[0:05] HELLO BLOOMINGTON. I’M MAYOR TIM BUSSE, AND THIS  IS THE COUNCIL MINUTE FOR THE WEEK OF JULY 14.  [0:10] PRIOR TO OUR MEETING ON MONDAY, THE CITY COUNCIL  INTERVIEWED THE FOUR FINALISTS SELECTED FOR THE   [0:15] BLOOMINGTON CITY MANAGER POSITION. OUT OF THOSE  FOUR FINALISTS, TWO WERE SELECTED TO MOVE FORWARD   [0:20] WITH ANOTHER ROUND OF INTERVIEWS ON TUESDAY. AFTER  SIGNIFICANT DISCUSSION AND REVIEW, I’M PROUD TO   [0:27] ANNOUNCE THAT THE CITY COUNCIL HAS SELECTED  AND MADE A CONDITIONAL OFFER TO ZACH WALKER   [0:31] TO SERVE AS BLOOMINGTON’S NEXT CITY MANAGER. ZACH HAS NEARLY TWO DECADES OF EXECUTIVE   [0:37] LOCAL GOVERNMENT EXPERIENCE AND CURRENTLY  SERVES AS THE CITY MANAGER OF INDEPENDENCE,   [0:41] MISSOURI. INDEPENDENCE IS A CITY OF 120,000 PEOPLE  AND SHARES A LOT IN COMMON WITH BLOOMINGTON.   [0:49] HE BRINGS AN IMPRESSIVE RESUME AND A LONG  LIST OF ACCOMPLISHMENTS. I LOOK FORWARD   [0:53] TO THE COMMUNITY GETTING TO KNOW ZACH. AS I SAID, THE OFFER IS CONDITIONAL ON   [0:58] A PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND CHECK AND  THE SUCCESSFUL NEGOTIATION OF TERMS,   [1:01] BUT I’M CONFIDENT WE’LL HAVE ZACH ON BOARD SOON. THROUGHOUT THIS SEARCH, WE PARTNERED WITH MOSAIC   [1:08] PUBLIC PARTNERS, A FIRM SPECIALIZING IN  EXECUTIVE-LEVEL PUBLIC SECTOR RECRUITMENT.   [1:13] THEY ENGAGED WITH CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS, COMMUNITY  STAKEHOLDERS, AND CITY STAFF TO ENSURE A BROAD AND   [1:19] INCLUSIVE SEARCH PROCESS. WE WERE FORTUNATE TO  ATTRACT A HIGHLY TALENTED AND DIVERSE POOL OF   [1:24] CANDIDATES FROM ACROSS THE COUNTRY – INCLUDING  OUR OWN INTERIM CITY MANAGER, KATHY HEDIN,   [1:30] WHOSE LEADERSHIP CONTINUES TO BE DEEPLY VALUED.  CHOOSING AMONG SUCH OUTSTANDING FINALISTS   [1:35] MADE THIS A CHALLENGING DECISION, BUT ONE THAT  REFLECT THE STRONG FUTURE AHEAD FOR BLOOMINGTON.  [1:41] I WANT TO SINCERELY THANK EVERYONE WHO APPLIED  AND WENT THROUGH THE SEARCH. I WANT TO THANK   [1:46] OUR STAFF FOR THEIR PARTICIPATION AND GREAT  COORDINATION OF THE ENTIRE PROCESS. I WANT   [1:51] TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR INPUT. AND FINALLY,  I WANT TO THANK OUR CITY COUNCIL. THIS IS   [1:56] A BIG DECISION FOR BLOOMINGTON, AND YOUR CITY  COUNCIL PUT A LOT OF HOURS, A LOT OF THOUGHT,   [2:03] AND A LOT OF HEART INTO THIS. THANK YOU ALL. STAY TUNED FOR A FORMAL ANNOUNCEMENT,   [2:08] AND FOR ADDITIONAL DETAILS ON  ZACH’S ARRIVAL IN BLOOMINGTON.  [2:12] DURING OUR MEETING ON MONDAY, THE COUNCIL HAD A  LONG DISCUSSION ON A PROPOSAL TO SIGNIFICANTLY   [2:17] CHANGE THE CITY’S APPROACH TO SIDEWALK SNOW  REMOVAL IN BLOOMINGTON. THERE HAS BEEN A LOT   [2:22] OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND SOCIAL MEDIA CHATTER  ON THIS TOPIC. STAFF DEVELOPED A DETAILED AND   [2:27] THOUGHTFUL PLAN AND THE COUNCIL DISCUSSION WAS  QUITE COMPREHENSIVE. ULTIMATELY THE COUNCIL CHOSE   [2:32] TO NOT MOVE FORWARD WITH ANY CHANGES TO SNOW  REMOVAL AT THIS TIME, BUT I THINK IT’S SAFE TO   [2:37] SAY THE