Hello, and welcome to Cats Week. I'm Annaliese Poorman. The Monroe County Board of Commissioners met
on February 12th. Health Department Director Lori Kelly explained that COVID-19 wastewater concentrations
have recently increased. According to the Indiana Department of Health, we have not seen changes in
the number of emergency department visits for COVID-like illness or hospital admissions, but wastewater
concentrations have increased.
According to data provided by WastewaterScan for Monroe County, we are seeing high levels of COVID flu,
RSV, and norovirus. The Health Department now has combo flu and COVID tests for free. The public can
walk in Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. to receive free tests.
and the health department is still transitioning our vaccination services from IU Health Community Health.
Our aim is to begin providing these services in mid-March. At this time, the Morgan County Health Department
has vaccines available. You can call 765-342-6621 for an appointment.
Building and fleet manager Richard Kreider updated the commissioners on buying and installing a new
generator at the highway department. Kreider said that they will install the existing generator at the
Youth Services Bureau. Recently we requested bids to install
or purchase and install a new generator at the highway department. Take the existing generator at the
highway department and install it at the Youth Services Bureau. Those bids were due at 9 a.m. this morning
and we received two. Next, the board heard a memorandum of understanding with the Bloomington Fire Department
for blood pressure monitoring distribution. Kelly walked the commissioners through the MOU.
So this is similar to the agreement that we recently had with center stones. So essentially the health
department has a stock of blood pressure monitors that we are able to provide for free for individuals
who have been diagnosed or who are being treated for high blood pressure, who do not have access to
a monitor to use at home. So this is just providing stock.
The commissioners ratified the agreement with a three to zero vote. The board went on to discuss amendments
to the Unified Development Ordinance. The amendments would add exceptions for accessory structures and
housing additions to the environmental constraints overlay. Planning Director Jackie Nestor-Gellin
highlighted some of the changes. So this is an amendment to the County Development Ordinance 2026-05.
And a big portion of this text amendment is to add
exceptions for accessory structures and housing additions to the environmental constraints overlay with
some parameters set around that. We also have had various state code changes and we've also been identifying
further Scrivener's errors with this being a 500 plus page document.
So try to avoid them. The board approved the changes to the UDO by a unanimous vote. The county commissioners
will meet again on February 26th. The Monroe County Council met on February 10th and discussed additional
appropriations for the Monroe County Election Board at the request of the clerk's office. County Clerk
Nicole Brown requested more than $242,000 for this year's elections.
As it stands at this time, we do not have enough in the election budget to meet the statutory minimum
hours of early voting in election day for the 2026 non-presidential primary in the general election.
Also to be clear, all members of the election board were provided with the numbers that were not only
requested, but an explanation of the shortfall. Brown said a concerned resident sent her office a card
asking if the public could help cover the shortfall.
I've never met this person, but her heartfelt correspondence resonated with me and reinforces the message
that free and fair elections are not free. The more you want from elections, the more you have to be
willing to pay. I absolutely have regrets that I did not request the same budget I did for the presidential
elections as my clerk siblings throughout
the state did, and their councils approved their budget request. Had I done so, we would not only have
the operational budget we need, but we would likely return money back into the election budget. I know
that at least one member of the council is cognizant that we will have to prepare as though there will
be a 100% turnout for both elections.
At this point, I'm not prepared to grovel for election dollars. My staff and I stand ready to give you
the elections you paid for within the parameter you provided. Councilmember Marty Hawk said departments
are asked to spend out of their budget allotments. Brown responded that the election budget was cut
after budget hearings concluded back in the fall. I've always asked for a budget that reflected the
two elections that we would be having and
I believe the auditor told you at that time that I typically return money. I'm not out spending money
willy-nilly I do what needs to be done to cover those two elections and The cuts that were made to the
budget after I left the budget table Leave me as I indicated with not enough to meet the bare minimum
the statute minimum for
the two elections. Hawk explained that most departments are not given everything that they need for
the year, which is why they come back for appropriations when they need more money. She said that the
clerk should ask for an appropriation when the election fund is empty. Brown compared the funding of
elections to that of the police and highway departments. I asked for $25,000 for two elections to take
care of the 10 to 20 people depending on
the turnout and how busy we are. I asked for that money because otherwise they're going home at four
o'clock. Nobody is going to leave their dinner table, leave homework time, bedtime, bedtime for evenings
and weekends to do the poll worker training, help with all of the things that we need to do after four
o'clock for less than one hour of compensatory time per day. And you don't ask that of any other
infrastructure person like the sheriff or the highway. You don't ask them to work for 40 hours
of compensatory time. I certainly don't believe that that's what they got for this disrespectful weather
that we just had a few weeks ago. But we're prepared again to give you the election you paid for. Council
member Jennifer Crossley said that the council wants to ensure every Monroe County resident can vote.
