Capital Improvement Board is called “unconstitutional” in petition

Bloomington, Indiana – According to a document in the city council legislative agenda for the special session on October 9, a group of citizens is requesting the Bloomington government to halt work on renovation plans for the Monroe County Convention Center.

Joe Davis, a resident of Bloomington, is leading the group of ten taxpayers and is also launching a write-in campaign to be elected as an at-large county councilor in the general election on November 5.

The taxpayer objection petition argues that the Capital Improvement Board’s establishment was “unconstitutional,” and it requests that the money for the convention center improvements be placed in escrow. The funds may be frozen until the petitioners’ claims are satisfied if they were kept in escrow.

John Hamilton, a former mayor, established the CIB and appointed each of its seven members. According to the petition, the board members ought to have been chosen by the general public and that its formation did not adhere to due process.

Indiana Code states that petitions for taxpayer objections are legitimate if ten or more signatures are included. Other than issuing a finding on the petition acknowledging that it has received the complaint, the municipal council is under no obligation to take any further action.

On October 9, at the second reading of the budget appropriation, the municipal council will talk about the petition. During the budget discussion, the petitioners will give a testimony detailing their concerns.

In the past, Davis has opposed the Monroe County Convention Center’s expansion, arguing that the property should be utilized to build a new county jail. The convention center is referred to in the petition as a “glorified YMCA” and it is said to “bring vomit and public urination” to Bloomington.

A group of petitioners used the similar procedure in 2021 to protest an increase in Bloomington’s police budget. The council did not ultimately alter the budget; instead, it approved a finding admitting receipt of the objection.