By HOI ABC

BLOOMINGTON – The Bloomington Public Library has the backing of the city council for a tax increase to pay for most of a $22.8 million library expansion, while the council also finalized a three-year contract with unionized police officers.

Aldermen voted 7-2 with members Nick Becker and Sheila Montney voting no, even as they applauded library staff for their work.

Newly-appointed Ward 6 representative De Urban voted with the majority, saying most of the people she’s encountered in her ward and elsewhere support the library addition.

Alderman Becker, representing Ward 5, said he believes road and other infrastructure projects are a higher priority.

Ward 4 council member Julie Emig, who voted yes, said the library is not an amenity. Rather, it provides the public with a fundamental right to literacy.

“The roads are going to need maintenance every year,” said Emig.

“Why not also ensure that our families and our kids have access, have that fundamental right that is so essential,” Emig also said.

Montney, the Ward 3 council member, believes the 45-year old library as it stands now does meet the community’s literacy needs. She challenged city staff to find offsetting cost reductions to avoid a tax increase.

The library will be borrowing money to finance the library expansion, costing an extra $30 a year for the owner of a $165,000 Bloomington home.

Final action will be taken later this month when the council votes on the library’s tax levy for next year.

Council approves police union contract

The city council unanimously signed off on a three-year deal with unionized police officers. They’ll receive 2.5% increases in each year of the contract, and bilingual officers are eligible for annual bonuses of up to $500.

The contract is retroactive to May 1, of 2020.

The extra cost to taxpayers over the three-years is almost $1.4 million.