WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.580 - (upbeat music) 00:00:02.580 --> 00:00:10.100 - Hello and welcome to Cats Week, I'm Annalise Poorman. 00:00:10.100 --> 00:00:12.100 - At their meeting on May 21st, 00:00:12.100 --> 00:00:14.660 - the Bloomington City Council heard an ordinance 00:00:14.660 --> 00:00:17.200 - to appropriate $10 million worth of food 00:00:17.200 --> 00:00:18.800 - and beverage tax funds 00:00:18.800 --> 00:00:21.460 - to the Monroe County Capital Improvement Board. 00:00:21.460 --> 00:00:23.960 - Controller Jessica McClellan asked that 00:00:23.960 --> 00:00:26.700 - the council not pass the appropriation ordinance 00:00:26.700 --> 00:00:29.360 - saying that the money is not actually needed for now. 00:00:30.160 --> 00:00:33.220 - We present this ordinance to you 00:00:33.220 --> 00:00:37.600 - and ask that you do not pass this ordinance tonight. 00:00:37.600 --> 00:00:39.800 - I would have liked to pull this from, 00:00:39.800 --> 00:00:41.820 - had pulled this from your agenda earlier, 00:00:41.820 --> 00:00:45.540 - but I think that you do have to take a vote on it tonight. 00:00:45.540 --> 00:00:48.040 - There was a discussion between myself 00:00:48.040 --> 00:00:49.920 - and the controller of the CIB 00:00:49.920 --> 00:00:52.160 - about kind of the timing of the bond funds 00:00:52.160 --> 00:00:54.520 - and when the project was gonna get started. 00:00:54.520 --> 00:00:57.560 - And there was a combination of really not knowing 00:00:57.560 --> 00:01:01.580 - how the bond fund, bond proceeds were exactly going to work 00:01:01.580 --> 00:01:03.000 - and when the project was going to start 00:01:03.000 --> 00:01:05.660 - and we thought we were gonna need to have some cash on hand 00:01:05.660 --> 00:01:08.120 - to start paying invoices sooner than we did. 00:01:08.120 --> 00:01:10.820 - We do not need that cash on hand. 00:01:10.820 --> 00:01:12.720 - The budget for the project does include 00:01:12.720 --> 00:01:15.280 - using some food and beverage tax cash on hand, 00:01:15.280 --> 00:01:17.280 - but that will be later in the project. 00:01:17.280 --> 00:01:19.260 - We're going, we do have the bond funds 00:01:19.260 --> 00:01:23.520 - and the process has started to use those bond funds. 00:01:23.520 --> 00:01:25.900 - We do not need this appropriation. 00:01:25.900 --> 00:01:29.280 - I apologize for all the time that staff and council 00:01:29.280 --> 00:01:32.240 - has put into this appropriation being on your agenda 00:01:32.240 --> 00:01:35.460 - and I appreciate your time and understanding 00:01:35.460 --> 00:01:37.920 - and I don't wanna take up any more of your time tonight 00:01:37.920 --> 00:01:41.240 - on this, but I can't answer any questions that you have. 00:01:41.240 --> 00:01:44.120 - Council member Isak Asari asked for clarification 00:01:44.120 --> 00:01:46.800 - on the money that the city owes to architect 00:01:46.800 --> 00:01:50.440 - Schmidt Associates for work on the convention center. 00:01:50.440 --> 00:01:52.440 - According to the city council packet, 00:01:52.440 --> 00:01:56.000 - the money owed was $9.8 million. 00:01:56.000 --> 00:01:57.960 - McClellan said that this was an error 00:01:57.960 --> 00:02:02.060 - and that the amount was less than the 9.8 million presented. 00:02:02.060 --> 00:02:06.080 - There was 9.8 million mentioned, 00:02:06.080 --> 00:02:08.360 - but then would be of an open PO, 00:02:08.360 --> 00:02:12.840 - but they say that there were lesser amounts of POs 00:02:12.840 --> 00:02:15.120 - that are publicly available. 00:02:15.120 --> 00:02:19.640 - Can you just clarify the state of POs to Schmidt Associates? 00:02:19.640 --> 00:02:22.940 - Yeah, there's one open PO to Schmidt Associates. 00:02:22.940 --> 00:02:25.440 - There, I don't know the balance of that PO 00:02:25.440 --> 00:02:26.340 - off the top of my head. 00:02:26.340 --> 00:02:30.280 - I think the balance as of like a month ago, 00:02:30.280 --> 00:02:34.000 - I put in the fiscal statement that is open. 00:02:34.000 --> 00:02:36.360 - It's part of the construction plan. 00:02:36.360 --> 00:02:39.500 - It's part of the budget that the CIB has. 00:02:39.500 --> 00:02:41.800 - How much that they're allowed, 00:02:41.800 --> 00:02:43.280 - the amount that they're allowed to spend 00:02:43.280 --> 00:02:46.080 - with Schmidt Associates is very clear in their budget. 00:02:46.080 --> 00:02:49.400 - We also have, we have that number on our books. 00:02:49.400 --> 00:02:54.240 - In the fiscal statement, it kind of states like just, 00:02:54.240 --> 00:02:56.680 - I want it to be transparent to the council 00:02:56.680 --> 00:02:59.520 - as to what the city's responsibilities are 00:02:59.520 --> 00:03:01.460 - with the food and beverage tax funds. 00:03:01.460 --> 00:03:04.240 - It is continuing to pay that Schmidt PO. 00:03:04.240 --> 00:03:08.000 - We can also use bond funds to pay that Schmidt PO. 00:03:08.000 --> 00:03:09.280 - We have to pay debt service 00:03:09.280 --> 00:03:13.160 - and we have to fund the debt service reserve fund. 00:03:13.160 --> 00:03:16.920 - Those things are very spread out. 00:03:16.920 --> 00:03:20.080 - We'll be collecting revenue every month 00:03:20.080 --> 00:03:21.840 - from food and beverage tax funds. 