- and welcome to Cats Week. I'm Annalise Poorman.
- The Monroe County Board of Commissioners announced that they will indefinitely postpone the eviction
- of a homeless encampment on the county-owned Thompson property during their meeting on December 11th.
- This signals that they are abandoning the original December 15th deadline to evict people from the county
- property. Commissioner Julie Thomas said Sheriff Ruben Marte refused to enforce the proposal. She added
- that while she sees the encampments as trespassing, she recognizes that this is a community
- that needs to be addressed. We fervently believe people are safer and healthier when they live indoors,
- especially during the winter months. We have worked with Health Net, the City of Bloomington, and local
- not-for-profits and community groups to identify reasonable accommodations for people who currently
- reside on the Thompson property. Let's be clear, there are people trespassing.
- on county property and there are no appropriate public health sanitary facilities present. The sheriff
- has indicated that he will not remove people from the Thompson property at this juncture. Our hands
- are tied. We fear the worst, but we hope for the best. There is a broader community issue that this
- is a symptom of.
- We will be part of the solution, but it will require that we, along with the county council and the
- city of Bloomington, the mayor's office and the city council need to work together. This is a community
- problem and we recognize that.
- During public comment, executive director of hotels for homeless, Katie Norris warned the commissioners
- about the dangers of evicting encampments in the cold weather. I come to you today to desperately plead
- for an extension on this eviction, not on behalf of the dozens of people who are currently living at
- this camp.
- You have already heard and understand the devastating and potentially deadly consequences this eviction
- will have on them. You know that their chances of survival significantly decrease instantly upon their
- eviction. How them losing the safest and most stable place they have found and worked hard to call home
- will put them at greater risk for being robbed, raped, and even murdered right here at night on the
- streets of Bloomington. That's not up for question. That's just reality. Not to mention,
- that if the eviction takes place on Monday the 15th that the two days before when they will have to
- prepare pack and leave the temperature and leave the temperatures are going to be negative one and negative
- three respectively. Today I am begging for an extension on the eviction on behalf of the rest of our
- community.
- There is not nearly enough time today to explain the exponential negative effects our community will
- suffer by displacing just over two dozen more people. Camp resident Matt Frost urged county leaders
- not to issue an eviction under frigid temperatures. This whole thing has been very nerve wracking and
- overwhelming for me because I go back to my tent every day and not knowing what the future is going to hold.
- I'm seeing that you guys are wanting to see this eviction through not only during the winter, but so
- close to the Christmas season. When we were always taught about goodwill towards our fellow man and
- all this stuff in the season where we're supposed to be positive and uplifting towards the people that we have.
- that are less fortunate than us. Frost continued saying an extension would remove added pressure on
- him to figure out where to relocate under current weather conditions. I just. I just want a chance to
- just be able to have note that I can at least sit up, sleep, stay at my tent and not. At least have
- the chance to be if we get this.
- that would help me get some time to get my life together. That would help me get the stuff that I need,
- because I'm in a position where I know I don't want to be in this spot all the time.
- But all I know is it's been overwhelming, as you can see. I'm stumbling my words here. If we can just
- get this extension, it will be a lot of pressure off me. And I know it would be a lot of pressure off
- the rest of the occupants out there. I know I just want an opportunity, this opportunity to just
- let you guys realize how hard it's been on me. And I'm sure it's just as hard on the people or the rest
- of the property. I figure I might not be able to speak for all of them personally, but I wanted you
- guys to at least hear a little bit from one person's experience. The commissioners indicated verbally
- that they would not pursue the planned December 15th eviction. No formal action was taken. The issue
- could be brought to a vote at their next meeting on December 18th.
- The Ellitsville Town Council met on December 8th and selected members for the Ellitsville Richland Township
- Reorganization Committee. The committee will be tasked with making a plan for the reorganization by
- June to be voted on by the public in November.
- Town Manager Mike Farmer gathered a list of 22 names for the council to choose from. Council member
- Dan Swafford expressed concern that he had not seen the list before the meeting and that Farmer should
- have sent it to him earlier. Farmer said that he was caught off guard by Swafford's grievance because
- he had vetted the names to make sure that they fit the council's criteria. The council gave Farmer the
- authority to vet the list in a prior email exchange. The reason I have all these names still
- is because these all seem to be names we can use for the subcommittee. And so I didn't toss, I mean,
- it didn't have to be to toss any or to even, but they all fit the criteria to be on one of the committees,
- so. Swafford thought the council should have had more to say in compiling the list. Kind of what I thought
- too would be there'd be questions asked from these people and have them respond to us and we all look at it.
