Video: Bloomington City Council annexation hearing moved online to Zoom as Delta variant spreads; Some county residents express their opposition to annexation

Just hours after the indoor mask mandate was renewed in Monroe County the Bloomington City Council canceled an in-person hearing on the city’s proposal to annex nearby areas of Monroe County into the City of Bloomington.

Members of the city council voted unanimously to move the meeting online as a precaution against the Delta variant of Covid-19, feared to be spread by the vaccinated as well as the unvaccinated.

The council chambers had already filled with a distanced audience in chairs several feet apart as the vote was taken.

Some members of the audience, who opposed the annexation plan, said they don’t have access to Zoom, or don’t want to use the platform, but spoke on video to The Bloomingtonian about their opposition.

The meeting then took place on Zoom starting about 4 p.m., and went for more than three hours, with more than 220 people participating. The city council listened to public comments and has now scheduled another hearing on August 11th at 6 p.m. using the same Zoom link from Wednesday.

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