WEBVTT 00:00:07.618 --> 00:00:13.748 - Hello and welcome to Cats Week. I'm Annaliese Poorman. On March 4th, the Bloomington City Council met 00:00:13.748 --> 00:00:20.118 - and discussed a resolution establishing full transparency with flock safety technology. Council President 00:00:20.118 --> 00:00:26.488 - Isa Kasari explained the purpose of this resolution. The central question before us is not whether public 00:00:26.488 --> 00:00:32.798 - safety matters. Of course it does. I think the question is how we pursue it, what capabilities we build. 00:00:32.962 --> 00:00:38.974 - what risks we accept, what limits we place on ourselves when technology expands the reach of institutional power. 00:00:39.074 --> 00:00:44.693 - I think generally that we should avoid a common trap in technology, which is this sort of idea that 00:00:44.693 --> 00:00:50.649 - any potential benefit, no matter how small, is sufficient justification for something. When we're dealing 00:00:50.649 --> 00:00:56.436 - with tools that collect large amounts of data of any sort, or particularly location-linked information 00:00:56.436 --> 00:01:02.167 - about residents and visitors, many of whom are not suspective of wrongdoing, it might help sometimes, 00:01:02.167 --> 00:01:06.718 - cannot be our governing standard. Benefits should be demonstrated, not presumed, 00:01:06.786 --> 00:01:13.206 - and they should decisively outweigh the civil liberties, security, and governance risks that are created 00:01:13.206 --> 00:01:19.687 - by the system itself. So the resolution before you tonight is intended as a first step toward responsible 00:01:19.687 --> 00:01:25.985 - governance in this space. It does three things. First, it establishes a shared premise that technology 00:01:25.985 --> 00:01:32.222 - is capable of collecting large volumes of location-based data, require a higher level of transparency 00:01:32.222 --> 00:01:35.646 - and democratic oversight than ordinary municipal tools. 00:01:36.162 --> 00:01:42.005 - It initiates a structured process of inquiry. It asks for a public briefing and written materials so 00:01:42.005 --> 00:01:47.963 - that the council and the community can understand the program as it exists today, its scope, its cost, 00:01:47.963 --> 00:01:53.748 - its retention policies, its access controls, its auditing practices, and its data sharing pathways. 00:01:53.748 --> 00:01:59.533 - In other words, the due diligence required to make informed decisions in daylight. I will note here 00:01:59.533 --> 00:02:06.128 - that several members of the public submitted to us a sort of shared, a joint written report noting multiple times 00:02:06.128 --> 00:02:12.300 - where they have sought information under the Freedom of Information Act and that that's been obscured 00:02:12.300 --> 00:02:18.714 - or not accessible to them in certain cases. And third, it signals the council's intent to develop durable 00:02:18.714 --> 00:02:24.825 - and enforceable rules governing ALPR and similar technologies in Bloomington, rules that would apply 00:02:24.825 --> 00:02:31.360 - regardless of vendor. Now this point I think is quite important. I know that right now the sort of reaction 00:02:31.360 --> 00:02:36.080 - is to a particular vendor and I have particular thoughts about the particular 00:02:36.080 --> 00:02:42.364 - particular vendor, but we need to think in a broader sense that it's not just maybe a concern with this 00:02:42.364 --> 00:02:48.467 - vendor, but about the use and governance of this technology in Bloomington at all. To me, the deeper 00:02:48.467 --> 00:02:54.811 - question is whether institutions are prepared to govern technologies that will only become more powerful 00:02:54.811 --> 00:02:56.926 - and more common over time. I think 00:02:57.122 --> 00:03:03.653 - This is sort of the first motion. I mean, sort of first step here. And it's a spirit in which this resolution 00:03:03.653 --> 00:03:09.709 - was drafted. And I look forward to the discussion. Bloomington residents expressed their concern with 00:03:09.709 --> 00:03:15.647 - the contract between the city and flock. The company's technology is capable of tracking a person's 00:03:15.647 --> 00:03:21.703 - movements using license plate scanners and facial recognition. Residents say that they are suspicious 00:03:21.703 --> 00:03:26.750 - of the actual purpose of the flock contract and worry about government transparency. 