? [0:17] Floyd if we could. Come on forward if you could sit at the table, and after you get done presenting, then you can sign in. The next, well the next speaker is gone. How about that? So good evening, welcome. Well thanks. My name is Kim Floyds. I'm kind of on two bases. 1st off, I'm a resident of evening query. We do contract with Bloomington for use of your animal shelter. [0:37] And I'm also here as a foster for 2nd chance animal rescue. So I have come to your animal shelter on numerous occasions to pick up strays that we have taken into our program. So I'm here I want to really. [0:50] Stress the urgency of improvements that are, that are needed that shelter. 1st off I want to commend your shelter staff John and the cadet. They do the best job they can with the resources they have, but they are in need of resources desperately. [1:09] The last time it was there was two weeks ago, there were so many cats, there were multiple cats crammed into, each cage, so very little room, because there's lack of cleaning, proper cleaning equipment, lack of laundry, you know, the cats are on, often on newspaper, which causes skin irritation. [1:29] The water and the food dishes are so old and dented, that really. [1:37] It causes issue with rusting and bacteria than that things can be passed to the animals. So they really need more space and better equipment. That said also the staff are very strained. They're, they're stretched very thin. And as I said, they do the absolute best they can with the. [1:57] The Resources they have, but, really need more staffing also so that animals can get a little bit of a better care. It's it's. [2:06] It's very sad sometimes when they're really full of the state, and the condition of which shows animals are being kept. So, you know, obviously, I'm usually there on behalf of cats, but, you know, I've noticed, you know, dogs too, a lot of them sometimes. [2:21] Because of lack of cleaning equipment and facilities and staff, they're standing in feces and urine for extended periods of time, really kind of disgusting, and they're not getting walked and such so that they can go outside and potty. The other issue is lack of a vet. [2:40] It'd be really helpful to have some vetting for some urgent situations. The cat I got two weeks ago, Eden Pray had brought it, they had found it injured, had taken it to blue Pearl. So it had a very deep laceration that had been wrapped, but it was sitting in the shelter for 16 days and. [3:00] By the time we got it and took it to the vet, it had severe bacterial infections and had to do several courses of antibiotics. Luckily it didn't lose its its limb, but it could have been deadly for the animal. So those are just some examples and I run out, I mean ideally it would be wonderful to have a new facility, but at the very minimum, you really need to. [3:20] To allocate some funds to make improvements and reallocate more staff. So I want to thank you for your time. Very good. Thank you so much. Council any questions? I guess I should So I think we recently allocated one? We are this evening. Mr. Mayoron council members. Yeah, thank you for the comments. [3:39] Have it on the agenda tonight for the council to transfer $100000 from their strategic strategic priorities fund into our facilities funds so we can make some improvements over there. And the list of improvements that staff is currently planning is to install a fence outdoor dog run and relief area, which will make it easier for. [3:59] For our animal control team and and for the animals frankly, to have that right next to the building. Remodel the front desk and the food prep areas, replace the front door. [4:10] Improve lighting in kennel rooms, add functional storage for supplies and donated items, create space for rescue partners and adopters to interact with the animals and then deep cleaning in a fresh coat of paint. So that's what we can do with the hundred thousand dollars, and at the same time, we're initiating a service assessment of our animal shelter and animal control services. [4:30] We're actually meeting in just a couple of weeks to scope out what that service assessment looks like. And then we also have, an item in our capital improvement plan for $1.6 million for replacement of the existing facility. The exact timing of that will be. [4:47] Looked at as a result of the service assessment, so we'll bring all that information back to council at a later date. Wonderful. Thank you for your time. Thank you. This is my 1st time at one of these. Can I ask questions or is that only because we're tight on time right now, maybe you could catch us in the hall as we leave here and we can provide any information that you might need. [5:05] But I want to make sure like every, like I said, I mean I want to make sure everybody who signed up gets an opportunity to speak. So, I'm here on behalf of Creek Side seniors. And if you look at the programming, all this program. [5:25] I mean is you might as well just