00:03:21.840 --> 00:03:26.840 - So those, those expenses will be covered when they come due. 00:03:26.840 --> 00:03:29.360 - Yeah. 00:03:29.360 --> 00:03:35.240 - This residence concerns to you, would you, yeah. 00:03:35.240 --> 00:03:36.080 - Awesome, thank you. 00:03:36.080 --> 00:03:39.360 - And then I can see, now that I've spoken with you 00:03:39.360 --> 00:03:42.040 - and I kind of know how we're gonna move forward, 00:03:42.040 --> 00:03:43.860 - after your vote tonight, I'll know a little bit more 00:03:43.860 --> 00:03:45.600 - about kind of how to respond to the residents 00:03:45.600 --> 00:03:47.920 - about the final picture here. 00:03:47.920 --> 00:03:50.080 - Excellent, thank you so much. 00:03:50.080 --> 00:03:52.000 - And I also apologize for the confusion 00:03:52.000 --> 00:03:53.880 - that it caused to residents 00:03:53.880 --> 00:03:56.680 - and that you all have definitely heard from residents 00:03:56.680 --> 00:03:57.800 - about that confusion. 00:03:57.800 --> 00:04:02.800 - And I think that, you know, bringing this ordinance forward 00:04:02.800 --> 00:04:04.320 - has caused some of that confusion. 00:04:04.320 --> 00:04:06.860 - So I apologize to residents for that as well. 00:04:06.860 --> 00:04:09.920 - During public comment on the appropriations ordinance, 00:04:09.920 --> 00:04:12.840 - local resident, Kevin Kehoe, pointed out 00:04:12.840 --> 00:04:15.680 - that the original purchase order was in the amount 00:04:15.680 --> 00:04:17.740 - of $4.1 million. 00:04:17.740 --> 00:04:20.240 - He said that the city owes Schmidt Associates 00:04:20.240 --> 00:04:22.080 - a little over $2 million 00:04:22.080 --> 00:04:25.360 - and expressed concern over this discrepancy. 00:04:25.360 --> 00:04:28.560 - The amount that is in the fiscal impact statement 00:04:28.560 --> 00:04:33.560 - is 9,847,184 as the open PO. 00:04:33.560 --> 00:04:41.020 - And from 2019, and this is public information, 00:04:42.640 --> 00:04:46.800 - the city signed a $4.1 million contract 00:04:46.800 --> 00:04:48.980 - with Schmidt Associates. 00:04:48.980 --> 00:04:51.680 - In my understanding, that was the open PO 00:04:51.680 --> 00:04:56.680 - and it should equate to 10% of the building cost, 00:04:56.680 --> 00:04:59.320 - which originally in 2019, 00:04:59.320 --> 00:05:02.360 - I thought it was around 41, 42 million. 00:05:02.360 --> 00:05:05.600 - I believe now it's close to 50 million. 00:05:05.600 --> 00:05:09.920 - So even at the 10%, you're talking about $5 million 00:05:09.920 --> 00:05:12.960 - should be the maximum 00:05:12.960 --> 00:05:16.640 - for the Schmidt Associates architectural fee. 00:05:16.640 --> 00:05:20.280 - And I've also been looking at the CIB 00:05:20.280 --> 00:05:21.520 - and they've been making, 00:05:21.520 --> 00:05:25.400 - they've said there's been expenditures made 00:05:25.400 --> 00:05:28.280 - through the CIB, it's through the city. 00:05:28.280 --> 00:05:31.920 - And I really don't understand why the city is paying this 00:05:31.920 --> 00:05:34.360 - through an open PO, but because I hope it gets 00:05:34.360 --> 00:05:38.480 - into the soft cost of the project. 00:05:38.480 --> 00:05:40.680 - So I just want to make sure that, 00:05:40.680 --> 00:05:42.200 - yeah, that's going to get into the, 00:05:42.200 --> 00:05:45.120 - when we talk about how much does this facility cost 00:05:45.120 --> 00:05:48.920 - that we include the architect's fee in that final amount. 00:05:48.920 --> 00:05:53.920 - But what's been paid on the per, and this for the CIB, 00:05:53.920 --> 00:05:56.280 - there's been nine payments. 00:05:56.280 --> 00:05:59.760 - And I was only able to see eight of the nine, 00:05:59.760 --> 00:06:01.040 - but they list them. 00:06:01.040 --> 00:06:06.040 - And I've already seen 2,000,033 of payments made to Schmidt 00:06:08.040 --> 00:06:10.160 - for the architectural fees. 00:06:10.160 --> 00:06:15.160 - So I'm very confused about this open PO amount 00:06:15.160 --> 00:06:18.040 - of 9,847,000. 00:06:18.040 --> 00:06:23.040 - And the key reason is, I would hope if this isn't, 00:06:23.040 --> 00:06:26.960 - there hasn't been, if there are changes, 00:06:26.960 --> 00:06:29.480 - I would hope that the information 00:06:29.480 --> 00:06:33.160 - about why have there been changes to this fee, 00:06:33.160 --> 00:06:35.260 - 'cause it seemed almost like double, 00:06:35.260 --> 00:06:36.740 - which is to me is very concerning 00:06:36.740 --> 00:06:39.880 - 'cause that's indicative of a cost overrun. 00:06:39.880 --> 00:06:42.280 - And it's awfully early in the project 00:06:42.280 --> 00:06:45.740 - to be dealing with that level of cost overrun. 00:06:45.740 --> 00:06:50.740 - So that was my concern and I'm still concerned 00:06:50.740 --> 00:06:54.260 - because even tonight, I thought there would be 00:06:54.260 --> 00:06:59.260 - more specific discussion about what the open PO amount is. 00:06:59.260 --> 00:07:05.360 - And it seems to me that this would be very clear, 00:07:05.360 --> 00:07:08.220 - especially the amount we're talking about. 00:07:08.220 --> 00:07:11.160 - You know, it's not a small amount. 00:07:11.160 --> 00:07:15.280 - You know, $5 million, that 10% of the total cost 00:07:15.280 --> 00:07:17.720 - of the building, I think would be a significant, 00:07:17.720 --> 00:07:22.480 - you know, from an internal control standpoint, 00:07:22.480 --> 00:07:24.480 - this would be the limit and something you really want 00:07:24.480 --> 00:07:27.460 - to make sure you don't exceed. 