The Bloomington City Council approved a contract on Monday with Iverson Consulting Group as part of its Continuous Improvement Initiative for the city. City officials and the firm will work together to implement two to three changes by the end of the year.
The council also denied a controversial liquor license for a new business in the Park Place subdivision.
The city envisions working with Iverson Consulting Group long term, saying the firm will "help scope out what a formalized, continuous improvement effort could look like" for Bloomington.
The city hopes to work with the firm in a number of ways, including assessing current practices, reviewing goals and objectives, defining "gaps" between current and future visions, and identifying up to three specific changes to make this year with corresponding implementation plans.
City Manager Jeff Jurgens echoed this at Monday's meeting, saying he's met with consultant Ted Iverson several times and came away impressed.
"This will basically be the start of our program," Jurgens said. "It will include not only training and guidance for us as city staff, but actually identifying and implementing two to three changes by the end of 2024. So, we hope to have the fruits of this contract shown very quickly."
The measure passed unanimously and without council discussion. It will cost about $40,000, including around $33,000 in fees and $7,000 in travel expenses.
Also Monday, the council denied the liquor application of a controversial new business in the Park Place subdivision near Normal. The council did so on the recommendation of the Bloomington Liquor Commission.
The application, filed by Narendra Patel on behalf of Galaxy Liquors, was for a liquor license for a packaged liquor store in an abandoned Family Video situated near a Little Caesars and a Jewel Osco grocery store. The building has been vacant for several years. Patel owns similar businesses in Mahomet and Manfield and also applied for a video gaming license for the site.
A number of residents of the Park Place subdivision spoke against the license at a public hearing held by the liquor commission in July. Residents cited numerous concerns at the time, including the potential for greater crime and noise, degraded property values, and the proximity of the proposed store to a nearby nursing home. Bloomington prohibits such businesses from being within 100 feet of a "home for the aged."
Mayor Mboka Mwilambwe, acting as liquor commissioner, recommended following the hearing that the application be rejected. Mwilambwe cited the lack of an owner or manager who is a resident of McLean County, the proximity of the business to the nursing home, the nature of the business, and resident opposition.
Several Park Place residents also spoke during public comment at Monday's council meeting.
Resident Crystal Haycraft, who works as a hairdresser near the business's proposed location, said the business "is not welcome, it is not wanted."
"I also have to wonder the effect of having a liquor store right next to some low-income housing," Haycraft added. "That for people that already have little or no access to certain types of help that they may need if they already suffer with issues involving alcohol... I just don't think that it's a good fit all the way around."
Patel's lawyer submitted further information for the council to consider prior to the meeting, but since the public hearing already occurred, council members were not allowed to consider anything further in making their decision.