throw these away. There's gonna be NO more senior free senior programming. So you can check out both sides and then you can throw it away because free senior programming is gone. [5:43] And I'm here because I find that, I would hope that you would think seniors are valuable enough to invest in programs for your seniors. [6:03] I'm also here. I want you to take a look at these statistics sheets. This one right there. Okay, the new health and wealthness center, you'll look at the median household income in Bloomington is 87000. [6:23] You will look at the poverty rate is 8 %. You will look at the agencies that were used in comparison and you will notice Eagan a hundred and 4000. Eagan prairy, a hundred and 29000. [6:41] Maple growth, a hundred and 27000. Compared to 87000, you have to understand there's a big difference in the amount of money that people can spend on recreation. [6:58] And the poverty rate, this is gonna be an a subsidized center. And I just, when you are, making plans, that 3.5 to 4 million per year. [7:16] Will not be covered by expenses. And I hope that you all will think of seniors in low impact exercise. That means you sit in a room. [7:36] And watch a video and exercise. Privilege, Bunco, senior discussion group, I understand already that any kind of fixed room is gone. So that means that you're a hundred people or a hundred votes. [7:58] For the Creek side boatique, God, your five four 450 people associated with, eh, the Jox program. [8:14] God, that 200 people votes associated with cards, God, it's more than just you're, you're losing your senior community. [8:31] The program in Bloomington, the program in Edina, the program in e Eden prairy, they're all free. What I find very interesting is that Bloomington is subsidizing Richfield and Edina. [8:49] In the public health building, the actual physical structure we voted on it. It's, it's for Richfield Bloomington, and Edina. And isn't that interesting that we are helping them with their poor? [9:05] When we can't seem to move forward with our own seniors, either if I could just interject there. Yeah. Dana and Richfield paid Bloomington whole service not for the structure, actual structure. The ideas. Right. And the local sale tax is only coming probably. [9:25] Only about 50 % from Bloomington according to our predictions right now. It's coming off from Bloomington business. So if you bought a car in business, if you bought a car, you went to any of the car dealerships, Sure could be in a dino resident and do that is what I was getting at. Yeah, but what I'm getting at is that's a Bloomington business, that is paying that. [9:47] And we're at four and a half minutes so why don't we make it very quick if we can Yeah the the sales tax is not paid by Bloomington businesses, the sales tax is paid by the consumer who was buying the products. Our estimate of. [10:02] Who would be paying sales tax when it was presented for voter approval? Is that, more than 60 % of that would be paid by non Bloomington consumers and one thing too. But they would be. Vehicle sales tax is not included in the sales tax, so it's the the. [10:22] And the taxes on them aren't actually subject to the local office. So I'm sorry for that we're four and a half minutes. One quick clarifying comment. Very quick. I don't think anything has been decided. So to state that all this is going away would be an inaccurate statement because we haven't made those decisions yet. You're gonna decide it for. [10:42] A fee. If that is not the necessarily, some of these could be relocated to like fair for all and like it doesn't, I think you're, I would encourage you to think maybe more expansively about what the discussion is and like what's happening right now. And I believe you, have you had your meeting with Renee and with Anne? Yes. Okay, so and I hope they were to. [11:03] To clarify, the cost recovery. A plan that's in place, the, the plan to make sure that there are subsidies for people who can't quite afford the different things and a variety of different mixes of free, but also, events or activities that are, that would cost. No free. I didn't see any free. [11:25] Well, well, we'll see if we can clarify that for you. So, but thank you very much. We gotta move on Pat, thank you so much. Remember the median incomes of those ones that purchased those passes? I think we've got this data. Yeah, thank you Pat. Thank you. Sally. [11:42] I'll talk great. Last week when I read the city code exterior lighting one three oh 1.07 purpose and intent number six protect meritor vehicle operators, pedestrians and adjacent land uses from Glare. I was rather. [12:01] I was asked to read it again, and it was inferred that when number six stated protecting motor vehicle operators pedestrians, were from Glare and not to protect motor vehicles and pedestrians from the concerns of an unlike part. [12:16] Under C lighting standards, number nine defines Glare and states glare. In all zoning districts, all lighting