City Council helps local beer seller

In the end, the Bloomington City Council unanimously agreed to use $100,000 of the city's Industrial Development Fund to build improvements at the former Thompson Consumer Electronic site on the west side of town for a local business.\nBut the appropriateness of how public money should be used, and if it should be used at all, to spur private economic development at the former Thompson site caused debate over the resolution.\nBest Beers, a local beer wholesaler, will move its main distribution facility to a new building on the former Thompson site, though the move is not designed to create additional jobs. The resolution provides the money to build a new water main, streetscape and storm water improvements and demolition of electric poles and other obstructions on the site. \n"This site is the least desirable in terms of adjacent properties," said Jim Miller, who works for Best Beers, referring to the empty factory buildings that stand vacant. "But it's the most desirable in terms of location."\nThe company, which distributes beer to three other counties besides Monroe, would be able to save money on gas for deliveries to Bloomington, its biggest customer, relative to other available warehousing space in the city, Miller said. \nSince Thompson abandoned Bloomington in 1998, laying off 1,200 workers, redevelopment of the 200-acre site has been contentious and persistent, one laden with arguments about how public money, including subsidies and tax abatements, should be used in private enterprise. \nNathan Hadley, from the mayor's office, outlined what he saw as the positive side of the resolution.\n"This resolution will help a local business stay in town," Hadley said. "Best Beers is taking a risk by locating at the old Thompson site. Funds for the redevelopment were made available by Thompson as part of their exit."\nHadley also pointed out that the new site will generate $27,000 per year into the Industrial Development Fund while contributing $80,000 per year in local property taxes. In effect, he said, the city will recoup all money invested in the site.\nBut the broader issue concerning public money kept coming up. In the past, the City Council has used public money to attempt to attract companies to the still-vacant site. \nCouncilman Jeffrey Willsey criticized this kind of public-private "partnership" at the meeting.\n"One of my concerns with public-private partnerships is there is no transparency between public accountability versus private gain, though I'm not saying private gain is a bad thing," Willsey said. "But there are no standards for appropriate balance and no accountability for public money. There is very little disclosure from the private side."\nOther members said Willsey's criticism was not relevant to the Best Beer's proposal.\n"I think some of these discussions are tangential to Best Beers," Councilman Jason Banach said. "What were doing here is using funds that exists for this kind of project. I believe we will be providing a good incentive on this site"