In a 4-4 vote, the Bloomington City Council struck down an ordinance that would have provided protections for people experiencing homelessness.
The ordinance would have let the city designate certain areas on public property where homeless camps could be allowed and would have prohibited the city from displacing people from public areas unless there was alternative housing available. It would have also required the city to provide a written notice to a person experiencing homelessness before they were displaced.
Council members Susan Sandberg, Sue Sgambelluri, Ron Smith, and Dave Rollo opposed the ordinance. Some council members criticized the way the ordinance was created, saying it did not take the perspective of other city government officials into account.
“This has all been done without proper communication with or consideration of the employees of our city, who are going to be tasked with the execution of this,” councilwoman Sandberg said.
City council members debate whether to vote on the ordinance or send it to the Public Safety Committee for revision.
The council decided not to postpone the vote despite the fact that one of the nine council members, Jim Sims, was absent due to a family emergency.
The council members who sponsored the ordinance – Isabel Piedmont-Smith, Matt Flaherty, and Kate Rosenbarger – proposed sending the ordinance to a committee for further revisions but the motion was rejected.
Representatives from Mayor Hamilton’s office also opposed the ordinance at the meeting.
Director of Public Engagement Mary Catherine Carmichael said the city will continue to clear out homeless camps from parks after city parks close at 11 p.m.
Although the majority of public comments were in favor of the ordinance, councilwoman Sandberg said she wants the public to know that she and the other council members who opposed the ordinance are still dedicated to finding a solution for people experiencing homelessness.
“We oppose this because we want to go into a different direction. We want to go in a better direction that is more inclusive that does involve the stakeholders in a way that we can have a productive conversation,” Sandberg said.