must be arranged so as not to shine directly on any adjointing property. A person must not create light that produces glare clearly visible beyond a property line. [12:36] Or creates a sensation of brightness within a visual field so as caused annoyance, discomfort or impairment of vision. [12:44] Additionally, as noted in the email from the city manager 712 thousand 24, the intent behind the standards is to light areas where pedestrians are likely to be present. The email is stating pedestrians and not from glare, but to light areas where they maybe. Number six is to protect. [13:04] At pedestrians, not protect pedestrians from Glare. Again, the city code exterioriting 213 oh one oh seven purpose and intent six. [13:14] Is to protect motor vehicle operators, pedestrians, and adjacent land uses from Glare. The purpose and intent of city code 213 oh one oh seven exterior lighting is to protect vehicles. It is also to protect pedestrians and it is also to protect adjacent land uses from. [13:34] And claire. The question the city council should ask is why the email when providing the intent of the city code for exterior lighting did not include protect motor vehicle operators and why staff is not concerned with following city code and protecting motor vehicle operators? And why the email did not include lighting plan where number. [13:54] The four states an accurate site plan indicating the location of property lines in all existing and proposed land improvements including but not limited to. [14:05] Buildings parking lots, aisles, and driveways, streets, walkways, and accessory buildings. And why the email did not include that the city code states minimum illumination of parking surface of the parking, loading, access or other surfaced areas along the property line. [14:23] And if the intent behind the standards is to light areas where pedestrians are likely to be present, whether walking on a sidewalk or walking from a parked car to a building entrance, then why is there NO lighting in the areas where pedestrians are likely to be present such as the sidewalk next to the south entrance on Park Avenue and the sidewalk? [14:43] Up from the parking lot on Chicago Avenue. Additionally, there's a parking plan that indicates LP or light pole by the darrell frug sign. Why was that not constructed? Questions I would like answered. When staff provided the intent of the city code for exterior lighting, why did staff not include protect motor vehicle operators? [15:05] Two, why did staff not include the language from city code 213 oh one oh seven exterior lighting B lighting plant where number four states an accurate site plan indicating location of property lines and all existing proposed land improvements including benon limited to buildings, parking lots, aisles and driveways streets. [15:25] Knockway's and necessory buildings. Three, why did staff not include city code 213 oh one oh seven exterior lighting states minimum illumination of parking surface of the parking, loading, access or other surfaced areas around the property line? Four, why is there NO lighting in areas where pedestrians are likely to be present such as the sidewalk mixes south. [15:47] Questions on Park Avenue and the sidewalk from Park Avenue, the parking lot on Chicago Avenue. Additionally, there is a parking plan that indicates LP or light pole by the Darrell frog sign. Why was that not constructed? Else any questions? [16:05] Thanks Sally. Sheillocked. Hello. Thank you for having me tonight giving me a chance to speak, and I'm sorry that every time I come here, it seems to be something ugly. [16:25] I don't mean it to be that way but I just really want you guys to know. What my life has been like this past year with the city of, with the Bloomington police. I am here today to talk about the continued harassment by the Bloomington police. It all began shortly after the rate at my house for my son for probation violation warrant. [16:48] I was followed for several blocks once I exited 4904 in Lindalle. A police officer got behind me and followed me and I, and he turned his lights on and I knew I had done nothing wrong. So I reached for my phone. [17:04] To record me getting pulled over, I began to pull to the side of the road, I raised up my phone to record just then he turned off his lights and he drove slowly around me. Lindalla is a two lane road so the officer had NO reason to light me up because. [17:24] He simply could have went around me. The Bloomington police have went to my daughter's apartment, to my daughter's home in West Bloomington, and went to her 3rd floor apartment at 10:00 P.M. at night and knocked on her door. When she opened the door, the officers began to question her. [17:42] Without any cause, about who all lived here. My daughter asked why and she was given, she wasn't given any reason. She did cooperate. Three weeks later, the same thing happened again. They were clearly harassing her. [18:01] On another day, she was followed