Bloomington chamber backs CIB for convention center expansion
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The Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce is throwing its support behind plans for a new Capital Improvement Board to manage an expansion of the Monroe Convention Center. The announcement comes in the face of the city’s push to have a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization oversee the project instead of a CIB.
The Monroe County Commissioners last month approved an ordinance to establish a CIB. However, that ordinance will expire on Jan. 1, 2023 if it does not receive support from the Bloomington City Council and Mayor John Hamilton’s administration.
“The Chamber closely examined the various governance proposals submitted by City and County leaders, and we agree that the community’s interest is best served by a CIB that will oversee the expansion and related construction activities of the convention center,” Chamber CEO Eric Spoonmore said in written remarks. “Time is truly of the essence to get this done. We hope all parties can agree to the CIB governance plan as it stands.”
The Bloomington City Council is expected to discuss the proposal at its meeting Wednesday.
Late last month, the city of Bloomington issued a memo continuing its support for having a nonprofit oversee the construction and management of the convention center expansion.
Critics of the nonprofit option have cited concerns over public transparency surrounding the project. In the memo, the city proposed a series of steps to ensure accountability and transparency if a nonprofit moves forward, including creating a specific advisory board for the expansion, holding monthly meetings open to the public, and adhering to Indiana Open Door Law practices.
Supporters of the CIB option say having a CIB in place would ensure full accountability to the public.
The chamber is calling on all city leaders to back the CIB proposal in order to quickly leverage the 1% food and beverage tax increase that was passed in order to fund the project, which it says could face a sunset by the Indiana General Assembly in the upcoming legislative session.
“Taxpayers have been paying the Food and Beverage tax for five years with no tangible results,” Spoonmore added. “It is time to deliver on the promise of an expanded, world-class convention center here in Bloomington.”
The city says for the past 30 years, the convention center to date has been managed by a 501(c)6 nonprofit without issue, and switching to a 501(c)3 would create “the greatest potential for achieving a successful convention center expansion that will be architecturally significant, appropriately sized and fitted, and completed in an efficient and timely manner.”