Mayor Kerry Thomson says Governor Braun's wish to do more with less could mean spending more in the long run. She also explains a few complications with expanding EV charging stations.
In this week’s installment of Ask The Mayor, Bloomington Mayor Kerry Thomson addresses these issues and more at City Hall. Listen to the full conversation with Indiana Newsdesk anchor Joe Hren by clicking on the play button above, or read some of the questions and answers below. A portion of this segment airs 6:45 and 8:45 a.m. Wednesday on WFIU. Here are some highlights.
This conversation has been edited for clarity and conciseness.
Hren: As the cold weather returns, does the city need to do more to take over what some of the nonprofits are doing to house people that need a warm place to stay?
Thomson: I don't think the city needs to take it over. What we're doing is very clearly supporting the system with a plan. So 'Heading Home' is an umbrella organization that works with all the shelter providers and and stays on top of best practices, etc. And so we're really interested in funding that system and working with the professionals who are trained in the Rapid Rehousing program, so that we get consistent case management for people and that we're really placing people in a system that helps them succeed and get permanent housing.
Hren: The property tax bill taking shape, the General Assembly working on the budget for the next two years. It looks like there may be some school revenue losses over the next five years. Governor Mike Braun says he wants to do more with less. How do you respond to that?
Thomson: Ideally, we don't want any excesses being spent in government. The first question you have to ask is, is money being wasted? If it is, then obviously, we look at those programs and figure out how we can do them more efficiently. The challenge is that a lot of the conversation that's happening is not to do more, it's to do less. And I think the problem that we're going to have — clearly, because we've seen it happen historically — is that when you do less, you end up spending more taking care of the crises that you cause.
That's a bipartisan issue, and that really is seeking to take the taxes that were going to counties and cities and send them straight to the state. That's going to hurt our schools. It's going to hurt your local government, things like police and fire, things like roads that our residents really depend on.
Hren: A bill that would jail and fine people sleeping on state property passed out of committee on Monday. But when we say state property, it's public property including city land.
Thomson: Yes, this is really rooted, obviously, in the Supreme Court case that came out of Oregon last year. And so, we don't want to criminalize being homeless. What we're told is that this doesn't criminalize being homeless, it just puts teeth in the fact that you can't trespass on public lands. It is part of a greater movement I think that we really need to keep an eye on, to make sure that we are seeking the resources that are needed to help people get back on their feet without creating onerous penalties that actually further prevent them from doing so. If you find a person who's experiencing homelessness and they can't pay the fine, those things just keep multiplying.
Read more: Indiana bill to punish people sleeping outside on public property advances
Hren: On previous shows, you've maintained Bloomington is for all people with an emphasis on diversity. With all the cuts to DEI and targets on transgender people, how do you maintain that aspect of Bloomington being open to all people?
Thomson: Bloomington has long been a place that many people can feel at home, and we've been striving to be a place where even more people can genuinely feel at home. And so my commitment to our community is we'll continue to innovate on ways that we can be warm and welcoming and create a sense of belonging for all people, and I think that's important now more than ever. And I think it's important not only for our humanity, but for our economic development. We need to be a place that that welcomes all kinds of people with with creative ideas, a place that innovates and is is really a center for entrepreneurship.
Hren: Republicans approved a bill to give the Attorney General more power to go after businesses that employ undocumented immigrants. The Attorney General's office said that the bill would make it easier to win ongoing lawsuits against two county sheriff's offices. One of those is here in Bloomington, as you know. What's your response to that bill?
Thomson: Our police department is the law enforcement arm. And the police have really nothing to do with immigration. We're not trained professionals in the legitimacy of somebody's immigration documents, our role, as laid out in code, is to keep our local community safe, and so we we are focused on that.
Read more: Metropolitan Planning maps out Monroe County transportation goals
Hren: Ryne wrote in about electric car power stations. So there are three different levels of power, level one can charge a car 11 to 20 hours, up to level three, which is about 30 to 60 minutes. He doesn't see much in Bloomington in terms of powering electric vehicles. I looked at a map too, and I didn't see many, especially those level threes. Should Bloomington be leading the state or leading the country in this type of technology? And if so, why aren't we?
Thomson: There are several different factors that go into how fast your car charges, including the battery that's in your car and how much it can draw even on a fast charger. So some of these batteries will charge in 20 minutes. Mine takes an hour on the very fastest. The high speed chargers are incredibly expensive to install, upwards of $100,000 a piece, and it requires infrastructure, etc.
Read more: Lack of infrastructure slows state electric vehicle sales
We really are in a prime spot. And with adequate planning, I think we should have some level three chargers right on this I-69 corridor where we could pull people off the interstate, have a meal in a Bloomington restaurant, and keep going. The challenge is getting the money to do those and the planning it takes to get them done. We do have infrastructure in our city garages for level two chargers, etc. And then, of course, in our in our multi family developments, new multi family developments of a certain size are all required to put in EV chargers. So we're doing what we can to sort of mandate the infrastructure.
Unfortunately, the funding that was there to support municipalities doing EV chargers appears to be disappearing with the new federal administration, and so obviously it's a concern. In order to encourage more people to drive electric we need a solid grid right now. So it's something we're interested in, and it may necessitate a public/private partnership to pull in some of those faster charges.
Hren: Some might want to know a little bit more about the city finalizing the outdoor dining program for Kirkwood Avenue. What's different, or what might they see from before?
Thomson: It will be different, and we're still finalizing exactly what that's going to look like, but Kirkwood will be closed for the summer months. And, this is a longer term picture, we're not going to get it perfect yet. I want to really communicate that to the public. We're still listening to what the public needs. Accessibility is the main concern. So getting people who are not physically mobile, to be able to access places is the main concern, and of course, public safety.
Ultimately, our goal is to have a long term vision for Kirkwood with whatever closure is going to happen that ties into our transportation infrastructure and doesn't look like just a temporary closing and has access points for people with limited mobility.
Listen in: Kirkwood Avenue outdoor dining starts in April | Noon Edition
