Hello and welcome to Cats Week. I'm Annaliese Poorman. The Monroe County Council met on November 10th.
At the meeting, County Commissioner Jody Madeira discussed the search for a new jail site with the council.
She explained how they chose North Park for the new location. Now due to the time issue alone associated
with Thompson, staff was directed to investigate North Park.
and of course this appeared to be the last viable option and was eventually deemed the best location
by both the council and commissioners. We signed a 2024 purchase agreement to purchase the North Park
property in October and the council approved that in ordinance 2024-54 which fixed the terms and conditions
for the purchase in November of 2024. A property on Vernal Pike subsequently became eligible in late
2024 but the only way to obtain sewer connection was to
voluntarily annex that property and involuntarily annex all continuous property at an estimated cost
of $875,000. To date, we have spent over $4 million on design work for North Park and property reports
and surveys for other locations. Now in 2025, as we know, a couple of weeks ago, the appropriation was
denied for the purchase of the North Park property, and there is currently no other property being considered
or known as available.
County Commissioner Julie Thomas stated that because of the council's denial, the project is now back
to the drawing board, which will take a minimum of two years to complete. It's unfortunate to hear a
lot of misinformation circulating in the public from the Chamber of Commerce, from city officials regarding
things like transit where a plan exists, but
We're not going to implement anything until the project's done. Treatment, which requires council funding
and is an uncertain endeavor in the current political climate. In addition, the current jail facility
cannot be remodeled. See the RGS and our QAW reports on the current building. The city wants us to work
with them. Well, that sounds great.
Where have they been for five years? Madeira and Thomas presented five questions for the council to
answer in order to clarify a path forward for the new jail. They explained that the ACLU legal director,
Ken Falk, will receive answers by January 8th as part of their required annual update. Council President
Jennifer Crosley asked how they can find a compromise on the issue.
is the ball in our court and collaboration when you just told us that we have to work within the deadline
that you're giving us and we must work collaboratively with the sheriff, board of judges, prosecutor,
public defender, clerk, probation with these things. I guess
I hear you when you say the things related to our city colleagues, and some of those I definitely agree
with. I think I'm a little frustrated and tired of sometimes elected officials talking, and we need
to do. We can walk and chew gum at the same time, and we can walk it like we talk it, at least that's
the motto I try to live by. But that being said, I do believe
that because they also threw some stuff at us in the city, that this is an opportunity time for us to
have collaboration with them. They spoke up and they said some things. Now it's time for them to be
called to the carpet as well. So because the ball is now in our court, as you have mentioned, but then
you give us these things to work with.
How do you think that we can make our compromise much kind of like how we did with this conversation?
How can we compromise in that? Council member David Henry said whatever decision is made should be done
jointly because the commissioners and county council still do not seem to be on the same page. I think
we need to be very clear about
even the concept of consensus. Of course, when a project changes and implodes on itself, there's an
opportunity to start talking about all the things that should be brought back to the table. That's what
the public gave us. So I'm not concerned at all that we're back to a kind of creative destruction to
figure out what we do here. I'm not even concerned that's an issue, but I would just be, we did have
a consensus point. I think it's been repeated enough in the media that it has to be corrected. 7.0 unanimous
is consensus, period, on that particular piece.
would be figuring out the budget and having conversations about what Monroe County can do compared to
what is possible under the new state law. So I don't really accept the idea that we will go down a path
and ask these questions and talk to the stakeholders internally and end up exactly where we are because
that is, to borrow a term from the City Council,
deterministic, right? It's setting the, expecting that we're going to arrive at the same outcome. And
I just don't think that's the case. So what I think we need to do is figure out how the budget works,
what we can afford. And then we need to have serious conversations about what is nice to have relative
to what other community is doing in Indiana. Co-location is not something every county in Indiana does.
law enforcement has worked out ways to do transport of inmates from a facility to another facility in
multiple counties in Indiana. And while it may be a state of the art practice or something that would
be nice to have if we had unlimited resource, we don't. And also to say that we can't manage the risk
management of that without that, I think it's just not accurate. It's the end of the day. So I think
another thing this ordinance or this resolution should do is we need to get to common terms about
what we all agree is actually happening or not happening. It has been suggested in the media that this
is unconstitutional as is. I don't think that's the case. I think we've kept the jail constitutional
within the agreement of the ACLU. I don't think we're agreeing on the terms. So if we can agree on common
terms, common grounds, common understanding, common risk tolerance and budget, that will frame what
this next step looks like.
