Council approves funding for health care, programs

Bloomington will make it easier for people with disabilities to be involved with recreation activities, educate people about noise disturbances, help the arts thrive and provide health care to employees ' all without a tax increase.\nThe Bloomington Common Council passed the 2001 budget at its meeting Wednesday night with a vote of 8-1.\nAt $41,749,888, the total budget amount has increased about 6 percent, but without an increased burden on citizens.\nTotal property taxes collected by the city will increase about 4 percent, but residents will not have to pay a higher rate, said City Controller Tom Guevara in a press release.\n"The budget's really about putting the blueprint in place for what we'll be doing next year," said Mayor John Fernandez, "and it does it in a way that minimizes the increase in public costs and taxes don't go up." \nNew initiatives in the budget include an "inclusive recreation" program to provide better opportunities for people with disabilities to get involved with city recreation.\nJamie Sabbach, director of recreation for the city, said with at least 10,000 people with disabilities living in Monroe County, she hopes the improved services will reach out to more residents.\n"Knowing that there are that many people out there, we think there's definitely an under-served population out there," she said.\nFernandez said this program will truly benefit members of the community.\n"It's not a huge problem, but in the context of the people it affects and the families it affects, it's a big deal," he said. "That's why we're in this business." \n Funding for the "Quiet Nights Initiative", a program designed to decrease noise disturbances, passed with the budget, covering costs for an education program and extra police patrol.\nThe Bloomington Area Arts Commission also received a 150 percent increase in their grant from the city. \nFor seasonal employees, such as those who hold landscaping jobs, health insurance coverage will be provided for the first time. The budget allows for about 20 more city workers to receive benefits.\nBefore the vote, Andy Ruff (D, at-large) presented a prepared statement that pointed out that the Bloomington Economic Development Corporation ' a group, according to its Web site, that has assisted in bringing 13 new companies to Bloomington since 1993 ' receives public subsidies and will continue to do so with this budget. He said he thinks the BEDC does not hold the same views about growth that many citizens do.\n"I think many Bloomingtonians disagree in some sense that we need to have a physically larger and more developed community in order to have a better community."\n He said he felt obligated to speak about this because the issue was included in his campaign platform. \n"The philosophy and orientation advocated for by the BEDC that I'm talking about is that growth and physical size of our local economy is fundamentally good, desirable and should be pursued for its own sake," Ruff said. \nCouncil President Tim Mayer (D-at-large) said with all the positive programs, next year's budget illustrates true public service.\n"Basically, we're increasing services to all and I'm very proud of that," he said. "That's what the budget is all about"