- Hello and welcome to Cats Week. I'm Annalise Poorman. The Monroe County Council met on February 24th.
- The council heard a resolution that renews the council's commitment to a new county jail facility. Council
- members went through the resolution line by line during the course of the meeting. Council member Trent
- Deckard said that while the council wants to commit itself to a new jail that fits constitutional standards,
- he does not want to move forward with the North Park property as the location.
- I recognize that the phrase North Park is the great difficult subject area for a lot of folks, a lot
- of different reasons. But when I look at this document, the importance and strength of this document
- is that we're saying we have to tell Mr. Falk and the public that are watching this
- that a constitutional care jail matters, and that that is a priority of the council. So I guess I would
- question why the one, number one that we have now, whether or not that stays in, and I'm sure the council's
- gonna debate that in a second, why does that have to be number one? I mean, I get that that is a massive
- point in this contextual time, but we're dealing with a lawsuit that, or a private settlement agreement,
- that has been going on since 2009 and we're trying to communicate to the other party that the most important
- thing is that we're moving forward with this facility in this kind of new life is here with all these
- situations outlined in the whereas and we
- To do that, we're committed to this. Council member David Henry agreed, saying he does not see the North
- Park property as a viable option, despite the county commissioner's preference for that location. I
- would agree that the pecking order of where we discuss where the council's desires are, this doesn't
- have to be the first thing. But I would say that there are more consumers of the resolution than just ACLU.
- One of the consumers of this resolution is the board of commissioners who still or at least some have
- an impression or keep floating an idea that there's viability in this location. Frankly, I wasn't here
- when you all took the vote. I know that some folks might be having heartburn about taking a vote and
- then two years later having to go a different direction. It's my view from this seat. I pretty much
- left a no hole in the wall when we had this vote that this has never been a good solution for this project.
- so many reasons, not least of which, uprooting the entire economic activity of the court system three
- miles north. That's how we ended up back in this. So some of us have different reasons on that. And
- I appreciate that, again, some people are having some heartburn about it. But this is, for me, it's
- almost a non sequitur. It's almost obvious at this point that this is not a space that we would be pursuing.
- And it's not good for the future of the county to close off an interstate exit with a jail facility
- that the plan commission has worked very hard over the past year to down zone. So nothing else gets
- built there. Deckard said he ultimately wants to make headway on the new jail project, saying the initiative
- has gone on too long. However, he labeled the North Park property, quote, a corpse of a concept and
- quote, I want the best document that gets this damn thing done.
- And I want anyone watching this to know that we're committed to getting this damn thing done because
- we have dragged on forever. Part of my frustration, Councilor Feidl had to hear me say this at lunch,
- but part of my frustration is we had a plan and then everybody started changing the plan and that's
- fine. That's fine. But one thing about this is I would say for anyone observing that live in this county
- or otherwise, it is abundantly clear with problem solving type eyeballs watching
- that it's not gonna be at North Park. We could not resuscitate that corpse of a concept, pardon me,
- we could not resuscitate that with the best of magic and the holiest of our faiths. So to me, whether
- one is in there or not, and to get council okay with it, I'm probably gonna vote to keep that in there,
- but that thing,
- That ship has sailed so hard that it's crashed into the shore. During public comment, Bloomington resident
- April Wilson urged the council to build a constitutional jail, saying the current jail does not meet
- adequate standards. Respectfully, this problem is not going to be solved with resolutions. At the end
- of the day, it's going to be solved by county council and commissioners that are going to sit down and
- jointly work together to start making tough decisions.
- Resolutions don't have to be the only way that governments communicate. It's not just identifying benchmarks,
- it's about meeting them. I remain hopeful, as you know, I remain hopeful that the council will take
- concrete and meaningful steps to start addressing these dangerous and unacceptable conditions that are
- affecting members of our community. And I respectfully request that you please move forward and please
- build a constitutional jail.
- The council approved the resolution by a vote of six to zero. The Richland Township and Town of Ellitsville
- Reorganization Committee met on February 25th and held the second of four required meetings to create
- a Joint Fire Protection Territory. Fire Chief Kevin Patton said that the Ellitsville Fire Department
- currently has 17 full-time staff and 21 part-time firefighters.