Let's be honest, co-location is what doubled the cost of the project. We know this and needs to be addressed
and needs to be explained to staff that maybe this is a thing we're going to have to move away from
if people want to be in new facilities. I'll just leave it there as a starting block and understanding
others want to talk. Thanks. Medeira stated that she fears falling short. She also said the current
prison cannot be remediated contrary to what counselors may think.
I am also scared about building an unaffordable facility. I also fear building a facility that will
be inadequate for the next 50 years. I'm really scared, like you, about not meeting the needs of inmates
and prison personnel and Justice Department staff. And one more thing, I do disagree strongly with the
idea that we don't have to build a new jail. And with the fact that that's not mentioned in the settlement
agreement, while that may be technically true, if you look at the four corners of the settlement agreement,
That.
doesn't matter one whit, I think. So we have an envelope of documents. And it's that envelope of documents
that that understanding is built on. It's not just the settlement agreement. We have to look beyond
that. It's the studies that have been done. It's the committee meetings that have been held. It's the
community surveys, including the CJRC surveys. It's the councils and the commissioners' actions that
have been taken. And we've been moving forward as a community with one goal, which has been building
a new jail and envisioning this new facility and this justice complex. So we can't suddenly say,
years in that this is not the case and reverse course this material is on our website it's publicly
available to every member of this community and we invite you to review that if you think it's just
the settlement agreement so that is not just true we cannot just look at the four corners of the settlement
agreement and call it a day and say we cannot build a jail we do not have to build a jail because it's
not mentioned in that document that is a simplistic and false notion. The County Council will meet again
on November 18th
The Ellitsville Town Council met on November 10th and discussed a reorganization of Ellitsville and
Richland Township. The Town of Ellitsville and Richland Township are exploring a proposal to reorganize
into a single government entity. Town Manager Mike Farmer says the reorganization would protect public
services, improve government efficiency, strengthen future economic and community development, and maintain
a strong fire department.
Councilmember Scott Oldham says that the proposal is not for an annexation. I want to make one quick
comment for clarification. This is not an annexation. This is a merger of the two governmental bodies.
Actually it's a reorganization. Reorganization, but I don't want people to think we're trying to annex
the entire township.
Farmer says following Senate Bill 1, small towns and townships are operating on smaller budgets with
fewer resources. He says that there is a discussion at a state level to limit township governments
altogether. The proposed reorganization allows Richland Township and Elselt to take the lead in shaping
their shared future rather than reacting to outside decisions.
This proposed reorganization would aim to give everyone, both in Richland Township and Elstville, a
shared voice to shape the community. Through reorganization, local leaders hope to preserve what makes
this area special while working smarter, planning more effectively, and building a stronger, more connected,
reorganized town together.
committees and subcommittees will be formed to study the costs, impacts, and feasibility of
the reorganization. Councilmember William Ellis emphasized that the proposal is an exploration, not
an action at this time. Councilmember Dan Swafford proposed an amendment to make all committee
and subcommittee meetings open to the public so that town and township residents such as himself can
hear all of the steps in the process.