00:03:27.106 --> 00:03:34.284 - Community members say that they believe this program will be used in cooperation with U.S. Immigration 00:03:34.284 --> 00:03:41.393 - and Customs Enforcement. Local resident Susan Brackney voiced her opinion during public comment. This 00:03:41.393 --> 00:03:48.432 - issue is bigger than just that camera. Focusing on Bloomington's use of one system or one company in 00:03:48.432 --> 00:03:50.174 - isolation is not enough. 00:03:50.594 --> 00:03:59.164 - If you use flux technology alongside facial recognition software, you've got yourself a live real-time 00:03:59.164 --> 00:04:07.651 - dragnet. Bloomington resident Joffrey Livingston also expressed his concern. I want to reiterate that 00:04:07.651 --> 00:04:16.055 - transparency about these contracts should be a given. Transparency should be an inherent part of the 00:04:16.055 --> 00:04:18.718 - relationship between people and 00:04:19.266 --> 00:04:27.036 - Government and there will be many criticisms levied against flock and ALPRs in general tonight But I 00:04:27.036 --> 00:04:34.805 - think the reality is that we must and once again, I also want to reiterate that The council does not 00:04:34.805 --> 00:04:42.498 - make this decision the mayor who was present in this room and is no longer present in this room for 00:04:42.498 --> 00:04:47.806 - just this item alone Is the one who makes this decision? But we must 00:04:47.938 --> 00:04:53.721 - divest from this contract. Sarah Owen the community engagement coordinator for Exodus refugee immigration 00:04:53.721 --> 00:04:59.286 - office in Bloomington explained the impact on the immigrant community. Exodus is here tonight to make 00:04:59.286 --> 00:05:05.342 - clear to the City Council and to the mayor that we are asking for the flock contract to be terminated in full. 00:05:05.538 --> 00:05:10.868 - With regard to this ongoing discussion about the contract we ask you to consider everyone's investment 00:05:10.868 --> 00:05:16.094 - in the matter Firstly flock is a private company Selling you a product so they can make a profit and 00:05:16.094 --> 00:05:21.630 - that is the extent of their interest in this matter The language on their website is simply a matter of PR 00:05:21.762 --> 00:05:27.128 - they state that FLOC does not share data with ICE. That does not mean that ICE or the federal government 00:05:27.128 --> 00:05:32.391 - does not have access to that data. In fact, there is already a clear and established pattern that that 00:05:32.391 --> 00:05:37.859 - is happening across the country and following these comments today, Exodus will be providing documentation 00:05:37.859 --> 00:05:43.021 - of that pattern to the council. The BPD is tasked with public safety and therefore advocates for the 00:05:43.021 --> 00:05:48.182 - use of FLOC cameras for the sake of investigating crimes. However, we respectfully contend that they 00:05:48.182 --> 00:05:50.686 - may not be considering the larger ramifications. 00:05:51.170 --> 00:05:56.952 - To be clear, we empathize with the objectives of maintaining public safety, but the more that our city 00:05:56.952 --> 00:06:02.733 - invests in data collection, allies with profit-driven companies, and fails to take a firm stand on our 00:06:02.733 --> 00:06:08.515 - community's basic rights, the less likely our immigrant community will feel safe to utilize police for 00:06:08.515 --> 00:06:14.521 - when they themselves are victims of a crime. Following public comment, council members had the opportunity 00:06:14.521 --> 00:06:19.966 - to make their own statements. Councilman Dave Rollo demonstrated his support for the resolution. 00:06:20.610 --> 00:06:28.942 - Remembering such things as the Patriot Act which this council opposed back in 2003 and just this steadily 00:06:28.942 --> 00:06:37.353 - normalization of government secrecy erosion of free speech Dissenters being targeted all that contextually 00:06:37.353 --> 00:06:45.292 - is important So we're essentially living in a society where total surveillance is the goal and It is 00:06:45.292 --> 00:06:49.694 - real that is the hallmark of the totalitarian state and 00:06:49.922 --> 00:06:57.500 - So, to whatever extent we can push back, we have to do it. I don't want to live in a digital panopticon. 