- Some of the services we provide obviously is fire rescue EMS. About 70% of our calls are medical in
- nature. We have a community risk reduction program that's really taken off. It covers a lot of fire
- extinguisher training, CPR programs, things of that nature. And on the top right, those are the calls,
- 911 calls that we get for the last five years
- And in the last five years, we've had 102% increase to the run volume. Just from growth, people driving
- through the area, things of that nature. Listing every fire station that's in Monroe County, including
- the city of Bloomington, we're actually the second and third busiest stations in the county.
- Patton said structure fires, such as house fires, require 15 to 20 firefighters on the scene. He said
- forming a fire protection territory would help address growing call volume and staffing challenges.
- A challenge in the current system, just call volume is the main thing. Decrease in volunteerism and
- a good little note
- down the bottom, you'll see we're protecting over $1.8 million of assessed value between the two. This
- would help, obviously, if territory is formed, that helps both entities would have a seat at the board.
- It structures the tax rate and everything together and just makes it a lot smoother
- for not only the fire department, but for both units power. Paige Sansone with the Baker Tilly presented
- the financial impact of the proposal. She said the territory would spread the cost of the fire services
- across the entire tax base. As far as the property tax liability impact, we have to look at how does
- it impact the district rate. So we have three different taxing districts that are impacted here. We
- have Richland Township,
- and the district tax rate is 1.64. Then we have the town of Ellisville, two different taxing districts
- for Ellisville. The tax rate, though, is pretty close. It's $2.09 roughly. They vary just a little bit.
- But since Richland Township's district rate is lower, the impact would be a little bit higher
- than Ellisville. So we're looking at an impact of 7.9% for Richland Township.
- and 4.2% for the two taxing districts in Ellitsville. According to Sansone, the average residential
- property in Richland Township would see a tax increase of approximately $193 per year. Many properties
- in Ellitsville would not see an increase due to tax caps.
- Committee member David Wilby asked what happens if Richland Township and the town of Ellisville
- reorganization goes through. Patton responded that the public won't see a difference in services. The
- governmental part of it, the territory will basically go away and it will be part of the consolidation.
- Okay, that's what I thought but I wanted to clarify that. But the layperson won't see any difference
- in service or anything.
- Committee member William Ellis clarified further that there will be either a reorganization or a new
- fire protection territory. The Bloomington Utilities Service Board met on February 26. First, Jose Fuentes
- asked the board to approve an on-call service agreement with Decker Pest Control for all CBU facilities.
- It avoids us having to wait two weeks to come in and talk to the board.
- about an individual contract. So we set it out for 10,000 per year. And as we use them, they will invoice
- us and we'll pay them for the cost of what they do. And if we get to 10 grand, we can't, we won't, the
- contract's done for that year. We wait until the next year. And we have more than one contractor per
- discipline usually, so we can rotate through them and continue to keep services going at the different plants.
- without having to wait, again, like I said, two, maybe even sometimes three weeks to get before the
- board to get things approved so we can come in and turn a screw or something simple like that. The motion
- passed with no objections. Next, the board discussed an approval for a service agreement with Reedy
- Financial Group. The board had some doubt and some concern about the motion. Or if there's a department
- that's in here locally that they say, yeah, we had that same problem and here's the solution.
- I guess those are the types of things that I would want to note. If we are having a problem as the city
- with people not being able to reconcile accounts, if we're working in a silo here and having an issue
- and someone else is having an issue and we're not talking to each other about the issue, as a larger
- group will have more power saying this is not a solution for us. Again, I'm not fully understanding
- how it all works, but if other departments are using it, I'd be very curious to know if they can't balance.
- The motion was denied unanimously because too many board members had questions about the service agreement.