All we're saying here as council is use what you have because we're in a new era.
And I hope that folks can understand that as dismay as folks might be that's fine, but use what you
have and then come back. Council member David Henry asked Brown if the current allocations could fund
the primary election and Brown responded that they could. Henry said that the council needs to be careful
with its appropriations to save for the 2028 presidential election following Senate Bill 1. Council
member Kate Wilts agreed.
We are not saying back off of the quality. What we are saying is we have to be watching every penny.
And if we can give you enough to get by for the primary so that we can look at how that money was spent
and really take a close look at what's needed, that will help us be more accountable to the public
as well as ourselves. Brown asked if the council could give some appropriation to make her more comfortable
with the outlook for election funding. She said that there is not enough money in the fund to cover
overtime for election workers. Wilts moved to amend the motion to appropriate $5,000 for overtime. I
fully expect that comp time will be utilized and then
We can talk about that. Our meeting in June, I believe is June 9th. So let's plan to hear maybe even
just a debrief from you. You can come in a department update as we then, you know, talk about what's
happening. And if you need an agenda item where you make a request, that's fine too. But this allows
you to have some leeway with the overtime line.
During public comment, Monroe County resident Gretchen Clearwater said the council should start thinking
about contingencies that could require additional appropriations. We could have ICE at these elections
and we have to prepare for that kind of, what are we going to do if ICE comes to the election polls
and tries to stop people from voting? And what I think is the November election starts the day after
the primary.
because everybody's going to be thinking about it. And I think the election board and everybody's going
to have to really start thinking about what we are going to do. Next county resident Susan Brackney
said that the coming election is not business as usual. This goes well beyond just making sure folks
in Monroe County have access to early voting and extended polling hours. The U.S. is now in a full-fledged
authoritarian slide.
Historians, political scientists, and even the NGO Human Rights Watch all agree our upcoming elections
are going to be one of the only opportunities we have left to shore up democracy itself. The next Monroe
County Council meeting will be February 24th.
On February 11th, the Bloomington Arts Commission met and provided updates on city projects and also
discussed a path forward after the loss of two board members, Holly Warren and Chaz Mottinger.
As commissioners know, I sent an email message this afternoon that delivered a personnel update that
is not welcome news for anyone to let you know that Holly Warren and Chaz Mottinger are no longer
with the city and I notified you that I would be helping host your meeting this evening. Unfortunately,
I cannot comment on personnel matters in any kind of detail. I know that's really frustrating. So I
just wanted to acknowledge that, but that's just so that we're following HR policy. Following
the acknowledgement of the staffing change, the floor was opened for questions and comments regarding
Warren and Mottinger.
Um, I think that with this loss and it's a really big loss for the city. Um, most artists, you know,
really have come to trust Holly and as an organizer here, like I come to trust her and I know stuff
is going to happen and work because of her project management and because of all the outreach that they
do with people on the ground. Um, I'm really worried about what.
direction the city is going to go into with this. And I think it is bad for public trust. One local
resident acknowledged Warren and Mottinger's roles in empowering queer artists in Bloomington. I just
wanted to also state kind of bounce off of what Dev and Hannah had said and say what our houses, Chaz
and Holly, have been for the queer community in Bloomington and how
the intersection of artists be queer and the two great things that make voting what it is truly will
be affected by this decision. I know we can't speak on it further, but I do think in the interest of
public trust that, and also the trust of all of us, that we will want to know more and we will want
to stand behind them.
Other community members echoed the confusion and disappointment in the decision, including local artist,
Alan Bowley. I've said publicly a number of times that the Bloomington Arts Commission is a force that
makes Bloomington feel really livable for me. The work that Holly and John has done has been exponentially
helpful for me and made me feel welcomed here. And I am really worried given the
political nature of the rumors that are being widely discussed in discourse online that this is a really
dark day for the city of Bloomington and I'm afraid that it's no longer going to feel very safe to be
here. The next Bloomington Arts Commission meeting is stated to take place on Wednesday, March 11th.
The Bloomington Board of Public Works met on February 10th. The board heard an appeal from Beacon Builders
for a notice of violation for failing to open the roadway on Acuff Road. Engineering Field Specialist
Kyle Baw said staff recommends upholding the notice of violation. So we had a permit that was issued
on August 18th of 2025 through September 1st of 2025. So we had worked through all those nuances
And on September 10th of 2025, we did contact the permit holder via email to notify them that the roadway
was required to be reopened no later than September 17th, 2025. And then that enforcement action was
possible after that date. They did respond the same day and indicated that on September 18th, that asphalt
would be laid to reopen that roadway.
So on the September 25th staff was able to confirm that the roadway still remained closed beyond that
additional approved permit date and Communicated that we needed a compliance deadline Which ended up?