00:06:57.500 --> 00:07:05.150 - I don't think anyone should. So I appreciate this council resolution, our council president's resolution, 00:07:05.150 --> 00:07:12.511 - very well thought out. Wonder if it goes far enough. I think that the case has been made tonight that 00:07:12.511 --> 00:07:18.718 - we don't need this, we don't need flock cameras, and we should think of defunding it. 00:07:19.042 --> 00:07:25.883 - And so that's what I look to as the next step. The council unanimously approved the resolution, saying 00:07:25.883 --> 00:07:32.791 - it will promote greater transparency and pause the expansion of flock technology. The Richland Township 00:07:32.791 --> 00:07:39.698 - and Town of Ellitsville Reorganization Committee met on March 4th. During public comment, resident Phil 00:07:39.698 --> 00:07:46.672 - Shanoff shared concerns about the fire protection arrangement between Ellitsville and Richland Township. 00:07:46.672 --> 00:07:47.934 - I guess a question 00:07:48.130 --> 00:07:55.635 - is if or can Ellitsville town government and Monroe County government get together and agree upon a 00:07:55.635 --> 00:08:03.441 - fire protection territory that satisfies Ellitsville's fire department debt while continuing to provide 00:08:03.441 --> 00:08:11.171 - fire protection services for both townships, Bean Blossom and Richland and the town. Shanoff suggested 00:08:11.171 --> 00:08:16.350 - Monroe County and Ellitsville governments try to reach an agreement. 00:08:16.514 --> 00:08:23.391 - Committee member William Ellis said that the fire protection issue came about after the reorganization 00:08:23.391 --> 00:08:30.135 - plans began and the county indicated it wanted to move to a new fire district. The reason we decided 00:08:30.135 --> 00:08:37.078 - to pursue reorganization was the state has talked about streamlining government duplication of services 00:08:37.078 --> 00:08:40.350 - and there was some from the township in the town 00:08:40.482 --> 00:08:47.754 - Richland Township and Ellisville has a 79-year history with fire protection. So that was a good blueprint 00:08:47.754 --> 00:08:54.684 - for us. We were already kind of married, you know, there. And the county decided, while we're in the 00:08:54.684 --> 00:09:01.613 - middle of pursuing this process, to take that away from us. They gave the intention that they wanted 00:09:01.613 --> 00:09:08.542 - to do a fire district, which is different than a fire territory. Right now, we just have a contract. 00:09:09.090 --> 00:09:17.587 - and what that would do when you're worried about increased taxes. With this plan, your taxes, it would 00:09:17.587 --> 00:09:21.630 - increase taxes a lot more than what it would for 00:09:22.530 --> 00:09:28.714 - Yeah, then reorganization if they did a fire district because they'd have to build a station. They would 00:09:28.714 --> 00:09:34.781 - have to buy equipment because right now Ellisville owns that. Shanoff also expressed concern about how 00:09:34.781 --> 00:09:40.847 - the reorganization might affect other county-provided services such as road maintenance, snow removal, 00:09:40.847 --> 00:09:46.914 - and stormwater management. Ellis said that the town would take control of services like roads and fire 00:09:46.914 --> 00:09:51.390 - protection and the town could use funding already in place from the county. 00:09:51.714 --> 00:09:59.113 - The committee moved on to discuss finalized subcommittee reports. Sandy Hash, with the finance subcommittee, 00:09:59.113 --> 00:10:06.240 - talked about funding sources for the reorganized area. This plan anticipates that the property tax rates 00:10:06.240 --> 00:10:13.368 - for the police, cumulative fire building and equipment, cumulative capital development, and the existing 00:10:13.368 --> 00:10:20.224 - debt service will be applied exclusively to the properties within the current boundaries of the town 00:10:20.224 --> 00:10:21.310 - of Ellitsville. 00:10:22.018 --> 00:10:30.698 - Conversely, tax rates for the town administration, park recreation, and fire will be levied across all 00:10:30.698 --> 00:10:39.800 - properties in the consolidated area. The township assistance tax rate will apply to the properties situated 00:10:39.800 --> 00:10:48.311 - in Ellisville, Richland, and Richland. Taxing rates allocated to those properties, funding for other 00:10:48.311 --> 00:10:50.334 - services will primarily 00:10:50.530 --> 00:10:58.429 - derived from local income tax, service charges, wheel tax, and gas revenues. Hash said that the town 00:10:58.429 --> 00:11:06.720 - and the township budgets will increase. But when you compare between the 26 certified property tax levies 00:11:06.720 --> 00:11:15.010 - and rates with the projections after the reorganization, the impact on the property tax bills is expected 00:11:15.010 --> 00:11:19.390 - to be 6.9% for Richland Township, 4.1% for Ellitsville, 00:11:19.970 --> 00:11:27.771 - Richland 3.4 percent