It is Monday, July 14, 2025. Thanks everybody for being here. Uh we had one person pre uh arranged to speak. Craig Petra here. I do not see him because there's exactly one person in the room there. And uh it's Mike, right? Mike,
uh, you're on then. And, uh, uh, the way we've got it set up now, it's, uh, we we do limit people to five minutes. Uh, we think you can sign in after you're done speaking and we will go from there. Sure. All right.
Um, just follow um to a couple from other meetings. Apologize. I wasn't here earlier to to address them. Just could you just state your name for the record? So, it's on mic list. Memphis 0313
Avenue South Bloomington 55420 phone number 952465 5358. So please reach out. You can call me at any time um if there's any questions that you may have. um in
reference to in reference to um licensing processes and I think there's maybe some confusion in comments that I had made and I just want to be more clear so people are understanding the situation been working through the group group
home licensing process um been working on that for about years um 10 emails with no replies not to you but to the state. Um met with
my representative uh to um let him know I have all of my research, all my information. Um I was given this contact information that this would be the person that he would recommend I contact. He's been copied on all of the
emails and no response. I believe someone is just so you understand kind of roadblocks that residents are running into about these types of conversations. I started to copy more people that
represent me so they understood. So I do believe I don't know who had contacted Bloomington staff for me to meet with uh I apologize I don't remember the
sergeant's name but very constructive conversation went very well. Um but in the end it's this when we originally started we hosted at the location everything was there we've already taught this through is more getting him
up to speed and and really my concerns in that area is not only is it to the neighborhood it's really to the detriment the people that are being served with many of the issues that we're fighting um as in staff not properly trained drug use
it. I mean, staff members literally passing out these uh this isn't me. This is in the 911 police logs. So, this is all documented. If you you know need that information, I've got all of and those are my
concerns is that really the most vulnerable among us are not being served. And so I I just want to reemphasize the position that I'm coming from is not only for the neighborhood but for the
res residents that are supposed to be receiving care. And I I don't understand how I can see what I see being documented and nothing is being done. Um to to the point where
you know my neighbor has not moved. he has left. Um, which then gets me to the second point in that, you know, in licensing and zoning. Many times in the zoning ordinances, we
simply say there'll be some licensing process. We as we are loosening our R our R1 characteristics and what we are you know missing metal and many of the other conversations that are taking
place. There also has to be some care given and some constructive feedback or some constructive controls in place to make sure that it's appropriate for everybody. So, you know, I am in a
situation where if you think about, you know, the grid, nine houses in the middle, four of the eight houses are in some rental licensing situation. Um, one of them being the group home,
the other one being the home that was so mismanaged, the other person leaving and now renting it out. So now I have another renter behind me. Other is a So that would be a nonowner occupied
rental. So what is that? What is that licensing process? What is what is the feedback for me and being able to approach people if if there are issues? It's not clearly defined. There are no definitions of of
what is allowed and what is not. the uh the house next to me which is you know I have to be very careful there. Um you know you have had is in this city hall has had restraining
orders against the individual um and he's a renter. He's a landlord. So now how is someone with this type of history then allowed to license you know to be a
land do do these people know what they're getting into? What type of what kind of you know situation are they walking into? So that's the house next door to me. Uh final fourth and final example is the house of prospery
um nonowner occupied home that uh was basically a commercial business where they brought in rented everything out to their crew and they're running a HVAC operation out of the residency.