- Later in the meeting, Fuentes also asked the board for approval of amendment number one to their service
- agreement with Corson Fire and Security. It's to inspect the backflow devices, fire suppression system,
- alarm detection systems,
- fire extinguishers at all CBU locations. That is correct. As well as our vehicles and heavy equipment,
- they'll inspect them all. The motion passed unanimously. Finally, the board discussed the drinking water
- rate increase. Assistant City Attorney Chris Wheeler said the upcoming hearing is not meant to be a
- dialogue. Rather, it's meant to give the public an opportunity to express their concerns. We expect
- full transparency for people and ability of people to come to speak. But if they bring up questions,
- which they might, you would expect the public to have questions, how would those get answered at a hearing
- like this?
- supposed to be a dialogue, it's for the IORC to hear comment. It's not a question and answer session.
- And that's part of what they will explain at the very beginning of the field hearing. And it all goes
- to due process, an opportunity to be heard before the government takes action. So this is the IORC's
- compliance with due process to give the public an opportunity to be heard. The Bloomington Utilities
- Service Board will meet again on February 10th.
- The Monroe County Board of Commissioners met on February 26. Executive Director of Area 10 Agency on
- Aging, Chris Myers, provided an update on rural transit, saying last year's ridership was on par with
- 2024. Our 2025 total trip numbers for the full system is 41,466.
- Monroe County was 15,128, which is about 36.5% of the total of the four counties. It's pretty close
- to the same as last year's ridership, so we're kind of seeing that stabilized now. That does not include
- the urbanized area routes. That is an additional 6,202 routes, trips that we had, which is higher actually
- than 2024, which was just under
- 6100 for 2024. So we had a little bit higher. She reported that last week someone stole a catalytic
- converter from one of the rural transits buses. Last week we had a catalytic converter stolen off of
- one of our buses that was up in ND at Superior Van and Mobility, which is the required place we take
- them for lift maintenance and repair. So it was behind a fence and they came in. Somebody came in and cut off
- all of the vehicles that were there, their catalytic converters. So unfortunately we're going to be
- dealing with that, which hasn't happened in years. Next, commissioners administrator Angie Purdy gave
- an update on how the showers building will be used for early voting. On the first floor of the showers
- area, we have early voting and that will be open and ready to go for early voting. Um,
- back side of that is actually voter registration. And that is where, um, the supervise the election
- supervisor and her staff, um, will be housed. And that is not scheduled to be open per se, um, in time
- for early voting. So they're in a temporary space upstairs. Um, but we have the capability of
- providing the additional phones in the new space as they will need and we're going to be talking with
- them to come up with a solution that they would like that is in that area because we have the ability
- to solve their problem that they believe.
- Then Highway Director Lisa Ridge presented bids on the Curry Pike reconstruction project. She said DC
- Construction has received approval from the Highway Department to do the job. So sealed bids were opened
- at your February 5th regular commissioners meeting. We had five sealed bids that were received. The
- contract and project was discussed at the February 28th redevelopment commission board meeting and the
- department received approval to move forward with the project.
- So we're requesting to award it to DC construction services. Ridge went on to describe the plan for
- the project. This is the first phase of what we consider could be three phases of reconstruction of
- Curry Pike. This section runs from the Bloomington city limits which is around Beasley Drive.
- to State Road 48 are just short of that where it changes jurisdictions for the city. So we will be milling
- it. We will be doing curb work, drainage work, sidewalk repairs, and then paving the road. And it'll
- all be done in 2026 for this section. The commissioners approve the motion unanimously.
- The Monroe County Election Board met on February 24th. Chrissy Gilles, the chair of the Monroe County
- Democratic Party, asked for the board to challenge the candidacy of Thelma Jeffries, who is running
- for Clear Creek Township trustee. She claimed that Jeffries was dishonest on her CAN 12 paperwork. In
- their most recent filings, Ms. Jeffries indicated that she has no occupation and no income.
- Given her role as the incumbent Township Trustee, this statement raises legitimate questions about whether
- the filing accurately reflects her current economic status. When required disclosures appear incomplete
- or unclear, review by this board is both appropriate and necessary.
- The Office of Township Trustee is one of the most direct and consequential roles in local government.
- Because this position involves stewardship of public resources and direct service to vulnerable members
- of our community, transparency and accountability are essential. Jeffries responded and claimed that
- this is a misunderstanding. I mean, if I had read that, I guess legally, I'm really not employed. I'm
- a public servant.