00:07:27.460 --> 00:07:29.920 - So anyway, that was my concern 00:07:29.920 --> 00:07:31.400 - and it continues to be my concern. 00:07:31.400 --> 00:07:33.680 - Thank you for your comment, you've run out of time. 00:07:33.680 --> 00:07:34.720 - Thank you. 00:07:34.720 --> 00:07:37.640 - Council member Dave Rollo asked if controller McClellan 00:07:37.640 --> 00:07:40.040 - would respond to Mr. Kehoe's comment, 00:07:40.040 --> 00:07:43.000 - clarifying the numbers of the open purchase order. 00:07:43.000 --> 00:07:45.560 - McClellan said that she does not have a comment 00:07:45.560 --> 00:07:48.460 - and would need to check the numbers. 00:07:48.460 --> 00:07:50.360 - Yeah, I just wondered if the, 00:07:50.360 --> 00:07:52.380 - does the controller have any comments 00:07:52.380 --> 00:07:56.840 - on the Mr. Kehoe's concern about the open PO, 00:07:56.840 --> 00:07:59.620 - clarifying the cost? 00:08:00.140 --> 00:08:02.980 - (microphone thuds) 00:08:02.980 --> 00:08:07.860 - Check those numbers. 00:08:07.860 --> 00:08:10.220 - I'm not sure that the microphone's on anymore. 00:08:10.220 --> 00:08:14.580 - I don't have any comments, I apologize. 00:08:14.580 --> 00:08:16.540 - I'll have to check those numbers. 00:08:16.540 --> 00:08:19.980 - Council member Asari responded to Mr. Kehoe's comment, 00:08:19.980 --> 00:08:22.180 - saying that he wished the council and staff 00:08:22.180 --> 00:08:25.100 - had noticed the discrepancy earlier. 00:08:25.100 --> 00:08:26.980 - I mean, of course, we're not voting on this today. 00:08:26.980 --> 00:08:29.260 - It's gonna be removed from our agenda. 00:08:29.260 --> 00:08:31.180 - But, I mean-- 00:08:31.180 --> 00:08:32.300 - We are voting on it today. 00:08:32.300 --> 00:08:34.020 - We've been asked to vote it down. 00:08:34.020 --> 00:08:37.340 - Great, okay, same thing. 00:08:37.340 --> 00:08:40.660 - Yeah, so, but the, I mean, yeah, point being, 00:08:40.660 --> 00:08:44.620 - I think the underlying point here is 00:08:44.620 --> 00:08:49.180 - the need for consistent and transparent communication 00:08:49.180 --> 00:08:52.580 - with the public, I think something that all of us share, 00:08:52.580 --> 00:08:55.940 - think that the controller is spoken of frequently. 00:08:55.940 --> 00:08:58.420 - And so, as this comes back, 00:08:58.420 --> 00:09:02.140 - I think we do have some time to answer those questions. 00:09:02.140 --> 00:09:04.500 - So, just thanking Mr. Keough 00:09:04.500 --> 00:09:07.020 - for bringing this up to begin with. 00:09:07.020 --> 00:09:12.020 - And I wish that some of us had noticed it earlier. 00:09:12.020 --> 00:09:12.900 - Thank you. 00:09:12.900 --> 00:09:15.180 - Council Member Isabel Piedmont-Smith 00:09:15.180 --> 00:09:17.620 - said that she's glad the controller asked the council 00:09:17.620 --> 00:09:20.300 - to vote this initiative down. 00:09:20.300 --> 00:09:25.260 - Yes, I'm glad that Comptroller McClellan and the CIB 00:09:25.260 --> 00:09:26.920 - are asking us to vote this down, 00:09:26.920 --> 00:09:28.940 - because given the number of questions 00:09:28.940 --> 00:09:31.660 - I was prepared to vote no on it anyway. 00:09:31.660 --> 00:09:34.880 - So, I'm glad that we're all on the same page, 00:09:34.880 --> 00:09:36.500 - and we do have some investigating to do 00:09:36.500 --> 00:09:39.920 - before approving further funding 00:09:39.920 --> 00:09:41.820 - from the food and beverage tax. 00:09:41.820 --> 00:09:42.920 - Thank you. 00:09:42.920 --> 00:09:44.640 - The council voted zero to seven 00:09:44.640 --> 00:09:46.620 - on the appropriations ordinance, 00:09:46.620 --> 00:09:49.460 - striking it down unanimously. 00:09:49.460 --> 00:09:51.860 - The Monroe County Public Library Board of Trustees 00:09:51.860 --> 00:09:53.740 - met on May 22nd. 00:09:53.740 --> 00:09:55.480 - During his monthly report, 00:09:55.480 --> 00:09:57.660 - Library Director Greer Carson was asked 00:09:57.660 --> 00:09:59.820 - by board member Kathy Loeser 00:09:59.820 --> 00:10:02.140 - if the library had procedures in place 00:10:02.140 --> 00:10:05.220 - in the event that ICE agents entered the building. 00:10:05.220 --> 00:10:09.060 - Carson confirmed that procedures were indeed in place. 00:10:09.060 --> 00:10:11.700 - We've been meeting with building services staff, 00:10:11.700 --> 00:10:14.140 - vital staff, and public services staff about this 00:10:14.140 --> 00:10:15.620 - for a couple of months now. 00:10:15.620 --> 00:10:17.500 - So, we do have a set of internal procedures 00:10:17.500 --> 00:10:19.060 - for how to handle such a situation. 00:10:19.060 --> 00:10:22.140 - It's not that different from if local law enforcement 00:10:22.140 --> 00:10:25.320 - were to arrive, with a couple of exceptions. 00:10:25.320 --> 00:10:28.060 - And so, Brian Liebacher, and myself, and Josh Wolfe, 00:10:28.060 --> 00:10:29.580 - and a few others have gone through those 00:10:29.580 --> 00:10:32.380 - with the security staff and public services staff 00:10:32.380 --> 00:10:34.460 - so that everybody knows what to do 00:10:34.460 --> 00:10:36.360 - in the event of an ICE visit. 00:10:36.360 --> 00:10:43.660 - Do you take an, does the library take an active stance 00:10:43.660 --> 00:10:48.660 - in providing information about know your rights 00:10:48.660 --> 00:10:51.380 - to any of the patrons, or is-- 00:10:51.380 --> 00:10:56.280 - We provide information on how to get that, 00:10:56.280 --> 00:10:58.220 - like we would any other resource. 