Village of Bloomington reestablishes police department, appoints Officer Small as chief and orders Mill Street speed study

The Village Board of the Village of Bloomington voted Sept. 2 to reestablish the Bloomington Police Department and appointed Officer Small as police chief.

Village President Robert McLimans told trustees the move follows discussion of three options previously presented by Officer Small: maintain the status quo, contract with the county sheriff’s office, or reestablish a local department. McLimans said the reestablished department would allow Officer Small to use the village vehicle rather than a county cruiser, which the Board said would reduce liability and allow more direct enforcement of village ordinances.

Trustees discussed traffic safety on Mill Street after Officer Small’s report estimated roughly 600–700 vehicles drive the road daily. The Board unanimously authorized using an existing radar speed sign (near the Patch Grove entrance) for a two-week study to gather vehicle counts and speeds and allowed staff to consider additional stop signs at the Fairground Road/Fifth Street approach to slow vehicles entering town.

Scott Daentl asked whether Grant County would object to reestablishing a local department; McLimans said attorney Woods had confirmed there were no contract barriers. The Board recorded unanimous approval of the motion to reactivate the department and appoint Officer Small as chief.

The Board did not change officer pay at the meeting, with McLimans noting compensation could be addressed through the budget process. The Board also discussed continuing enforcement of animal complaints and other ordinance issues with the reactivated department handling local enforcement.

The reestablishment is effective immediately pending administrative formalities; trustees did not set a separate implementation timeline at the meeting. The Board next meets Oct. 6 at 6:00 p.m.