Bloomington City Council has postponed a vote on whether to appropriate more than $3 million for the construction of the Tech Center in the downtown Trades District.
Council members said they wanted to gather more information on funding for the project than they could Tuesday before voting.
Eight of the nine council members present voted to support postponement until the group’s April 12th meeting. Council member Dave Rollo was absent.
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Council member Steve Volan, who made the motion, said he wants a proposal that will support more than just industry.
“I’m really frustrated because it sounds like you’re saying that because industry counts, that’s the only thing we should think about tonight; and I think more than industry counts,” Volan said.
Volan also questioned why the city is proposing to fund the initiative through CRED funds instead of TIF funds. Both can be used to fund economic development projects.
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Alex Crowley, director of economic and sustainable development, was unable to give an answer that satisfied Volan.
“There are two pots of money, and that’s a decision that I defer to the controller’s office on,” Crowley said. “I can say that when we looked at CRED itself, and ‘Is that an appropriate place?’ and ‘Does this align with the original intent?’ all of those check the box.”
If funding is approved, the city expects that the nonprofit Dimension Mill will oversee the construction of the Tech Center.
