Bloomington’s push to expand its borders hit another wall Wednesday after the Indiana Court of Appeals struck down two of the city’s seven annexation bids.
Bloomington has been trying to annex two areas, Area 1A with 3,163 acres and Area 1B with 1,755 acres, outside the western city limits, since 2017.
More than half of property owners in both areas opposed the annexation and filed a lawsuit attempting to stop it, according to court documents.
Under Indiana law, if 65% of residents in the area sign a remonstration petition, they can void the annexation. If at least 51% sign, it earns judicial review but doesn’t guarantee the annexation won’t happen. About 61% of landowners in Area 1A and 57.5% in Area 1B opposed annexation.
In 2024, the Monroe County Circuit Court ruled the annexation of the areas could not proceed because of the state’s statutory annexation requirements and that it wasn’t evidence why the city needed to annex these areas. The city appealed and claimed the circuit court “misconstrued” the requirements.
The City of Bloomington said in a statement to the B Square Bulletin it is disappointed with the recent decision.
According to the statement, if Bloomington is unable to grow its boundaries, the community will decline in population, household income, economic growth and fiscal health. The city is seeking transfer of the appeals ruling to the Indiana Supreme Court.
“Mayor Kerry Thomson is committed to advancing the interests of Bloomington and the surrounding area, stating ‘Bloomington is a cornerstone in economic prosperity of our region and must be afforded the tools to make our region strong and vibrant,’” the statement said.
History of annexation in Bloomington
Bloomington’s annexation efforts have a complicated background of lawsuits, special legislation and related appeals, with one pending in Indiana’s highest court, according to court documents.
It all started in 2017 when then-Mayor John Hamilton proposed annexing seven areas. The annexation was halted by special legislation that blocked the city from annexing the seven areas for the next five years. In 2020, the Indiana Supreme Court ruled the statue, which had voided certain annexation ordinances, was unconstitutional special legislation.
The city adopted new annexation ordinances in September 2021 for all seven proposed areas. More than 50% of property owners in Areas 1A and 1B opposed the City’s 2021 annexation efforts and signed remonstration petitions, according to court documents.
County Residents Against Annexation then filed a petition to appeal the annexation, challenging the attempt in court. In 2024, the circuit court found that neither Area 1A nor Area 1B met the statutory requirements for annexation. The city appealed, claiming the trial court reached the wrong result and misconstrued statuary requirements.
One of the city’s appeals for areas 1C, 2, 3, 4 and 5 are pending in the Indiana Supreme Court and will be heard Oct. 30 in Indianapolis.