- Penny Githens expressed skepticism regarding Jeffries claim. Basically, Ms. Jeffries unfortunately did
- not pay attention and that's important for an elected official in her position because she is the front
- line for folks in Clear Creek Township. I'm also a bit upset that
- things are happening like that in the clerk's office. I think it's the candidate's responsibility to
- know what form they're to fill out. I think it's the candidate's responsibility to fill it out correctly.
- And this isn't just a simple situation of not having, not understanding that she should have or should
- not have filled out this stuff about an employer. She didn't even read the form well enough to say the
- name of the person seeking the
- office and the office to which she was elected. Despite this pushback, the board ultimately denied the
- challenge two to one. At their meeting on February 23rd, the Ellitsville Town Council discussed an ordinance
- to address a pilot agreement between the town and Richland Senior Housing Assistance, Incorporated.
- Town attorney Darla Brown explained the ordinance. Richland Senior Housing intends to build housing for
- low-income seniors at 5965 North Matthews Drive to 6155 Matthews Drive. And the ordinance simply states
- that the town council is approving the pilot agreement for that housing. Following this explanation,
- Carson Hayes, a representative from Richland Senior Housing made a statement. It is 100% that this project
- could not go forward
- without this resolution being passed by the town. So when you think of the things during your service
- that you've been able to do, you are 100% partners and responsible if you see fit to pass this in providing
- housing for those that are 62 and older, because it flat out could not happen without the leadership
- of the town of Eltsville.
- doing this and we're just so proud that we can continue a tradition that's been going on since mid 1960s.
- As I said in the last meeting, we continue to just build waiting lists and people that are wanting to
- move to Ellensville in their senior years. I just think that's a great thing for the town and it's certainly
- a great thing for the people. Thank you for your support in the past and
- What I hope is your continued support in the future. Thank you. The resolution was approved by the council.
- The Monroe County Community School Corporation met on February 24th to discuss the school system's financial
- outlook and next steps for a possible sale of the former Harold Times building.
- First, executive director of the MCCSC Foundation outlined the school corporation's financial position,
- saying Senate-enrolled Act 1, which passed last year, has put financial strain on schools across the
- state. However, she says that MCCSC is ahead of the curve and plans on pushing through the funding shortfall.
- The fact of the matter is that SCA 1 is impacting everyone. In many ways, MCCSC has been ahead of the curve
- because we've been discussing these potential impacts for several months now. In spite of these headwinds,
- our team continues to keep our efforts focused on making sure that our decisions are good for children,
- fiscally responsible, and ultimately sustainable.
- Next, Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources and Operations Dr. Jeffrey Henderson said the school
- corporation purchased the former HD building in 2022. Henderson said MCCSC received 408 public responses
- on the future of the building and 40% of respondents were in favor of selling it. He said MCCSC could
- hold a public hearing in late March to discuss the potential sale of the building.
- first and most importantly is the state code and procedure for property sale which appears on the right
- hand side in the in the box there. Public hearing with notice provided in accordance with Indiana code
- following that hearing the board must approve the sale of the property. Property then needs to be appraised
- by two appraisers and then the board can proceed to sell the property either at a public auction or
- retain a licensed real estate broker to
- handle the sale of the property. The money for the sale must be deposited in the operations fund and
- cannot be used for teacher-related wages and benefits. When asked what the school corporation would
- do with the money that it made from the sale, especially if they are not allowed to use the funds for
- teacher wages, Henderson said that the money would be put in the operations fund for the school system.
- A 50% said sell it.
- and they want the money to go towards teacher wages, but the money can't be used for teacher wages.
- Where would the money be used for? So the money would be deposited into the operations fund of the school
- corporation and it would be utilized typically one. You've heard you've heard Mr Irwin speak about not
- committing one time funds to ongoing costs or recurring costs. And so
- The suggestion would be that those funds would be utilized to help manage the cash balance in the various
- funds in the operation fund, given obviously the implications of SEA-1 that we've heard discussed in
- previous board meetings. The board is expected to revisit the issue in March. And that is all for Cats
- Week. Thank you for joining us. For Cats and WFHB, I'm Annalise Poorman.