from her West Bloomington apartment to my granddaughter's school, which is about a mile and a half away. When she pulled into the school, the officer lost interest in following her. Yet another day my daughter was coming to my home in East Bloomington, and she was. [18:21] Past, she was passed an officer on nicholate. He immediately did a U turn in the middle of 90th street and got behind her and followed her to my home on 84 Street and nicolette. [18:37] She gotten to the left hand lane to turn into my driveway and then that the officer was directly behind her. He stopped with her. She thought she was going to get pulled over, but there was NO lights on after she pulled into my driveway, he drove away slowly. [18:55] He could have went around her at any time. It was just another intimidation factor. The main incident that I am concerned about is the fact that a Bloomington police officer is now parking in the parking lot. [19:15] Where my daughter and I get therapy. It's more than just a coincidence. I know this because my therapist office window shows the parking lot. I asked my therapist if she had ever seen a police officer outside and she told me never. [19:31] She found it highly unusual. I'm in therapy with my young daughter because of the trauma she suffered because of the raid. My daughter's therapist wanted to escort us out to the parking lot. [19:47] I responded. No, it's fine. I'm not going to let them intimidate me or my family. Bloomington police have followed many of my relatives, including my 75 year old mother, my 84 year old father, and my relatives who leave my home. [20:05] After a large family gatherings. Last I had, lastly, I have spoken with Hodges one day when I encountered him in a parking lot, near penn and American Bullard, and spoke with him about what's happening to my family. [20:21] He didn't seem concerned and instead asked me if my relatives had warrants or NO insurance, do they have a driver's license, which would all result in them being pulled over. They were never pulled over, just followed, starred at with lights on and other times with them off. [20:41] More intimidating. Tactics. I just want this to stop. It needs to stop. It's been a year. This is ridiculous. I, as we, as I've said in your previous times you've been here, we have a hard time commenting as a council because this is ongoing. I mean this is there are things that are still active, so I don't want to comment in any way. I'll just say thank you. [21:03] Thank you for your comments this evening and I will continue to pass them on to the chief. Perfect. Thank you. And I am going in the neighborhood too, and I'm speaking to a lot of residents on the east side and I found out that I am not the only one. [21:14] Mr. Mayor if I may, miss Barry, right? Yes. If you would like to sit down with the chief, he's more than happy to sit down with. Oh I've been trying to sit down with him for a year and I wanted to sit down with you two a year ago. The two of us will sit down with you, let's find time and we'll sit down. [21:29] Okay, right. And hopefully other people will come out too and start talking about what's happening to them on the east side of Bloomington. Thanks, Sheila. Sharon. Good evening and welcome. Good evening. Thank you so much, mr. May. [21:49] Your council members staff members for allowing me an opportunity to speak with you tonight? Oh, keep an eye on the clock and talk as fast as I can. So I am here as a Bloomington resident and I would like to address you tonight as a companion animal advocate, and I know a lot of times we tend to come and make comments when we think things aren't going right or when we have complaints. I am here tonight to make six thank you points. [22:13] And so again I have six, so I will try to talk really fast. My 1st thank you goes to, an advocacy group called Friends and Advocates for pets at Bloomington Animal Control. This is a group that I've been aware of and worked with and supported for years now. They're a volunteer organization. Their goal has always been stated to achieve a state of the art. [22:33] Shelter, but they don't stop with that. In the meantime, they do all kinds of great things. Everything from bringing towels and blankets to animal control to help make the pets there more comfortable. But more than that, they do a lot of advocacy, they do a lot of social media posting and networking. They work with rescue groups and adopters. [22:53] So I have seen even within just the past few weeks, I've seen them reunite pet owners with their pets that are at animal control, and I have seen them across posts, attract rescue organizations and advocacy groups and adopters. I, and I've seen them literally save the lives of pets by once they get past their. [23:13] They hold is often right now very, very difficult to attract rescues. They've they've managed to attract funding. [23:22] To help get rescue organizations lined up to get animals scrumb out of animal control into a rescue