00:10:58.220 --> 00:11:00.060 - So we don't encourage one thing or another. 00:11:00.060 --> 00:11:01.980 - We say, here's where you can go to find 00:11:01.980 --> 00:11:03.360 - know your rights related information. 00:11:03.360 --> 00:11:04.360 - So you don't need to hand out the cards or anything? 00:11:04.360 --> 00:11:07.220 - No, but staff are prepared to direct people 00:11:07.220 --> 00:11:08.900 - to that info as they need it, yeah. 00:11:08.900 --> 00:11:11.220 - Continuing to the action items, 00:11:11.220 --> 00:11:13.620 - Carson explained that an error had been made 00:11:13.620 --> 00:11:15.960 - regarding calculations to the pricing 00:11:15.960 --> 00:11:18.500 - of non-resident subscription cards 00:11:18.500 --> 00:11:20.820 - and requested an updated fee. 00:11:20.820 --> 00:11:23.580 - It was unanimously approved. 00:11:23.580 --> 00:11:26.900 - For 2025, we actually miscalculated the appropriate fee 00:11:26.900 --> 00:11:29.080 - for non-resident subscription cards. 00:11:29.080 --> 00:11:31.500 - We originally sought approval to increase that fee 00:11:31.500 --> 00:11:34.220 - from $65 to $80. 00:11:34.220 --> 00:11:37.480 - This fee adjustment is based on previous year expenditures 00:11:37.480 --> 00:11:40.440 - and that adjustment was approved at December's meeting. 00:11:40.440 --> 00:11:42.840 - However, in consultation with the state library, 00:11:42.840 --> 00:11:46.140 - we understand that the annual fee should actually be $82 00:11:46.140 --> 00:11:47.680 - instead of $80. 00:11:47.680 --> 00:11:50.700 - So we are asking to adjust this annual fee by $2 00:11:50.700 --> 00:11:53.100 - for 2025 in order to be in compliance 00:11:53.100 --> 00:11:54.980 - with state library standards. 00:11:54.980 --> 00:11:57.780 - The next meeting of the Monroe County Public Library 00:11:57.780 --> 00:12:01.660 - Board of Trustees will be held on June 18th. 00:12:01.660 --> 00:12:03.900 - The Monroe County Community School Corporation 00:12:03.900 --> 00:12:06.740 - Board of Trustees met on May 20th. 00:12:06.740 --> 00:12:09.780 - This followed the announcement that the school corporation 00:12:09.780 --> 00:12:12.940 - would eliminate 61 non-classroom jobs 00:12:12.940 --> 00:12:15.620 - resulting from budget cuts after the passage 00:12:15.620 --> 00:12:19.180 - of Senate Enrolled Act 1 at the State House. 00:12:19.180 --> 00:12:22.780 - During public comment, Monroe County Education Association 00:12:22.780 --> 00:12:26.260 - board member-elect Eric Nolan expressed concerns 00:12:26.260 --> 00:12:28.660 - about the budget cuts and the elimination 00:12:28.660 --> 00:12:31.420 - of the non-classroom jobs. 00:12:31.420 --> 00:12:33.820 - My name is Eric Nolan and I speak to you this evening 00:12:33.820 --> 00:12:36.960 - in my role as MCEA board member-elect. 00:12:36.960 --> 00:12:42.020 - A number of people are obviously very concerned 00:12:42.020 --> 00:12:47.020 - with budget concerns coming up. 00:12:47.100 --> 00:12:51.420 - We were already concerned when the two-year strategy 00:12:51.420 --> 00:12:54.060 - to achieve balance was presented 00:12:54.060 --> 00:12:56.340 - and now we're looking at more dire circumstance 00:12:56.340 --> 00:12:58.180 - when it comes to our budget next year. 00:12:58.180 --> 00:13:02.100 - We recently, I think it was just made public 00:13:02.100 --> 00:13:04.660 - that a number of positions have been set 00:13:04.660 --> 00:13:07.980 - to be laid off already and none of those 00:13:07.980 --> 00:13:10.020 - are teaching positions so I really can't speak directly 00:13:10.020 --> 00:13:12.260 - to them except that just as a fellow worker, 00:13:12.260 --> 00:13:14.560 - my heart goes out to people who are being laid off 00:13:14.560 --> 00:13:15.400 - because of this. 00:13:16.880 --> 00:13:19.420 - Something that keeps coming up and a number of members 00:13:19.420 --> 00:13:23.300 - have talked to me about and is reporting 00:13:23.300 --> 00:13:26.180 - on the two-year strategy specifically 00:13:26.180 --> 00:13:28.800 - regarding administration, compensation, 00:13:28.800 --> 00:13:31.620 - and versus what we can find from the Indiana Gateway 00:13:31.620 --> 00:13:36.240 - where the school corporation reports employee salaries 00:13:36.240 --> 00:13:37.080 - to the state. 00:13:37.080 --> 00:13:42.180 - Myself, just honestly, after school today, 00:13:42.180 --> 00:13:45.700 - I wrapped up grading, just decided to pull the data 00:13:45.700 --> 00:13:49.220 - from that and sort it by administrator type 00:13:49.220 --> 00:13:50.980 - and then further sorted that 00:13:50.980 --> 00:13:52.640 - by building-level administrator. 00:13:52.640 --> 00:13:57.020 - I noted that on the Indiana Gateway website, 00:13:57.020 --> 00:13:59.740 - it shows that our total for building-level administrators 00:13:59.740 --> 00:14:03.620 - in 2022 is, I'm just going to summarize or abbreviate 00:14:03.620 --> 00:14:06.420 - the numbers a little bit, but 5.5 million. 00:14:06.420 --> 00:14:11.260 - In 2023, 5.9 million, and in 2024, 6.1 million. 00:14:11.260 --> 00:14:13.020 - For central administration, and this includes 00:14:13.020 --> 00:14:15.840 - both certified and non-certified central administration 00:14:15.840 --> 00:14:19.620 - positions, in 2022, on the Gateway reports, 00:14:19.620 --> 00:14:24.140 - just over 2 million, in 2023, 2.5 million, 00:14:24.140 --> 00:14:26.560 - and in 2024, 3.1 million. 