- and get that kind of response and go from there. Well, I mean, this is kind of like an interview process
- that we are speaking for our constituents out here that have elected us to their ward. So we have to
- vote for their people to come in, our people that we want in there. You're going to give us a list of
- 22 names. I don't know who this person is from that person.
- Farmer said that he did not know that the council would want names and qualifications to be presented
- at the meeting. Swafford said farmers should have reached out before the vote. I want to know what's
- going on and how we pick those people. If I'd have known that any time between now and two weeks ago,
- I could have told you.
- When this all started, I wanted to keep in the loop of everything. I am not calling you. You can call
- me. I'm busy taking care of this. I understand that. I've been busy every day of two weeks. But what
- are you going to do? And you've never called me once. You've never called me once. Mike, I have called
- you and you have never called me back, but that's hearsay. That's BS. We have got to make a decision
- here. So you're giving me a bunch of names that I have no reason why they've been picked, who picked
- them, or what they're about.
- I mean, I think we all need to know what's going on. Councilmember William Ellis gave his opinion regarding
- the issue, saying Swafford should have gotten involved sooner. I called him. Scott called him because
- we know as a town manager, he is not going to be sitting there picking up the phone. And as an elected
- official, we're not there to be drug across the line and told exactly what to do. That is not what an
- elected official does.
- We're supposed to be self-starters. We don't sit there and have to beg for permission to get these things.
- I asked, Mike, did you send any of these out for me unsolicited? No. No, I asked. Council member Pamela
- Samples said they would get nowhere by fighting and started asking about the duties of the committee.
- Farmer said that the committee would make a plan for the reorganization independent of Richland Township
- and the Ellitsville Town Council.
- At points, they'll have to be work sessions so the two boards can interject with their thoughts and
- ideas. And that'll be where this directions might change here and there. So I think there'll be a lot
- of information passed back and forth. And that's what the working sessions will be about is to help
- the reorganization committee get a feel for what
- the general public or at least the representatives of the general public might want in there. The council
- chose Mike Kornman, Andrew Henry and William Ellis to be the town's representatives on the committee.
- The Monroe County Public Library Board of Trustees met on December 10th. During his monthly report,
- Library Director Greer Carson said October saw the highest digital collection usage since the pandemic
- in January of 2021. A total of 52,625 digital media were borrowed, including e-books, e-magazines, and
- audio books. Additionally, he said that physical and digital media use outpaced the last six Octobers.
- One of our biggest stories for 2025 has been the strong circulation statistics we've seen particularly
- in digital circulation for the second month in a row.
- Overall circulation was stronger last month than any previous November going back to 2020. As we prepare
- to adopt a new collection analytics tool and in thinking about some of the patron use and seasonal patterns
- you all asked about last month, we'll be looking closer at these circulation stats in 2026 to better
- understand correlation, causation, and some platform specific trends that are driving our digital circulation
- increases. But with that said, the bottom line is that our patrons are making greater and greater use
- of our digital collection
- and that our suite of digital content platforms is meeting the needs of more and more patrons. So that's
- just a great thing. Carson also spoke about the Downtown Library Branch's partnership with Heading Home,
- a nonprofit dedicated to strengthening housing security and ending homelessness in the region.
- As we've shared previously, our partnership with Heading Home of South Central Indiana involves a diversion
- and prevention case manager being stationed on site here at the Downtown Library. Our case manager,
- Shaquay Norris, has been working on site and is starting to connect MCPL patrons who are at risk of
- losing their housing with local agencies to help them develop a plan to avoid becoming homeless. This
- position is funded by a generous grant from the Lilly Foundation to the Monroe County Community Foundation
- and Heading Home of South Central Indiana.
