Bloomington approves convention center expansion interlocal agreement
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The question of how the Monroe Convention Center expansion will move forward is clearer after the Bloomington City Council this week approved an interlocal agreement with the county, supporting the overall project and the two entities slotted to oversee it.
In a unanimous vote, the council recognized the Capital Improvement Board and the Convention & Visitors Commission as the two groups with decision-making power over the expansion project and the center’s operations. They will have the power to make decisions about location, design and construction as well as amenities like a hotel or parking garage.
Corporation Counsel Beth Cate said at the meeting the agreement has been hashed out over the last few months.
To solidify the agreement, the Monroe County Council and the Monroe County Commissioners will need to ratify it in their upcoming meetings.
Earlier this year, the Monroe County Board of Commissioners and city council approved a CIB to oversee the project. This came after a similar proposal seven months earlier that ended with Bloomington Mayor John Hamilton vetoing the plan in hopes of creating a 501(c)3 not-for-profit to guide the project. The council then overrode his veto.
Hamilton signed the agreement Nov. 15 and celebrated the project’s movement as he approaches the final days of his time in office. Mayor-elect Kerry Thomson won the mayoral election unopposed this month after a competitive primary earlier this year.
“After seven years of often frustrating efforts to get this project launched, we are now in position to advance our economic future,” Hamilton said in a statement. “An expanded convention center will help downtown businesses thrive and welcome millions of vacationers, convention goers, business travelers, as well as our local patrons and organizations.”
The CIB hosts seven members: three city-appointed people, three county-appointed people and one whom the six appointed members chose. The CVC will have five members, all of which are of the county’s choosing.
The city’s food and beverage tax will be used in the project. In 2017, the county-wide, 1% tax was established to collect funds to support the future project. The city will have additional approvals for the use of funds going forward.