00:14:26.560 --> 00:14:31.900 - And so those totals add up to administrator salaries 00:14:31.900 --> 00:14:36.740 - being about 7.6 million, 8.5 million, and 9.3 million. 00:14:36.740 --> 00:14:40.900 - When I look at the graphs regarding specifically 00:14:40.900 --> 00:14:43.820 - administrator salary totals on the Two Year Strategy website, 00:14:43.820 --> 00:14:47.060 - I'm seeing much smaller numbers reported. 00:14:47.060 --> 00:14:49.820 - For instance, central administration positions 00:14:49.820 --> 00:14:54.820 - are listed in 2022 as 647,982, 580, in 2022, I'm sorry, 00:14:54.820 --> 00:15:01.220 - in '23, 583,000, and in '24, 843,000. 00:15:01.220 --> 00:15:03.060 - So there's a differences of, you know, 00:15:03.060 --> 00:15:07.020 - more than 2 million and then up to 3.5 million dollars. 00:15:07.020 --> 00:15:10.440 - And I don't know how to explain this when people ask me, 00:15:10.440 --> 00:15:15.440 - and I would love some sort of explanation for this 00:15:15.440 --> 00:15:17.460 - as we're looking at budget cuts, 00:15:17.460 --> 00:15:20.340 - because it appears that administrative salaries 00:15:20.340 --> 00:15:23.500 - have grown substantially in these last three years alone. 00:15:23.500 --> 00:15:25.620 - Thank you. 00:15:25.620 --> 00:15:29.420 - Next, MCEA president, Jenny Noble Cucera, 00:15:29.420 --> 00:15:32.160 - brought up a petition urging the school corporation 00:15:32.160 --> 00:15:34.420 - to adopt a policy that clarifies 00:15:34.420 --> 00:15:37.320 - which positions would be eliminated. 00:15:37.320 --> 00:15:39.020 - Good evening, Vice President Cooperman, 00:15:39.020 --> 00:15:41.620 - School Board of Trustees, and Dr. Winston. 00:15:41.620 --> 00:15:43.780 - Thanks for having me here again this evening. 00:15:43.780 --> 00:15:48.500 - I am the Monroe County Education Association president, 00:15:48.500 --> 00:15:52.860 - and as such, I represent 558 members, 00:15:52.860 --> 00:15:55.220 - all of whom have signed a petition. 00:15:55.220 --> 00:15:59.600 - And the petition essentially is asking our school board 00:15:59.600 --> 00:16:02.580 - to adopt a reduction in force policy 00:16:02.580 --> 00:16:05.540 - given the current climate that we are living in. 00:16:07.680 --> 00:16:10.540 - I have sent drafts to our school board 00:16:10.540 --> 00:16:13.620 - in the hopes that it would become a topic 00:16:13.620 --> 00:16:16.220 - of your conversation, because essentially 00:16:16.220 --> 00:16:19.140 - what this boils down to is we are working 00:16:19.140 --> 00:16:22.940 - with our administrators, we have fantastic conversations 00:16:22.940 --> 00:16:27.940 - and discussions, and we are meeting to that end 00:16:27.940 --> 00:16:31.420 - with clarity and transparency. 00:16:31.420 --> 00:16:33.340 - However, it's not enough. 00:16:33.340 --> 00:16:37.040 - What we're asking is you all as our employers 00:16:37.040 --> 00:16:39.860 - to actually put into place a policy 00:16:39.860 --> 00:16:44.680 - that will make it crystal clear who stays and who goes. 00:16:44.680 --> 00:16:50.000 - If there is gray area, which there has proven to be 00:16:50.000 --> 00:16:53.640 - in a court case, Elliott versus Madison, 00:16:53.640 --> 00:16:58.200 - that's not going to bode well for any of us 00:16:58.200 --> 00:16:59.540 - here in this room. 00:16:59.540 --> 00:17:02.300 - So it is the last thing I want to ask for 00:17:02.300 --> 00:17:04.780 - and yet it is exactly what I'm asking for. 00:17:04.780 --> 00:17:07.600 - And that is for all of you to discuss 00:17:07.600 --> 00:17:09.980 - and adopt hopefully the draft 00:17:09.980 --> 00:17:11.820 - that I sent you yesterday morning. 00:17:11.820 --> 00:17:17.580 - Because right now the Indiana code, and I quote, 00:17:17.580 --> 00:17:21.940 - says any of the following items may be considered. 00:17:21.940 --> 00:17:26.860 - Following that, we have things like content areas, 00:17:26.860 --> 00:17:29.740 - additional content degrees and credit hours, 00:17:29.740 --> 00:17:34.620 - performance categories, on and on and on. 00:17:34.620 --> 00:17:37.760 - So without clarity and without transparency, 00:17:37.760 --> 00:17:42.860 - it's going to be really difficult for us to move forward 00:17:42.860 --> 00:17:47.000 - beyond our good conversations with administrators 00:17:47.000 --> 00:17:49.980 - if there's no policy that everyone can follow 00:17:49.980 --> 00:17:53.320 - and everyone knows is happening in a straightforward way. 00:17:53.320 --> 00:17:59.820 - So please do us the courtesy of looking at that draft. 00:17:59.820 --> 00:18:04.500 - It meets with Indiana code. 00:18:04.500 --> 00:18:09.140 - It is constitutional, so it won't provide any issues. 00:18:09.140 --> 00:18:11.860 - And I thank you so much for that consideration. 00:18:11.860 --> 00:18:12.940 - I hope it moves. 00:18:12.940 --> 00:18:16.340 - MCEA board member Angie Shelton also commented 00:18:16.340 --> 00:18:18.760 - on the non-classroom layoffs saying 00:18:18.760 --> 00:18:22.180 - that these are important positions for the school system. 00:18:22.180 --> 00:18:23.600 - She said that she disagrees 00:18:23.600 --> 00:18:25.840 - with the school corporation's determination 00:18:25.840 --> 00:18:29.020 - to layoff employees who do not make as much money 00:18:29.020 --> 00:18:31.460 - as classroom employees. 