CONVERSATION IS GOING TO CONTINUE. A QUICK RECAP:  [2:42] DURING OUR MINNESOTA WINTERS, CITY OF BLOOMINGTON  CREWS CLEAR SNOW FROM ALL SIDEWALKS AND TRAILS IN   [2:47] THE CITY. AND FOLKS, THAT’S A BIG JOB AND  IT’S ONE THAT THE CITY HAS BEEN DOING FOR   [2:51] MANY YEARS. THAT’S MORE THAN 260 MILES OF  SIDEWALKS AND TRAILS AND IT’S CONSIDERABLY   [2:57] MORE THAN ANY OF OUR PEER CITIES CLEAR  AFTER A SNOWFALL. IT TAKES FROM ONE TO   [3:01] THREE DAYS TO CLEAR THE SNOW. BLOOMINGTON  CREWS USE SPECIALLY MODIFIED EQUIPMENT,   [3:06] THEY WORK LONG DAYS, AND THEY ARE ABSOLUTELY  COMMITTED TO PROVIDING HIGH QUALITY SERVICE.  [3:13] DESPITE ALL OF THAT, WE KNOW THE LEVEL  OF SERVICE ISN’T WHERE IT SHOULD BE.  [3:17] THE HIGH NUMBER OF MILES THAT NEED TO BE CLEARED  MEANS THAT WE REGULARLY HEAR COMPLAINTS ABOUT   [3:22] HOW LONG IT TAKES TO GET THE WORK DONE. BECAUSE  UNEVEN SIDEWALKS CAN SERIOUSLY DAMAGE EQUIPMENT,   [3:27] CREWS DON’T CLEAR ALL THE WAY DOWN TO THE  PAVEMENT. AND SOMETIMES GRASS OR OTHER LANDSCAPING   [3:32] GETS DAMAGED. AND IT’S PHYSICALLY CHALLENGING  WORK. UNFORTUNATELY, SOMETIMES OUR DEDICATED   [3:38] STAFF GETS INJURED PROVIDING THIS SERVICE. SO EARLIER THIS YEAR, STAFF BROUGHT FORWARD   [3:43] A PROPOSAL THAT WOULD REDUCE THE CITY’S SNOW  REMOVAL ROUTES TO APPROXIMATELY 135 MILES,   [3:48] FOCUSING ON MAJOR ROADS, PARKS, AND SCHOOL  ROUTES. CLEARING SIDEWALKS THAT DON’T FIT   [3:54] INTO THOSE CATEGORIES WOULD HAVE SHIFTED  TO ADJACENT PROPERTY OWNERS WHICH IS THE   [3:58] NORM JUST ABOUT EVERYWHERE ELSE IT SNOWS. THE PROPOSED CHANGES WOULD HAVE SIGNIFICANTLY   [4:03] SHORTENED THE TIME IT TAKES TO GET THOSE  SIDEWALKS CLEAR. IT WOULD HAVE FREED UP   [4:07] STAFF TO SUPPORT OTHER WORK, AND THE PLAN WAS  EXPECTED TO SAVE $60,000 IN STAFF OVERTIME ALONE.  [4:13] BUT, AS WE HEARD MONDAY NIGHT, THE COUNCIL  WASN’T COMFORTABLE MAKING SUCH A MAJOR CHANGE.   [4:18] SNOW REMOVAL IS A SERVICE THAT THE CITY HAS  BEEN DOING FOR MANY YEARS AND IT’S A SERVICE   [4:23] THAT RESIDENTS HAVE COME TO EXPECT AND RELY ON.  COUNCIL MEMBERS EXPRESSED CONCERN OVER INCREASED   [4:28] SALT USAGE BY RESIDENTS IF THEY CLEARED SNOW  ON THEIR OWN, CONFUSION ABOUT WHICH SIDEWALKS   [4:33] WOULD BE CLEARED BY THE CITY AND WHY THEY WOULD BE  PRIORITIZED OVER OTHER SIDEWALKS, AND WHETHER THE   [4:38] OPERATIONAL AND FINANCIAL BENEFITS OUTWEIGHED  THE COSTS OF PROVIDING SNOWPLOW SERVICE.  [4:44] THE COUNCIL VOTED 7-0 TO NOT ACCEPT THE  STAFF RECOMMENDATION ON THIS ISSUE. BUT,   [4:49] THERE WAS STRONG CONSENSUS ON THE COUNCIL THAT  THE CURRENT SYSTEM FOR PLOWING SIDEWALKS IS NOT   [4:54] MEETING THE CITY’S STANDARDS FOR EFFICIENT,  EFFECTIVE, AND HIGH-QUALITY SERVICE DELIVERY.   [4:59] WHICH GETS BACK TO MY EARLIER POINT  ABOUT THE CONVERSATION CONTINUING.  [5:04] WHETHER IT’S THROUGH DIFFERENT OPTIONS FOR  OPERATIONAL CHANGES, SIGNIFICANTLY MORE   [5:08] INVESTMENT IN EQUIPMENT AND STAFF, OR SOME OTHER  WAY THAT WE HAVEN’T THOUGHT ABOUT YET, WE NEED   [5:14] TO FIGURE OUT AN IMPROVED SYSTEM OR PROCESS FOR  CLEARING SNOW FROM SIDEWALKS IN THE WINTER. STAY   [5:19] TUNED AND CONTINUE TO BE PART OF THE DISCUSSION. AND ON THE POINT OF BEING PART OF THE DISCUSSION,   [5:26] WE RECEIVED A LOT OF COMMUNITY FEEDBACK ON THIS.  THAT WAS THE PLAN ALL ALONG AND I APPRECIATE   [5:30] EVERYONE WHO WEIGHED IN. WHAT REALLY STRUCK ME WAS  HEARING FROM PEOPLE WHO WEREN’T DIRECTLY IMPACTED.   [5:37] PEOPLE THAT DON’T HAVE A SIDEWALK IN FRONT OF  THEIR HOUSE, BUT PEOPLE WHO ARE CONCERNED ABOUT   [5:41] THEIR NEIGHBORS. THEY WERE CONCERNED ABOUT THE  ELDERLY COUPLE DOWN THE STREET, OR THE PERSON   [5:47] THEY KNEW WHO PHYSICALLY COULDN’T CLEAR THE SNOW,  OR THE FAMILY WHO WOULD BE FINANCIALLY IMPACTED   [5:52] BY HAVING TO HIRE SOMEONE TO CLEAR THEIR SIDEWALK.  THAT EMPATHY, THE ABILITY TO SHARE AND UNDERSTAND   [5:58] THE FEELINGS OF OTHERS, MAKES COMMUNITIES STRONG. EMPATHY IS THE CAPACITY TO EXPERIENCE,   [6:04] TO SOME DEGREE, WHAT ANOTHER PERSON  IS FEELING. IT’S STEPPING INTO SOMEONE   [6:08] ELSE’S SHOES AND SEEING THE WORLD FROM THEIR  PERSPECTIVE. WE SAW THAT IN THIS DISCUSSION.  [6:14] EMPATHY FOSTERS CONNECTION, IT CREATES  UNDERSTANDING, AND BUILDS COMPASSION   [6:19] BETWEEN INDIVIDUALS AND ACROSS COMMUNITIES. AS WE ALL CONTINUE TO NAVIGATE SOME VERY   [6:25] TRICKY TIMES, BOTH ON THE NATIONAL LEVEL AND ON  THE LOCAL LEVEL, I HOPE WE CAN ALL CONTINUE TO   [6:31] APPROACH THESE CHALLENGES WITH EMPATHY. AND FINALLY TODAY, LAST AUGUST THE CITY   [6:36] REDUCED SPEED LIMITS ON LOCAL STREETS TO  25 MILES PER HOUR, UNLESS POSTED OTHERWISE.  [6:41] DRIVING SLOWER IS GOOD FOR YOU AND YOUR  NEIGHBORS. THIS CHANGE MAKES NEIGHBORHOOD   [6:46] ROADS SAFER BY REDUCING THE LIKELIHOOD  OF CRASHES AND INJURIES FROM CRASHES.   [6:51] IT ALSO INCREASES SAFETY FOR PEDESTRIANS AND  CYCLISTS. AND SLOWING DRIVERS DOWN IS OFTEN   [6:57] THE MOST COMMON CONCERN I HEAR FROM RESIDENTS. THE CITY WAS ABLE TO MAKE THIS CHANGE TO LOCAL   [7:02] STREETS AFTER THE STATE LEGISLATURE GRANTED  CITIES THE AUTHORITY TO CHANGE SPEED LIMITS   [7:07] ON ROADWAYS WITHIN THEIR SYSTEMS BACK  IN 2019. PRIOR TO THAT, THE MINNESOTA   [7:13] DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION HAD THE FINAL SAY. SPEED LIMITS WERE ALSO UPDATED ON LARGER ROADS   [7:18] IN BLOOMINGTON EXCEPT FOR THOSE OPERATED BY  HENNEPIN COUNTY. COUNTIES WERE NOT GRANTED THE   [7:23] SAME PERMISSIONS TO SET SPEED LIMITS BY THE STATE.  IT’S NOT AS CLEAR AS IT COULD BE, SO I ENCOURAGE   [7:29] YOU TO VISIT OUR WEBSITE AND LEARN MORE ABOUT  THE SHIFT TO SLOWER SPEED ON RESIDENTIAL ROADS.  [7:35] AND, THE CITY HAS YARD SIGNS AVAILABLE TO  HELP PROMOTE AWARENESS OF BLOOMINGTON’S 25   [7:40] MPH SPEED LIMIT ON RESIDENTIAL STREETS.  STOP BY THE INFORMATION DESK AT CIVIC   [7:45] PLAZA TO PICK UP YOUR FREE YARD SIGN. SIGNS  WILL ALSO BE AVAILABLE AT COMMUNITY EVENTS   [7:49] OR OTHER LOCATIONS AROUND THE CITY. THAT WRAPS UP THIS WEEK'S COUNCIL   [7:53] MINUTE. THANKS FOR WATCHING, AND UNTIL  NEXT TIME, STAY SAFE, BLOOMINGTON!