organization and into an adoptive hole. They do wonderful wonderful work, so kudos to them. So I just want to make a shout out to them, a completely volunteer organization. I have a lot of admiration and respect for. As I mentioned, they work with animal control, which brings me to my next point. Bloomington animal control you are. [23:42] Animal control officers work hard with conditions that as I think we will all agree are not the best right now and I know that we're working on that, but I want to give a shout out to the animal control officers who have helped me on numerous occasions. Every time I scoop up a straight dog on the street and get a hold of them. They're always very helpful. Last year when my dog Teddy got dipped by a story. [24:02] The dog as we were coming home from a walk and was badly injured. It was thanks to the animal control officer who helped me file a complete, a police complaint. I was able to track down the owner of the dog and get reimbursed for a lot of my thousands of dollars worth of, of medical bills for my dog. So they were instrumental in that. Together, these two groups do great things and I think. [24:22] That's the 3rd point I want to make here is that to me, I think this is one of the best examples of a community advocacy group working with City of Bloomington staff, and the synergy that they create is just a wonderful to see. And I'd love to see more of that. [24:39] That brings me to my next point, the city council. Thank you all for having that $1.6 million line item in the CIP. I am as eager as anyone to see a new animal control facility, and I know we all are, I know it's coming, we're all, we can't get fast enough, but we're happy it's coming. My, my 5th point is I would like to give. [24:59] To shout out to my city council member, Lona Tolessandro for her advocacy work for the $100000 budget item that you will be considering later tonight to give some emergency funding to our our the facility that we have right now to help improve conditions in the meantime. Very grateful for that. And six, last but by NO. [25:19] Means least, I wanna thank you in the city of Bloomington. Four, oh my gosh, I'm gonna choke up. When I was a kid growing up in Bloomington, my mom always taught me. Whenever you're in trouble, you need help, find a phone and you dial 88844 oh one. My mom drilled that number into my head and I've used it a lot of times. And now here we are 60 years later. [25:41] And just two weeks ago I was driving home, little stray dog, hopped out of my car, corralled the dog, didn't want to be held, struggling to hold onto the dog with one hand, trying to dial my cell phone with my chin. And the only number that I could remember was 888444 oh one, and it still works. Thank you for doing that. After all these years, I know that everyone you've all, you know. [26:01] Transition to the new your your new 564 numbers, but that 888444 oh one number still works and it got me right to dispatch and somebody came and helped me with that straight dog and kept her safe, which was the whole goal of animal control. I'm a big advocate of, you know, a lot of people say, we don't like to use the dog catcher, we don't like to have to send them to Valpon. That's the safest place for. [26:21] Straight dog. So thank you for that. Thank you for keeping that phone number handy. 80 day four oh four oh one, it's on my brain and it will be forever. So that's, that's all I have to say. Thank you so much. Thank you, all of you. Thank you. [26:31] I get everything. Thank you. Don't know you, but I really. Hi. How are you? My name is Robert Coleman. I was I wanted to know if you guys have had any progress. [26:49] On returning transit service to Bloomington. I know that coming up is the metro transit network now, which is their big redesign of the system. It was supposed to be, it was supposed to be published 1 August, but they delayed it to 12 September, and. [27:07] I was wondering if you guys have had any, have been contacted by Metro Transit or have any, know anything or have made any progress on that. Thank you mr. Mayor. Yeah I'm not aware of any direct contact between our staff and, and Metro transit on this. I do meet tomorrow morning as a matter of fact. [27:27] With our met council representative and our sector rep, that's the staff person who works with this area. So I'll ask them where they're at in their planning process. I haven't seen any drafts of comments coming. Usually our planning staff are the ones who submit those. Yeah, but I will find out tomorrow Robert and I'll follow up with you. The I know. [27:47] But that's that's some other cities have. I have a friend who works in the planning Department of one of the other suburbs I shouldn't be specific, that he saw briefly, the, the list of the proposed changes and. [28:01] From what he saw, there are some good things for Bloomington, but it is not returned to 2021 service. It is I I'm very concerned about that. The I've I've looked at