00:18:31.460 --> 00:18:33.060 - I have several questions related 00:18:33.060 --> 00:18:34.660 - to the two-year strategic plan 00:18:34.660 --> 00:18:35.900 - that I'm hoping will be addressed 00:18:35.900 --> 00:18:37.500 - in the presentation this evening. 00:18:37.500 --> 00:18:41.700 - But, well, related to that, I guess, 00:18:41.700 --> 00:18:44.340 - as I learned this afternoon right prior to the meeting 00:18:44.340 --> 00:18:47.620 - in the personnel report that 61 support staff positions 00:18:47.620 --> 00:18:49.260 - were eliminated today. 00:18:49.260 --> 00:18:51.340 - These are primarily lunchroom staff, 00:18:51.340 --> 00:18:55.340 - custodians, and other support staff. 00:18:55.340 --> 00:18:58.780 - These are, speaking as anyone who spent time at school, 00:18:58.780 --> 00:19:00.580 - really important positions. 00:19:01.780 --> 00:19:06.220 - Having clean buildings and safe food 00:19:06.220 --> 00:19:07.660 - that can be delivered to our kids 00:19:07.660 --> 00:19:09.460 - in the amount of time they have 00:19:09.460 --> 00:19:12.860 - so that they still have time to eat are important things. 00:19:12.860 --> 00:19:15.340 - And so, as someone who's in the building, 00:19:15.340 --> 00:19:17.100 - I feel for those positions. 00:19:17.100 --> 00:19:20.660 - In addition, it doesn't seem like 00:19:20.660 --> 00:19:22.580 - eliminating lowest-paid positions 00:19:22.580 --> 00:19:27.460 - is one of the most strategic ways to reduce costs. 00:19:27.460 --> 00:19:29.300 - So I have some other ideas about ways 00:19:29.300 --> 00:19:31.700 - that might be more effective. 00:19:31.700 --> 00:19:32.940 - One of them would be offering 00:19:32.940 --> 00:19:35.260 - retirement incentives to staff. 00:19:35.260 --> 00:19:37.260 - We have a lot of high-paid staff, 00:19:37.260 --> 00:19:41.620 - and as you know, MCCSC has pretty good salaries now. 00:19:41.620 --> 00:19:44.780 - And we have a lot of people who would be willing to retire 00:19:44.780 --> 00:19:47.140 - if used early with any kind of incentive. 00:19:47.140 --> 00:19:52.540 - And that would also then reduce the highest-paid positions 00:19:52.540 --> 00:19:56.780 - while retaining lower-paid positions in younger teachers 00:19:56.780 --> 00:20:00.660 - whose jobs are more critical probably for their families. 00:20:00.660 --> 00:20:03.020 - Not that people closer to retirement aren't, 00:20:03.020 --> 00:20:04.300 - but hopefully if you're close enough, 00:20:04.300 --> 00:20:06.380 - you can afford to live a decent retirement. 00:20:06.380 --> 00:20:08.660 - And that would also not just save more money, 00:20:08.660 --> 00:20:09.820 - but improve morale. 00:20:09.820 --> 00:20:11.940 - And a lot of people in the district, 00:20:11.940 --> 00:20:14.780 - and I'm sure the school board as well in administration, 00:20:14.780 --> 00:20:17.900 - this is a difficult situation and stressful on everyone. 00:20:17.900 --> 00:20:19.740 - So giving people's options, 00:20:19.740 --> 00:20:22.160 - I think would reduce a lot of anxiety. 00:20:22.160 --> 00:20:26.680 - And my third comment is just to echo Jenny's request 00:20:26.680 --> 00:20:30.060 - that we have a clear and consistent RIF policy 00:20:30.060 --> 00:20:31.900 - by state law, if RIFs are done. 00:20:31.900 --> 00:20:35.140 - And I know MCCSEA said they don't plan to do any this year, 00:20:35.140 --> 00:20:36.620 - but by state law, they have to be done 00:20:36.620 --> 00:20:38.940 - between May 1st and July 1st. 00:20:38.940 --> 00:20:41.900 - And so the next board meeting is the end of June, 00:20:41.900 --> 00:20:44.520 - which should things happen during the summer. 00:20:44.520 --> 00:20:47.020 - And I'll just say, I know people are afraid 00:20:47.020 --> 00:20:48.380 - that they may lose their jobs, 00:20:48.380 --> 00:20:51.260 - but it would be dependent on the school board 00:20:51.260 --> 00:20:53.400 - to approve something that goes through discussion 00:20:53.400 --> 00:20:56.240 - with MCCSEA. 00:20:56.240 --> 00:20:57.080 - Thank you. 00:20:57.080 --> 00:20:59.360 - In her two-year strategy update, 00:20:59.360 --> 00:21:01.580 - Superintendent Dr. Markay Winston 00:21:01.580 --> 00:21:04.060 - said that the school system hopes to save 00:21:04.060 --> 00:21:07.860 - around $7 million per year through staff reductions 00:21:07.860 --> 00:21:10.700 - and leaving vacant positions open. 00:21:10.700 --> 00:21:14.960 - The second area of our two-year strategy 00:21:14.960 --> 00:21:18.820 - is centralized position reduction. 00:21:18.820 --> 00:21:21.880 - This means reductions in centralized services, 00:21:21.880 --> 00:21:24.500 - programs, and staff to realize savings 00:21:24.500 --> 00:21:26.860 - as much as possible outside of the classroom. 00:21:26.860 --> 00:21:29.020 - (silence) 00:21:29.020 --> 00:21:36.400 - Centrally, we have approximately 28.8 FTEs 00:21:36.400 --> 00:21:39.840 - that have vacated as a result of natural attrition. 00:21:39.840 --> 00:21:44.840 - We have an additional 53.3 FTEs 00:21:44.840 --> 00:21:48.320 - that are as a result of position elimination 00:21:48.320 --> 00:21:50.440 - and position reduction. 00:21:50.440 --> 00:21:52.040 - We are very sensitive to the fact 00:21:52.040 --> 00:21:54.840 - that those are individuals' livelihoods, 00:21:54.840 --> 00:21:56.720 - and we don't take that lightly. 