This is something that we have never done before. This is very big. And personally, I've lived here
my entire life. I want to be a part of it.
and I'm sure there's other people that would too. The council approved Swafford's amendment to make
all meetings public. Oldham says that if the exploration becomes a plan, it will be voted on by everyone
in Ellisville and Richland Township as a referendum in November, 2026. If it passes the board and the
public, the joint governments will become an entity in January of 2027. Ellis says that the plan has
to focus on transparency and doing what is best
for all impacted residents. This is probably the most historic and the biggest thing that Ellisville's
considered in their history. I mean and so definitely not taken lightly and if you're in the public
and you're one that you know you're concerned with this or you like it or don't like it we'll be giving
information on how to choose committee members and that so we want to hear from you
because we do not want this to be decided by a small group and then rolled out. We have to make a campaign
for Richland Township residents and the town of Ellisville residents that this is in their best interest.
And that means, as Dan was saying, total transparency. And then the other thing is we have to make sure
it benefits both and not one or the other. And so far,
It's great that we're both looking to explore this and we will be an unstoppable town. Ellis added that
if the reorganization passes, it could lead to the town changing its name. The town council approved
moving forward with the exploration. An initial fiscal review with Baker-Tilley is scheduled for November 14th.
The Bloomington City Council met on November 12th. The meeting began with a short presentation given
by Director of Planning and Transportation, David Hill, on housing attainability in Bloomington. So
we're considering potential unified development ordinance amendments and other housing policy changes
to increase access to attainable housing in Bloomington. Again, please.
So we're not doing this in a vacuum. This is not something that the city is undertaking on its own,
of its own accord, without there being precedent. This is something that is really happening in all
of the northern hemisphere. Cities everywhere are dealing with housing crises of their own, of different
types. But it's a pretty widespread problem. And so what's developed is kind of a standard slate of
ordinance.
revisions of different types of zoning reform that we're seeing taking place all over the country especially
and these are the these are the items that generally rise to the top of that list and that would be
minimum and maximum lot dimensions short-term rental regulations cottage development regulations modestly
scaled multi units duplexes triplexes fourplexes accessory dwelling units architectural standards
on-site parking requirements, impervious service requirements, ground floor commercial and residential
flexibility, permit process improvements, pre-approved plans, lender developer training, building codes.
Next City of Bloomington planner, Jamie Kreinler provided more information regarding housing inquiries.
To encourage gentle density, cities small and large have reformed their zoning codes to allow for middle
housing in strategic locations. Minneapolis, Minnesota is known for being the first major US city to
eliminate single family exclusive zoning, allowing duplexes and triplexes in all residential districts.
Several states such as Montana, California, Washington, Maine, and Vermont have passed laws that mandate
cities to allow middle housing options in low density residential districts.
Other zoning reform measures that have been widely used across the country include allowing accessory
dwelling units eliminating parking minimums removing restrictive design standards reducing minimum lot
size requirements and incentivizing transit oriented development in the city of Bloomington. We also
have affordable housing incentives that are currently in our UDO as well and those apply to the R1 R2
R3 and R4 zoning districts.
Kreidler explained how rehabilitating historic homes could be used as a way to address housing attainability.
She said that repairing old homes can prove more cost effective as opposed to building new housing.
Historic preservation is another tool for maintaining the existing stock of affordable homes while protecting
neighborhood stability and character many pre 1970s homes are inherently affordable and preserving and
rehabilitating these types of homes can contribute to addressing housing attainability in some cases
it is more cost-effective to repair older homes than build new housing and occupying currently vacant
units can help to fill the housing shortage gap and
Looking at housing attainability through a historic preservation lens, common practices include
deconstruction over demolition, affordable housing overlays with the creation of new historic or conservation
districts, ADUs in historic neighborhoods, government funding for repairs to older homes, and regulations
to Airbnb's which are frequently historic homes that attract visitors rather than providing permanent
housing to locals.
Later, Hill gave a second presentation about the trends and challenges that he has seen in Bloomington.
Generally, a greater diversity of housing options is desired among stakeholders thus far engaged. We
found that you're not going to find a lot of people that say, oh gosh, diverse housing, terrible. I
don't like that at all. As you get talking a little bit more closer to home and in their specific
neighborhood, then they maybe become a little bit more concerned about it.