So my point being when we're rethinking and reimagining and reddreaming what we want Bloomington 2.0 to be that we as residents have to be there there has to be more to it than
there's licensing and that's all I see and I I get nowhere. And so my point being that we really need to think through these things. There's far more involved than what we're giving credit to. And
it's happening in our homes right now. And you're your overtime run because we don't have anybody else sitting out there. But I and I wanted to hear what you had to say. But and I appreciate it and I do appreciate the the sentiment that you bring forward also. I mean, we there there's what we're trying to
accomplish from a housing standpoint, but then there's also our residents throughout the city who can be impacted in some ways. And so, I think we we understand and appreciate that. Uh I don't know if in in your your questions there if I know you've spoken to our our
licensing folks and probably the city manager's office and so on and I don't know if uh we've provided any answers to the other than the no more the more esoteric questions that you had which are good questions but if there's anything specific about who gets what or how it gets done or anything like that
we can I understand I mean because the interaction's always been professional right I mean um you know reached out via email and you know you know he saw me in the hallway and you know verbal conversations just saying hey we're
doing what we can you know and you know that you know what makes me nervous is that I'm seeing money right that we're we're starting to see at the higher levels of our government
you know I don't want to say but you know You have lobbyists now at the state which are taking away, you know, our ability to do anything at the local level and it's, you know, and there's so people are making enough
money they're going to protect that. I can't compete with that and that's going to get worse. That's not going to get better. And I apologize. start crying rubbing over. But I mean those are the things that make me extremely concerned
and um you know just weighing the options of is Bloomington long term for me. you know, those those are legitimate conversations taking place. And so, you know, I hear you guys talk about your your mods and
I, you know, I Yeah, I'll just Thank you, Mike. Appreciate you coming in tonight. Question. I I just if I if I could just sum summarizing I heard four different
examples and I think they probably each get a little bit of a different treatment depending upon whether it's a city license like I mean I know we've talked about the group home thing before I struggle with that too but you know the state the state took away our licensing capabilities there right and
so that's a frustrating thing I think we all share I don't want to speak for everybody but I I do um as it relates to operating a business within the with from a residents. I think we have rules in place for that, right? We just need to figure out how to enforce them. And then
we also make it aware for us. I mean, how how do how do we reach out? How do you report that? Yeah. I mean, there's no visibility to a resident to be able to come forward and work with
the city. I mean, you know, it's like a lot of people don't like I mean, listening sessions, I feel comfortable coming to them, but you don't you you've never met the people that actually left, right? They're extremely frustrated and they never came to a listening session. And I just kind of told them, I said,
you know, I got your back. I'll, you know, I'll take the heat on that and I'm still, you know, got their back. I'm still, you know, I haven't given up, you know, you know, so there's many people that just take it and you know, I mean, you
know, I'll take it, but you know, I want to have conversations. I want to see constructive moving forward types of things. So, no, that's okay. The third the third question I have for you all, which may be a city question, is when you have a situation where you have a landlord and
you they are licensed to rent here, but they have a challenging background or they have criminal whatever. Like, do we have any rights there? And and I know I don't expect you to be able to answer that, but that's a different third that's like a third scenario I hadn't even considered.
Yeah. I don't know if that's I don't know if bad behavior is disqualifying from right owning a rental house. I mean, right. Yeah. Right. I mean, property rights uh are very very hard hard to overcome.
I trust me I I'm a landlord myself so I completely understand but I think there's some unique situations right I use the situation of you know you are protecting your own employees from this
individual I mean you know I've been that's why I'm curious I've been warned this you know as the last person walked out the warning that I got was so he hates you and just recently bought it up. So,
and they felt compelled to come over and tell me about that. Why don't we do this? You ask the city manager to to check into that whether or not you know anything is disqualified. And then also, I mean, do you have the address where where you think there's a business operating out of the home? Do you have a if you can find the the house number,
the address, send it on to me. I'll forward it on to the city manager's office. We'll take a look if there's something there. Yeah. Well, I did some deep dives there um and visit um the Better Business Bureau and had
flag and that's all good but um we we do have as council member Dallas said we do have requirements and running businesses out of homes how that all works. So be happy to look into that. They have some opportunity there. All right. Well, thank you. Thank you,
senior. Anyone else looking to speak to the council tonight? Nobody else in the council council. Uh I would entertain a motion to adjourn our listening session. So move. Second. Motion by council member lo second by council member Ras to adjourn our council listening session. No
further discussion. All in favor please signify by saying I. Motion car 70. We are proceed downstairs.