The city of Bloomington is trying to expedite annexation.
It moved Wednesday to dismiss a lawsuit it had filed in Monroe County challenging the validity of a 2019 law that retroactively voided 80 percent of Bloomington’s sewer extension contracts.
“Uncertainty and delayed annexation is disruptive to all concerned. We have long sought a timely annexation to right-size our city, consistent with state law and despite repeated illegal interventions from the state government,” Mayor John Hamilton said. “Now is the time to get this major component resolved. We are confident in the propriety and value of the annexation and want to move forward so that Bloomington can continue to thrive and grow.”
Watch: Bloomington annexation case delayed
Two weeks ago in a separate case, a judge ruled in favor of annexation opponents who argued that the sewer extension lawsuit needed to be settled before their case could move forward.
The city said that by dismissing its constitutional suit, it demonstrates that it’s ready to proceed with the annexation trial.
The delay that annexation opponents had hoped for could have added years to the process, but with the city’s lawsuit dismissed, their case can proceed.
A trial date is not currently set.