00:21:56.720 --> 00:22:00.440 - We recognize also that many of those positions 00:22:00.440 --> 00:22:03.400 - were initiated during COVID era, 00:22:03.400 --> 00:22:06.680 - and we feel as if those positions 00:22:06.680 --> 00:22:08.120 - can and should be eliminated 00:22:08.120 --> 00:22:09.880 - at this particular point in time. 00:22:09.880 --> 00:22:14.280 - Some of those are in the area of, excuse me, 00:22:14.280 --> 00:22:18.680 - not food service, health services and custodial services. 00:22:18.680 --> 00:22:24.920 - We have some additional centralized support staff positions 00:22:24.920 --> 00:22:26.920 - that have been eliminated as well. 00:22:26.920 --> 00:22:30.960 - There are support staffs from the main admin building. 00:22:30.960 --> 00:22:33.760 - There are positions that have been eliminated 00:22:33.760 --> 00:22:38.600 - from transportation, from technology, 00:22:38.600 --> 00:22:43.600 - from food service, I'm trying to go by my memory now, 00:22:43.600 --> 00:22:49.800 - as well as by, what am I forgetting, building services. 00:22:53.680 --> 00:22:56.760 - The Monroe County Election Board held a public hearing 00:22:56.760 --> 00:22:59.040 - at their meeting on May 19th. 00:22:59.040 --> 00:23:02.520 - The hearing was the final opportunity for community members 00:23:02.520 --> 00:23:03.640 - to give their input 00:23:03.640 --> 00:23:06.840 - on the Vote Center Study Committee's report. 00:23:06.840 --> 00:23:09.080 - Committee member, Ami Gandhi, 00:23:09.080 --> 00:23:11.280 - said that the committee believes vote centers 00:23:11.280 --> 00:23:14.400 - would help ensure fair and equal voting access 00:23:14.400 --> 00:23:15.640 - in the county. 00:23:15.640 --> 00:23:17.480 - Gandhi explained that the main purpose 00:23:17.480 --> 00:23:19.760 - behind switching to a vote center model 00:23:19.760 --> 00:23:21.840 - is to eliminate the confusion 00:23:21.840 --> 00:23:24.720 - of having to find the right polling location. 00:23:24.720 --> 00:23:26.600 - I wanted to share a little bit of background, 00:23:26.600 --> 00:23:30.580 - which was also discussed at previous election board meetings 00:23:30.580 --> 00:23:35.020 - and the previous vote center related hearing. 00:23:35.020 --> 00:23:38.840 - In our work as a vote center study committee 00:23:38.840 --> 00:23:43.680 - that was bipartisan in nature, we heard from voters, 00:23:43.680 --> 00:23:45.340 - we heard from community members, 00:23:45.340 --> 00:23:47.540 - I'm a Monroe County voter myself, 00:23:47.540 --> 00:23:50.920 - and we heard a lot of stories of confusion 00:23:50.920 --> 00:23:54.520 - that voters had about determining 00:23:54.520 --> 00:23:55.800 - where is my polling place, 00:23:55.800 --> 00:23:58.720 - how can I exercise my right to vote? 00:23:58.720 --> 00:24:03.100 - And that's particularly in some communities 00:24:03.100 --> 00:24:05.800 - where if later in the day, 00:24:05.800 --> 00:24:08.260 - because of someone's constraints that are on them, 00:24:08.260 --> 00:24:11.120 - long work hours or long class hours 00:24:11.120 --> 00:24:14.240 - or a childcare or healthcare situation, 00:24:14.240 --> 00:24:18.100 - if there's very limited time to go out there 00:24:18.100 --> 00:24:21.400 - and vote in person and then having location confusion 00:24:21.400 --> 00:24:23.760 - on top of that, it can lead to, 00:24:23.760 --> 00:24:26.320 - and it has led to unfortunately in Monroe County, 00:24:26.320 --> 00:24:27.960 - voters being turned away. 00:24:27.960 --> 00:24:29.240 - If it's late in the day, 00:24:29.240 --> 00:24:31.360 - by the time they realize they would have had to go 00:24:31.360 --> 00:24:33.820 - to a different assigned polling place 00:24:33.820 --> 00:24:36.680 - in order to be able to exercise their right to vote. 00:24:36.680 --> 00:24:37.840 - During public comment, 00:24:37.840 --> 00:24:39.880 - County Commissioner Penny Githans 00:24:39.880 --> 00:24:42.120 - expressed her support for vote centers 00:24:42.120 --> 00:24:43.760 - and highlighted the fact 00:24:43.760 --> 00:24:45.700 - that the majority of Indiana counties 00:24:45.700 --> 00:24:47.880 - have already adopted vote centers. 00:24:47.880 --> 00:24:49.240 - I'm Penny Githans. 00:24:49.240 --> 00:24:50.720 - I'm a Monroe County resident 00:24:50.720 --> 00:24:51.840 - and I'm one of the commissioners 00:24:51.840 --> 00:24:56.840 - that in 2023 voted to support vote centers. 00:24:56.840 --> 00:24:58.600 - I'm here to offer my support 00:24:58.600 --> 00:25:00.400 - for implementing the vote centers here 00:25:00.400 --> 00:25:01.560 - and increasing the number 00:25:01.560 --> 00:25:03.760 - of early satellite voting locations. 00:25:03.760 --> 00:25:06.840 - Like Ms. Wilson, 00:25:06.840 --> 00:25:08.960 - I want to thank the vote center study committee 00:25:08.960 --> 00:25:11.960 - for its work and providing a thoughtful 00:25:11.960 --> 00:25:16.960 - and well-researched and concise report. 00:25:17.040 --> 00:25:18.120 - It's significant to me 00:25:18.120 --> 00:25:20.240 - that the committee voted seven to zero 00:25:20.240 --> 00:25:21.680 - to approve this plan. 00:25:21.680 --> 00:25:23.880 - Democratic chair, John Fernandez, 00:25:23.880 --> 00:25:25.320 - shared why he is in support 00:25:25.320 --> 00:25:27.520 - of moving to a vote center model. 00:25:27.520 --> 00:25:32.520 - Well, I think this report should be adopted. 