Leaves us to the second point is where there is concerned expressed about housing diversity. It's most
often from neighborhood residents and and leadership Next slide, please those concerns include First
and predominantly the idea that off-campus student housing pressures will overwhelm or are
already overwhelming neighborhoods
From that we get a loss of neighborhood character new buildings don't fit contextually new buildings
are architectural downgrades from what they're replacing next slide The local residential market cannot
compete with off-campus student housing market neighborhoods uniqueness its sense of self erodes as
more transitory students replace more long-term neighbors and then traffic parking and student behavior
and I actually
put that last item last on purpose, traffic parking and student behavior, because I heard those complaints,
but I didn't hear them nearly to the degree I expected. The next Bloomington City Council meeting will
be held on November 19th.
The Monroe County Commissioners met on November 13th. At the meeting, the Commissioners heard a motion
to approve the Sophia Travis Community Service Grant Agreements. This year, 46 organizations applied
and 42 nonprofits received money. Grant Committee member Molly Turner King presented the organizations
to the Commissioners.
October 28th, the council approved a distribution of $174,000 for the Sophia Travis grants program.
The funds are being awarded to 43 nonprofit organizations that have projects related to one of the eight
categories within the Sophia Travis ordinance. And those eight categories are food and nutrition security
shelter and health, transportation assistance, climate change, emergency shortages, first responders,
veterans assistance, excellence in government and or youth enrichment. County council member Liz Fiddle
served on the grant committee. She said that funding requests doubled what the grants could
cover. Commissioner Julie Thomas proposed amending the list of organizations to exclude Seven Oaks Classical
School. Not only a situation where we have a
school that is. Taking money from public taxpayer dollars, but also one that saw fit to sue us during
COVID. And they. Did not work well with county health during that crisis, and I didn't appreciate that,
but mostly it's because. Of the source of their funding for me, and I don't know if my colleagues want
to add anything else.
Fiddle defended Seven Oaks saying that they met the requirements. She says that the funding would help
provide food to students in the school. The only requirement, as I remember, on the committee serving
is that they needed to be a 501C3. So they met that requirement and we didn't delineate any of them
because of that. Well, you had a council member who didn't want to fund Planned Parenthood either, so.
Yes, that's right. Everybody was just fine with that, so. That's right.
Fidel said that she approved of Seven Oaks receiving funding for the benefit of the students. Thomas
said that she did not feel comfortable granting taxpayer money to a charter school. For me,
there's like 13,000 going to Pantry 279, which is in that area. There are a number of other food security
grants that are available. So I'm just not comfortable supporting a charter school
for this purpose.
The commissioners voted to exclude Seven Oaks. The total grants awarded amounted to just over $162,000.
Next, the commissioners heard a motion to approve EMB Paving's contract for the Showers Building hardscape
improvements. The improvements are for concrete, asphalt, and drainage improvements to the north parking
lot and sidewalks at the Showers Building. Thomas said that the timing lines up well for elections.
will be a parking area that will be accessible for early voters. Um. And that's a really important thing.
And then the rest of the lot will be done in time for the general. So general election. So yes. Yeah.
Excellent work. Good timing. I know it's going to be imperative that they hold to this schedule. So
we'll be watching. But I know you will as well. And thank you for your hard work on this.
The commissioners approved the motion. Later, the commissioners heard a request for Monroe County to
work with Owen County on bridge repairs. The bridge connecting the two counties on Owen County Road
needs new approaches. Thomas praised highway director Lisa Ridge for the cooperation that she has helped
foster between Monroe County and its neighbors.
wonderful highway department going out and helping Owen County a few years back during a massive snow
storm and then the floods that's in 2020 the floods it was we do we do reach out and I appreciate that
you've cultivated those relationships. I know if we ever need them we can call on them. The council
approved the funding which covers half of the cost for the repairs.
And that is all for Cats Week. Thank you for joining us. For Cats and WFHB, I'm Annalise Poorman.