- The $7 million grant is aimed at reducing instances of homelessness in Monroe County over the next five
- years. We'll have a full update on this partnership and on the work that Chiquet is doing in probably
- quarter two of 2026. Carson shared updates on the library's pest control efforts, which have
- shown improvements specifically in bed bug infestations. Back in 2023, MCPL developed its own policy
- and procedures for mitigating pest infestations. Over these past
- Over the last three years, we've refined and expanded the procedures to identify and eradicate bed bugs
- in particular, which are sometimes found in return library books as well as materials on our shelves.
- Now with three years of practice and success under their belts, our Circulation Services Department
- gave a presentation at this year's ILF Conference on how MCPL manages this challenge that all public
- libraries now face. This is the first time that our Circulation Services Department has presented at
- a professional conference,
- proud to celebrate their great work and well-earned accolades. Director of Finance, Gary Latalier, requested
- an annual renewal to use the library for El Centro Comunal Latino, which provides services for the Latino
- community in Bloomington. Board member Nancy Van Allen said that she was confused about the aim of the
- culture center. Board member Jennifer Whitley provided a more detailed explanation, stating that the
- business helps connect people to services in the community.
- they kind of are able to connect people to whatever resource they may need. I know of this because I
- used to use it a lot to promote the speech therapy services that I was providing, but they're a wonderful
- resource for our Latino community. Whitley said that having El Centro at the library can introduce people
- to the library's resources.
- For families that are new to our community, getting them here to El Centro and then getting them here
- and introducing them to our library is just phenomenal. The contract was approved by the board.
- Next Director of Human Resources, Becky Throckmorton, introduced a retirement program being considered
- for library employees called Hoosier Start. Throckmorton explained that this would replace the library's
- existing 403B plan, but would not replace their Public Employees Retirement Fund, otherwise known as PERF.
- We have been reviewing some of the benefits that we offer to staff. And one of the opportunities that
- we saw as a chance to improve some benefits and offer additional retirement savings to folks was to
- change our retirement plan in addition to PERF. So PERF is the one that you guys signed to renew that's
- the employer contribution. Employees wanna contribute money as well to help retire.
- or help save for retirement. And so we currently offer a mechanism to do that. But there's some barriers
- to entry. There's not great participation. There's not a lot of education that we're able to do with
- that plan. And Hoosier Start is a program that's a statewide program. It's a bigger
- pool of employers that use that. There's a lot more education. They have a specific person for our region
- who would come out and educate staff on how to save for retirement and plan for retirement and what
- those mechanisms look like. They also are able to have a much lower fee for participating in the retirement
- plan. And they also offer a couple of different options that would meet folks where they really need to
- be saving for retirement. Throckmorton explained that the program has pre-tax and post-tax options and
- an annual fee of $54, which would be paid by the employee. There is no fee paid by employers using the
- program. She shared more about how widespread the program is in Indiana. They have
- 60 plus counties out of the 90 counties in Indiana. They have fire departments. They've got public libraries
- that all participate. And so it's something that a lot of employers are offering that we thought would
- make sense to offer for our folks as well. And then they also have the option for part-time folks to
- be able to save for retirement, which is something we can't offer now. And so that would be a voluntary
- enrollment for folks if they did want to save for retirement.
- We are just starting the discussion, so we still have some work on our part to do. We are going to ask
- them, we have already asked for contacts of other public libraries who use it so we can talk to them
- and hear a little bit about how it's going and do a little bit more research. But wanted to start the
- discussion with you all, see what questions you have and just kind of go from there.
- Later in the meeting, Martin O'Neill, manager of Community Access Television Services, or CATS, provided
- a department update. O'Neill explained that CATS is looking into using Memnon, a digital preservation
- company, to help digitize their legacy tapes. Digitizing the government meetings would cost approximately
- $240,000. He emphasized that they are not making a decision yet, but that it is important to consider
- in maintaining the archival collection at CATS.
- We feel good about them. They're here in time. We've met with them. It feels good. They have given us
- a contract, but of course, we'd have Tom look that over and everything else. And again, this is just
- something that we're looking into. But we know that we are contractually obligated to keep the government
- stuff archived and make it available for folks online. So that's one thing. And then the tapes, our
- degree are
- degrading and every year that they're there, that degradation just keeps accelerating and we'd hate
- to get to the stage where, you know, we have dust shitting on the shelves. The Monroe County Public
- Library Board of Trustees will meet again on January 21, 2026.
