By Adam Studzinski

NORMAL – The Town of Normal doesn’t consider the Metro Zone tax sharing agreement with Bloomington terminated.

That’s the message delivered Monday night by Mayor Chris Koos, as the Town Council held a discussion on Bloomington’s vote to unilaterally terminate the deal.

“I’m saying that in the spirit of the agreement,” said Koos. “How it was written. How it had been maintained for 30 years. I think it can be (cancelled), if that’s the end result of negotiation and talk.”

The original agreement stated the deal can be cancelled if both parties agreed. Bloomington made its decision and cited a 1998 Illinois Supreme Court decision which ruled one party can unilaterally terminate an agreement if there was no end date set.

Former Normal Mayor Paul Harmon, who was mayor when the Metro Zone was created, spoke Monday and agreed he thought the deal had not been ended within the terms of the original contract.

Councilwoman Kathleen Lorenz said Bloomington’s decision “struck at the heart of being a good partner.”

“And when the agreement seems clumsy or not right or outdated or whatever you want to put on it that we should come together and talk about that,” Lorenz said.

Koos said the two municipalities could eventually sit down for a joint discussion.

“I think, if the City of Bloomington’s willing, maybe some initial work with that smaller group/committee to kind of set some ground rules about where we’re going and how we’re doing it,” said Koos. “But it’s something that we need to do as a community – both parties.”

Koos directed staff to look for ways to fill the $1.2 million funding gap their budget could now face without revenue the town would usually get from Bloomington as part of the Metro Zone agreement. That funding was included in the $107 million budget for the next fiscal year, which the council approved Monday.

Adam Studzinski can be reached at [email protected].