City seeks public input on vision statement

The City of Bloomington has released a newly drafted vision statement and is seeking public input through ImagineBloomington workshops, the first of which was Monday night at the Monroe County Library.

Bloomington residents can attend the next workshop tonight from 4 to 7 p.m. in the City Hall Atrium.

The statement summarizes a wide range of topics affecting the future of Bloomington, including affordable housing and public safety, Planning Director Tom Micuda said in a press release.

The draft was written by the 25-member Steering Committee and was based on public input received from ImagineBloomington workshops conducted February through April, Long Range Planner Nate Nickel said.

Nickel said ImagineBloomington is “our marketing effort to get people to think about the future.”

The vision statement will create the foundations for an updated long range comprehensive plan, Zoning and Long Range Planner Katie Bannon said.

The city’s current comprehensive plan, the Growth Policies Plan, was adopted in 2002, she said.

Bloomington residents can offer their opinions about the draft by filling out a survey at the workshops or submitting it online. ImagineBloomington is also incorporating an online discussion forum for residents to post feedback and vote on which portions of the statement they consider most important.

“This is one of the first planning efforts that has made full use of the online options,” Nickel said.

Once public input has been taken into account, the revised draft will be taken to the Planning Commission and City Council for approval, Bannon said.

She expects the vision to be adopted by early next year.

“Our next steps will be working to find ways to actually implement these goals,” Bannon said.

Bannon expects local schools, nonprofit organizations and IU to become involved in the process.

“Sometimes students feel like they’re temporary residents,” Bannon said. “They live here. They work here. It’s important that we hear from them.”