Hello. >> Good evening everyone. We have a quorum. It is 5:45. I will call this Bloomington City Council listening session to order. Tonight is Monday. What is it the 15th day of? >> My goodness, we're halfway there. We have one person who has pre-registered and so I'll invite Vicki up here. And are you folks looking to to say anything? You're here to observe. >> Very good. Very good. Uh good evening and welcome. I I will tell you we typically depending on the number of people who are here, we kind of parse out the time, but uh with only one person here, we're not going to give you the whole half hour. What we typically do is uh limit it to no more than 10 minutes per person. So, we we'll keep an eye on it and we'll don't be surprised if it's a conversation back and forth. And if you could just introduce yourself and into the uh into the microphone so everybody can hear you and be off and running, please. >> Good evening. My name is Vicky Hukim. Um I'm a Bloomington resident and I am also an H commissioner. And so tonight I would like to thank the mayor and council members um for this opportunity to speak. I'm here not only as a resident um of the city but also as an HR commissioner. And I want to be clear that I speak from both perspectives. As an HR commissioner, I can say with confidence that the request before you tonight was not made lightly. The board and staff worked extremely hard to prepare a thoughtful, responsible, and wellsupported budget. We held multiple meetings, asked difficult questions, and spent a significant amount of time reviewing the numbers, the needs, and the long-term impact of our decisions. There was emotion, frustration, and a great deal of care put into this process. This is what happens when people genuinely care about their community. All information that has been requested by the council members to evaluate this budget and levy should have been has been provided. We listened closely to our council leaison and took resident concerns seriously, especially the concerns on the tax rate. In response, we adjusted our original request and compromised to find a responsible middle ground. That compromise reflects accountability and good faith on the part of the board and the staff. At the same time, we have a responsibility to plan not just for today, but for tomorrow. We cannot put the HR or the city in a position where future boards are forced to make reactive decisions because we failed to plan ahead. Preparing for our future is part of responsible governance. When we talk about community safety, needs, and priorities, housing must be part of that conversation. Safety begins with having a sta stable place to call home. A home is not a want. It is a basic necessity alongside food and clothing. Many people in our community cannot afford housing and the HA staff has worked hard to think creatively to build partnerships and to bring resources back into the city to help address that reality. I also want to acknowledge that as commissioners, we are residents too. So these are our tax dollars as well. This decision affects us personally just as it affects every resident. Even so, we believe this budget and levy are the are what are what is best for the city and for our community as a whole. This was not a decision made in one meeting. It was the result of many meetings, careful consideration, and a great deal of effort by both the board and the staff. I respectfully urge the city council to vote yes and approve the H budget and levy tonight on the consent consent agenda. Thank you for your time and I appreciate your service to our community. >> Well, and right back at you. I certainly appreciate your service community and all the members of the H for the work they do and and thank you for your words this evening and and coming to join us. Any questions? >> I have a quick question. >> Council member Delisandro. >> Take a second. Hold on. >> All right. Uh thanks for being here. Um, Commissioner, um, I I believe that there were a few times during that process where there was public opportunity for public testimony. Is that right? Did you actually have anybody come make any public testimony for you or write in any testimony on the H one way or the other? >> I'm not sure if anything was written in. they did have where they could uh write to the HA staff and so that would have been presented to you guys in any sort of so if there were no comments it would have any comments would have been presented to um the city council and if you did not receive any then there were none >> okay and but you didn't have any at your meetings either nobody came to testify okay thanks I just wanted to double check thank you >> additional questions at all >> well thank you and uh so we typically don't allow folks to speak at at listening sessions for things that are on the agenda this evening, but we do we have talked about this in the past that we do make the exception if it's on the consent agenda where it typically would not uh necessarily discussed or an opportunity for public comment. So, if anybody is wondering about that, I