- The Bloomington Arts Commission met on December 10th. First, Assistant Director for the Arts,
- Holly Warren, said the Arts Commission went over budget this year, pulling the remaining dollars from
- the general fund.
- Four grants, we spent a total of $179,483. Woohoo! Oops, we went over a little. We went over, our budget
- was $167,537, and we spent an extra $11,000 and many change on budgets. And that overage just comes
- from my general fund. I just pulled some money out of there. Again, I think we just all agreed that
- just given the nature of things, especially for our 501
- and C3s that are really feeling the cuts from the Indiana Arts Commission and other federal funders
- that they deserve that extra funding. Also thanks to the Bloomington Urban Enterprise Association who
- gave us a little more than their $50,000 allocation this year to cover some of those funds. Warren explained
- why $16,500 set aside for public art went unused. This $16,500 that we allocated for public art and
- grants, we have not spent that.
- And I don't think we're going to have an opportunity to get that out the door before the end of the
- year. And I just want to acknowledge that the committee that was assigned the task of deciding what
- to do with that funds this year has been through a lot this year. We had an unexpected change in leadership
- and some other big public art projects that kept us from having the time to do this. With your permission,
- what I would ask is just
- allowing me to use that $16,500 to pay for some other arts expenses that I need to cover before the
- end of the year. Would that be okay?
- with you all. Do you want to ask questions and criticize me heavily? Nope. No. Okay. Awesome.
- Thank you. And I'm happy to give you a tally of how that is spent in the new year. One commission member
- asked how the money would be used. Warren said it will help cover some public art expenses, including
- traffic boxes and arts grants. Money to pay vendors that helped us with some of the traffic box art
- projects and other art projects. I will probably spend some of that money too on grants
- both for our BAC grants, but also we give pretty large grants to Constellation Stage and Screen in the
- Buzzkirk Chumlee Theater to run our city-owned facilities every year. They can always use a little kickback.
- It takes a lot of money to operate those facilities. We're very lucky to have them doing that work.
- So I would most likely give some of that money to them as well. Later, public art interim chair Christina
- Elam gave an update on the signature public artwork for the Bloomington Convention Center expansion.
- Elam said that the city combed through about 180 applications for the artwork and narrowed it to eight
- finalists. Since we last met, we were able to close out the applications. I think we received 180 for
- the call. Through Holly, like doing a first sweep, she was able to get that down to 60, and the Public
- Arts Subcommittee, Betsy, thank you, looked through these applications.
- And then we were able to kind of narrow it down even more. And so today we were able to meet with,
- I guess, the CIB recommendation board and kind of get it down to like eight or whatever. So that's pretty
- exciting. It's a lot of talented artists. It was not easy. And we're still finalizing things, making
- sure that we're confident about the people that are going to be moving on to the final round.
- So that's pretty exciting. Another commission member asked about the process behind selecting the final
- candidate. Elam said that they ultimately want five candidates with a few alternates. Is there a list
- somewhere of the eight? Yeah, I'd like to see that. Yeah, I will. So what I'm gonna do, so we kind of
- like today we looked at the top applicants and it was actually really cool. I think there was a lot of
- alignment between what the recommendation committee was gravitating towards and what the arts commissioners
- gravitated towards. So that made it easier. And so what we kind of agreed on, Christina, Rob, and I,
- we've seen each other many times today. And what we agreed on was we took that group and we asked the
- recommendation committee today to kind of categorize people as A, B, or C. So A being like definite
- finalists, Bs being maybes or alternates, and Cs being like we love y'all, but this is not the moment.
- So I'm gonna share that list back with the CIB recommendation committee just so they can have and be
- prepared for a discussion on Monday, but I'd happily share that with the public arts subcommittee as
- well, that makes sense. Warren admitted that she's nervous about the community's reaction to the public
- artwork. However, she maintained that backlash to art is inevitable. There have definitely been a lot
- of conversations about, well, someone's gonna be mad. Like, you know? And I think that's also the...
- It's part of public art. If everyone was happy, I think that would be a failure. I just... I swore I
- would never be involved with public art. The Bloomington Arts Commission will meet again on January
- 14th, 2026. And that is all for Cats Week. Thank you for joining us. For Cats and WFHB, I'm Annalise Poorman.