00:25:32.520 --> 00:25:39.520 - I think the vote center plan really is about accessibility 00:25:39.520 --> 00:25:44.000 - but it's also about efficiencies. 00:25:44.000 --> 00:25:46.920 - It's kind of an antiquated system 00:25:46.920 --> 00:25:48.120 - that we have today. 00:25:48.120 --> 00:25:49.160 - Does it work okay? 00:25:49.160 --> 00:25:52.800 - Yeah, it works okay, but it could be better. 00:25:52.800 --> 00:25:56.000 - Republican chair, Danny Shields, 00:25:56.000 --> 00:25:59.560 - shared why he is not in support of vote centers. 00:25:59.560 --> 00:26:00.880 - Well, I'm a seasoned veteran 00:26:00.880 --> 00:26:02.840 - of the elections in Monroe County. 00:26:02.840 --> 00:26:05.700 - My first one was 1972. 00:26:05.700 --> 00:26:07.560 - I am a new member of this board. 00:26:07.560 --> 00:26:10.400 - I take this position very seriously. 00:26:10.400 --> 00:26:12.120 - Here are a few things that stand out to me 00:26:12.120 --> 00:26:14.200 - about the report and the plan. 00:26:14.200 --> 00:26:15.980 - First, let's be clear. 00:26:15.980 --> 00:26:18.240 - We don't live in a pure democracy. 00:26:18.240 --> 00:26:19.760 - Democracies don't last long 00:26:19.760 --> 00:26:21.860 - because as soon as two people realize 00:26:21.860 --> 00:26:24.480 - they can legally take someone else's property, 00:26:24.480 --> 00:26:27.120 - it often leads to conflict and violence. 00:26:27.120 --> 00:26:29.400 - We live in a representative republic 00:26:29.400 --> 00:26:30.780 - where representatives are elected 00:26:30.780 --> 00:26:32.120 - by the people of their district, 00:26:32.120 --> 00:26:33.780 - whatever that district may be. 00:26:33.780 --> 00:26:38.280 - I'm strongly in favor of minimizing taxes. 00:26:38.280 --> 00:26:40.680 - Taxation for any reason is taking money 00:26:40.680 --> 00:26:42.720 - from someone else who worked for it 00:26:42.720 --> 00:26:45.920 - and using it for purposes they may not support. 00:26:45.920 --> 00:26:47.700 - Property taxes, for example, 00:26:47.700 --> 00:26:50.400 - are immoral and should be abolished. 00:26:50.400 --> 00:26:52.560 - Spending taxpayer dollars for any reason 00:26:52.560 --> 00:26:55.020 - should be carefully scrutinized. 00:26:55.020 --> 00:26:56.320 - I've read the report of the committee 00:26:56.320 --> 00:26:58.740 - and I was there when the committee began. 00:26:58.740 --> 00:27:00.240 - It is important to note that the committee 00:27:00.240 --> 00:27:02.640 - was never entirely unbiased. 00:27:02.640 --> 00:27:05.680 - They never considered whether vote centers are a good idea. 00:27:05.680 --> 00:27:08.440 - They were always focused on getting them implemented. 00:27:08.440 --> 00:27:09.800 - There are some good things in the report 00:27:09.800 --> 00:27:12.600 - such as the fact that electronic polling books are good 00:27:12.600 --> 00:27:14.840 - if the electricity works. 00:27:14.840 --> 00:27:16.320 - One thing the committee never asked 00:27:16.320 --> 00:27:19.220 - is whether increasing voter turnout is the main goal 00:27:19.220 --> 00:27:21.420 - or responsibility of the election board. 00:27:21.420 --> 00:27:24.800 - For the record, it is not. 00:27:24.800 --> 00:27:27.240 - The goal of the election board is to run fair, 00:27:27.240 --> 00:27:30.840 - cost-effective, bipartisan elections for the government. 00:27:30.840 --> 00:27:32.480 - It is the job of the political parties, 00:27:32.480 --> 00:27:34.840 - civic groups, educational organizations, 00:27:34.840 --> 00:27:37.360 - among others, to drive voter turnout. 00:27:37.360 --> 00:27:39.160 - If it were not, we would not have 00:27:39.160 --> 00:27:42.080 - repetitive commercial season every year. 00:27:42.080 --> 00:27:44.820 - For the vote center report to be adopted, 00:27:44.820 --> 00:27:48.200 - it needed a unanimous vote from the election board. 00:27:48.200 --> 00:27:51.520 - The vote did not pass, with County Clerk Nicole Brown 00:27:51.520 --> 00:27:54.480 - and Democratic Chair John Fernandez voting yes, 00:27:54.480 --> 00:27:58.320 - and Republican Chair Danny Shields voting no. 00:27:58.320 --> 00:28:00.240 - And that is all for Cats Week. 00:28:00.240 --> 00:28:01.400 - Thank you for joining us. 00:28:01.400 --> 00:28:05.200 - For Cats and WFHB, I'm Annalise Poorman. 00:28:05.200 --> 00:28:07.780 - (upbeat music) 00:28:07.780 --> 00:28:10.360 - (upbeat music) 00:28:10.360 --> 00:28:12.940 - (upbeat music) 00:28:12.940 --> 00:28:15.520 - (upbeat music) 00:28:15.520 --> 00:28:18.100 - (upbeat music) 00:28:18.100 --> 00:28:20.680 - (upbeat music) 00:28:20.680 --> 00:28:23.260 - (upbeat music) 00:28:23.640 --> 00:28:26.220 - (upbeat music) 00:28:26.220 --> 00:28:28.800 - (upbeat music) 00:28:28.800 --> 00:28:55.440 - (soft piano music) 00:28:55.600 --> 00:28:58.520 - (soft piano music) 00:28:59.120 --> 00:29:02.040 - (soft piano music) 00:29:02.040 --> 00:29:04.960 - (soft piano music) 00:29:04.960 --> 00:29:07.880 - (soft piano music) 00:29:07.880 --> 00:29:33.760 - (soft piano music) 00:29:33.760 --> 00:29:36.680 - (soft piano music) 00:29:36.680 --> 00:29:39.600 - (soft piano music) 00:29:39.600 --> 00:29:42.520 - (soft piano music) 00:29:42.520 --> 00:29:45.440 - (soft piano music) 00:29:45.440 --> 00:29:48.360 - (soft piano music) 00:29:48.360 --> 00:29:51.280 - (soft piano music) 00:29:51.280 --> 00:29:54.200 - (soft piano music) 00:29:54.200 --> 00:29:57.120 - (soft piano music)