just wanted to make that distinction and clarify that. So, Commissioner, thank you and uh pass your thanks pass our thanks on to your fellow commissioners next time you see them for us, please. We'll >> do. Thank you. Thank you. >> Commissioner Hooim is our only registered speaker. Maybe we'll just sit a minute here to see if anybody shows up. It's your opportunity, young man. If you'd like to address your city council, here's your chance. Come on up here. Come here. Come on up here. I want you in the microphone. I want to hear who you are. And come on. Come on. >> Good evening. if you could introduce yourself please. >> Um I'm Oliver Heheart. Uh I'm here for scouts for a merit badge um for for like speaking conversation. >> Very good. And uh how long have you been with in the scouts? >> Uh a couple months. >> Couple months. Well, good for you. And you like it so far? >> Yeah. >> Good. Good. Good. Oh, and I see one of your fellow scout members are is here as well. Have a seat, young man. Uh Oliver, what grade are you in and where do you go to school? >> Uh sixth grade and I go to North of Mary's. >> Great. You could you pass the mic over to your your colleague there. Good evening. You're just in time. >> Tell us your name and why you're here tonight. >> Uh my name is Thomas and I'm here because uh I'm doing the communications merit badge. >> You're doing the merit badge as well. Very good. >> And how long have you been in the scouts? Cub Scouts or Boy Scouts or both? >> Both like three or four years. >> Three or four years. Great. And And what grade are you in? Where do you go to school? >> Uh same as him. I go to Nativity. >> Great. Uh so you get to answer first and then we'll pass it back. What's your favorite part of uh of being in the scouts? >> Uh I really like the camping. That's really fun. >> And uh yeah. >> Do you guys ever do winter camping? >> Huh? Do you do winter camping? >> Yeah. >> Cool. Where do you go? >> We switch it around every year. So, we go to a bunch of different places. We uh usually go twice in the winter and then uh every month uh during like the spring and summer and fall. >> Sounds like fun. Great. >> Can I pass the mic to him? >> Please. >> What's your favorite part, Oliver? Oh, probably all like the fun we do, I guess. >> The what? >> Everything like everything about it. Probably >> everything. That's good. That's good. Well, good. Well, thank you guys for being here with us tonight and thanks for working on your on your merit badge. It's fabulous. Are you going to stick around for the rest of the council meeting? >> Uh, yes. >> Good, good, good. Oh, it's always a good time. So much excitement. So much excitement. You will barely be able to contain yourself. So excited. >> That's great. >> Council, any question for our scouts this evening? >> Council member Nelson just >> I think it's the other button. >> It's the There's two buttons. >> All right. This one work? >> Yep. >> Yes. >> All right. Um, so you guys have been in for a little bit, fairly new, been in for a little bit longer. Uh, what how far do you plan to go? >> All the way to Eagle Scout. >> Eagle Scout. Fantastic. >> Are you already thinking about what your project might be? >> No, I'm not ready. >> Not yet. Not yet. No. Well, hey, I I really appreciate you guys coming here. I had the opportunity to meet with uh a number of other scouts uh a week ago in a big snowstorm. and their meeting and I went to them and it was fantastic. It's such a great program. My brother was an Eagle Scout >> and um I was not I like the camping part. So So my only claim to fame is I was the first one in my troop to get uh a merit badge for horsemanship. So >> Wow. >> Yeah. That's little known fact. it. >> I I will also share with you. So, our city manager here, Mr. Walker, is an Eagle Scout. >> So, I'm going to hand the mic to him for just a sec. >> Well, congratulations to both of you for um uh starting in scouting and continuing through Cub Scouts. Um, I will tell you that earning my Eagle Scout was one of the proudest accomplishments of not only, you know, a a young adult but of my adult life as well. And uh, it is a a wonderful program and I would encourage you to stick with it because it's it's very few uh, who are in scouting now who make it all the way to Eagle. But I promise you it's an achievement that um is taken very seriously by your people who will look at your resume someday, colleges that will be looking at your application. So um even if you get a little bored at the meeting tonight, don't let that make you drop out of scouts. Okay. All right. >> Thank you, Mr. Walker. Anything else, council? >> Gentlemen, thank you very much. Thanks for being here tonight and hope you enjoy the meeting. >> All right. Council, is there any other business tonight? I don't see any of other speakers coming forward. I'd look for a motion to adjurnn. It's a motion. >> Motion and a second to adjurnn. All those in favor, please signify by saying I. >> I. >> Opposed. Motion carries 6. We are adjourned. We'll see you downstairs. Thank you guys. Thank you, Commissioner.