Sorry ended a in a NOV being issued or notice of violation on September 29th of 2025 for failure to
reopen that roadway
said that the city received complaints from the public since Bloomington North High School is nearby
in addition to Meadows Hospital. During that period we had a couple a few complaints that had come in
from public some VA you report some phone calls just to note that you know they were unsettled by the
closure extension you know with the nature the location rather being adjacent to the school there and
also Meadows Hospital.
As part of that NOV enforcement action an administrative extension was granted Through October 3rd of
2025 at the permit holders request This timeline also was delayed in reaching an opening of that roadway
He said the permit holder submitted an additional request for extension in October of 2025 This request
was not approved at that point
The closure had already been in place for roughly 53 days You know based on that 14 day original request
So staff determined that further extensions were not reasonable or consistent with good right-of-way
management practices Despite that approved extension which began or sorry which expired on October 3rd and
The roadway did remain closed until October 6th of 2025. So that was the period that the second notice
of violation was issued for. That is on the docket tonight. Beacon Builders Attorney Jim Bohr said the
company acted in good faith and worked to reopen the road as soon as possible. Bohr maintained that
crews encountered unforeseen problems in construction. Did they just not work when they should have
worked? Did they slow to work this thing? Did they not pay attention?
No, what happened was they encountered a lot of unforeseen problems in the construction. Here's what
happened. They found a fiber optic line. It wasn't mapped on any of the city's maps. Then when they
did the locate, locate didn't know it was there, didn't find it either. They started digging and there
was a fiber optic line.
Nobody knew who owned it. They had to figure out who even owned it to contact the owner and see if they
could move it. Then they found a water valve. It wasn't on the locate. It wasn't on the map either.
Then they had to move that. So they had to redraw the plans. They had to go back to engineering, ask
if they could move that to a different location, and then
Redo their construction based on that water valve Then when they did the sub base the sub base compaction
Failed and they had to go back and redo that Then they found a second water valve the second water valve
Had to be relocated in the plans as well. They had to redraw the plans go back to engineering get approval
for that and
redraw the plans, move some things around, and do some things differently. After discussion, Public
Works Director Adam Wason suggested that the board table that appeal. I'm not sure on these appeals.
We don't have too many of these come to the board. So in terms of logistically, is it possible to table
this decision for the time being to have some further negotiations and conversations with
The developer about this specific NOV and or is it one where the board is with it being publicly noticed?
Is there a decision required today? Board member Elizabeth Karen made a motion to table the appeal and
revisit it at a later date. The motion passed three to zero. The next Bloomington Board of Public Works
meeting will take place on February 24th.
On February 9th, the Monroe County Council met in a joint session with the Monroe County Board
of Commissioners. The joint session addressed a number of topics, but the primary concern was the jail
and potential issues associated with both cost and location, as well as care for the inmates. Judge
Catherine Stafford spoke against the proposal. I certainly can't speak for the entire
board of judges, but the last time the board of judges discussed the issue of whether some courtrooms
could be located at a separate jail, we were firmly against it. And the reason for that is that all
of our support staff are located in one location and we can't have some courts in a different location
and some courts at the original location because we don't have our court administration there. We don't
have our court reporters there. We don't have our recording equipment there. The cost of duplicating
all of that would be extremely expensive.
Until I'm told otherwise by the Board of Judges, I don't believe that having some courtrooms in one
place and some courtrooms in another place is feasible. Board members advocated for making the jail
meet a constitutional standard of care. I certainly am not here to comment on the Council's position
on raising taxes or not. I have no vote on that, but I would say that it's
not just to build a big jail. What we need is a jail that meets the constitutional standard of care.
And that's what we currently do not have. We have a jail that is unsafe for the inmates and unsafe for
the jail staff. And that is unacceptable.
Once again, the largest concern is the cost of the overall project. Board members held strong opinions
on both ends of the spectrum. Some members support a tax increase while others remain opposed. The opposition
stems from the impact this may have on the residents who simply cannot afford more bills and taxes.
The joint session also addressed the lawsuit that the county is facing over the jail due to unconstitutional
living conditions.
For a long, long, long time, the people in that jail, their concerns and their cries to how that jail
is, they've been ignored. They've been dismissed. They've been disregarded. But on January 29th at 830
in the morning, this letter was distributed. That's exactly when we did it, folks. And let me tell you
something. Now they have a voice. And they're not going to be ignored. And they're not going to be disregarded.
I don't think we're going to hear a whimper from them. I'm going to hear a real loud distinctive roar.
And it's not going to come in a meeting like this. It's going to come in a federal lawsuit where most
of the people sitting at this table are defendants. The next Monroe County Council meeting is scheduled
for February 24th and the next Monroe County Board of Commissioners meeting is on February 19th.
And that is all for Cats Week. Thank you for joining us. For Cats and WFHB, I'm Annalise Poorman.