the, all of the, the community engagement for network now and. [28:19] Like none of the public meetings are anywhere near Bloomington. I was hoping to have an opportunity to speak to the Metrotransit general manager, Leslie Candres. She's over the last year she's been riding every route. You'll see why in a 2nd. And then on the website it says ride with Leslie Conderas over the next year she. [28:39] Provides every metro transit. Operated and branded route. She did not do that. She, in the start of being they claimed her victory. She put a, you know, a blog post out about how she had written all 60 routes, if the reporter had taken a moment to check that number that's nowhere near all of the, all of them. In fact, she only wrote the. [29:01] And, and so the point was that she talks with people on the bus and people can come and talk to her and with the operators and stuff like that. [29:09] And I was really hoping for that opportunity, except she didn't come to Bloomington, she didn't ride the 05:34, the 05:37, the 05:30 8th, the 05:39, the 05:40 or the 05:42 or the 05:46. All of the the contractor routes that are not technically operated by metro transit, but are, but would fit under metro transit. [29:29] Is it branded? I don't know why they set that bar if they weren't going to meet that, and, I've spoken to, so they're contracted through metropolitics transportation services, which is the met council version, where they do like metro mobility and stuff like that, and they contract that out. And I spoke to the the president of MTL. [29:50] Yes, and he said that Metro Transit still chooses where the routes go and how much service they get and that who is the contractor has had a lot of success over the last year rehiring up, getting new maintenance capacity, and there's the, the contracted capacity, there's the money there and they're just waiting for metro trans. [30:10] To say to do it. And it's, it's really frustrating that. And we may not even, even with their long term plan of network now, we may not even see those, the 20, the, the 2021 2022 service levels return, and I think that, you know, I I sent an email to the general manager like, hey, when are you gonna ride these routes? You know, like suddenly trying to say like, hey, I kind of. [30:35] Know that you guys lied about it, and I was hoping that you guys could maybe try to invite them. [30:41] You know, so that you guys ride it at the same time as her and, you know, actually have her come and ride the routes here in Bloomington because it is a glaringo mission either unintentionally or intentionally, I don't know which one's worse. And it I've had NO success trying to get contact over the last two weeks and I was hoping. [31:01] That you guys would. Try. One quick question then we gotta go get downstairs, but thank you. So I I don't know if what I guess this is for us, you know, I don't know what choices we have, but in the same way that we have priorities that we give to our legislators and everything else, I feel like there's really a, a, a a gap in our ability to. [31:22] Communicate with the metropolifian council, and it has something to do with their like recent changes and everything, I get that. But for them to understand what our priorities really are, I I I don't want to speak for anybody else, but I think that. [31:35] We all agree that public transit is an important aspect of of Bloomington life, and we are under served and for the money that they get from us, like that feels bad. So i'd love for us to figure out how we can do something formally in that way. I don't know if that's us signing a letter or if that's asking them to come to council and present to us. [31:55] Is it getting a meeting with them where we deliver a priority list very similar to what we do at state legislature time or is there. [32:04] I don't know if there's our lobbying group that works on our behalf in this area, but you know I'm just curious. Yeah, and you make a good point and I think it's a it's a good point with Jamie talking with their, these folks tomorrow, maybe we try and get them on the, the agenda and come and speak to the council and not just a presentation, but perhaps a little bit of a conversation as well about what we might want to see and and what they're. [32:24] What their network now, next steps might be. Right. So especially if you think about what we're trying to do for the community center with parking, if they can actually help us in a lot of ways with our public transit needs there, we may find a way to solve some of that parking problem without having to build a structure. Agreed. Agreed. Thank you Robert. Appreciate it. Thank you all. [32:44] You're over time, so I would look for a motion to adjourn. Motion in the 2nd to adjourn all in favored, please say I we are a journal let's get downstairs. Thank you all for being here tonight I'm sorry we didn't get to. We had a full house I don't know if you were hoping to. Okay, sounds good. [33:07] Okay.