for for Ellisville being blossom and I think the difference in that is they don't 00:11:27.771 --> 00:11:35.345 - they have their own township tax so that we aren't involved with them on the township part in being 00:11:35.345 --> 00:11:43.145 - blossom a $300,000 home in Richland Township is expected to see a hundred and seventy three dollar tax 00:11:43.145 --> 00:11:49.886 - increase while the same value home in Ellisville will not really have any change because 00:11:50.306 --> 00:11:58.048 - In Ellisville, the tax rate is substantially higher than the tax rate in the county. So the people in 00:11:58.048 --> 00:12:05.182 - Ellisville will hit the circuit breakers at 300,000, so they won't see any increase in taxes. 00:12:05.346 --> 00:12:12.829 - Hash said reorganization will provide long-term financial advantages such as structured service expansion, 00:12:12.829 --> 00:12:19.823 - a broader tax base, and coordinated planning for land use and economic growth. It would also create 00:12:19.823 --> 00:12:27.097 - a single simplified budget process. Ellisville resident and Parks, Recreation and Cemetery subcommittee 00:12:27.097 --> 00:12:34.301 - member Jim Perry asked about the impact of 2025 Senate Enrolled Act 1 on local income tax and taxation 00:12:34.301 --> 00:12:35.070 - structure. 00:12:35.298 --> 00:12:44.728 - I would personally like to see some comparisons, particularly in terms of projected financial implications 00:12:44.728 --> 00:12:48.606 - that involve more than simply property tax. 00:12:49.986 --> 00:12:56.937 - built only on property tax under SB1. And we don't have the choice to change that, I presume. I don't. 00:12:56.937 --> 00:13:03.686 - Hash said that the financial subcommittee report accounts for cigarette tax and excise tax, as well 00:13:03.686 --> 00:13:10.570 - as property tax and local income tax. However, she said that the income tax rates for 2028 and onward 00:13:10.570 --> 00:13:17.386 - are not yet known. Ellis said that any projections beyond 2027 are uncertain because the state could 00:13:17.386 --> 00:13:19.006 - change tax rules again. 00:13:20.130 --> 00:13:25.502 - I never look at rate. I look at what the increase is in actual dollars, because I've said somebody, 00:13:25.502 --> 00:13:30.928 - people have heard it. When you go pay your mortgage or pay a bill, you don't pay by rate, you pay by 00:13:30.928 --> 00:13:36.353 - dollars. So I try to focus on a budget that has the least impact from what you pay this year to what 00:13:36.353 --> 00:13:37.374 - you pay next year. 00:13:37.794 --> 00:13:44.031 - Ellis said the committee does not yet have all the answers, but it appreciates community input as it 00:13:44.031 --> 00:13:50.269 - consolidates subcommittee reports into a final reorganization plan. The next meeting of the Richland 00:13:50.269 --> 00:13:55.518 - Township and Town of Ellisville Reorganization Committee will be held on March 18th. 00:13:56.770 --> 00:14:04.824 - the Bloomington Redevelopment Commission met on March 2nd. CEO of Amplify Bloomington, John Fernandez, 00:14:04.824 --> 00:14:12.877 - provided updates on the Forge apartment complex in the Trades District. We've really got a very stable 00:14:12.877 --> 00:14:20.853 - financial position right now with the Forge. It's doing really well. In fact, it's doing so well that 00:14:20.853 --> 00:14:24.606 - we're paying back the Redevelopment Commissions 00:14:24.866 --> 00:14:32.918 - the city's $100,000 operating fund reserve that you all approved as part of our trades district management 00:14:32.918 --> 00:14:40.669 - agreement amendment. If it didn't happen today, it's happening this week. The committee then discussed 00:14:40.669 --> 00:14:49.022 - approving a summit district economic development plan and establishing a related residential housing district. 00:14:49.122 --> 00:14:58.334 - City Attorney Dana Kerr said that designating the Summit District could improve Bloomington's infrastructure. 00:14:58.334 --> 00:15:06.960 - Those roads are very much necessary to connect this overall development to the rest of Bloomington and 00:15:06.960 --> 00:15:15.920 - provide some infrastructure that will support Bloomington as a whole. For instance, Adam Street connecting 00:15:15.920 --> 00:15:18.014 - it will now give another 00:15:18.402 --> 00:15:27.050 - direct line from Winfield Road all the way to Tap Road. So this really helps connectivity. It'll help 00:15:27.050 --> 00:15:35.528 - the connectivity for traffic flow to in front of the APA. Kerr further said that approving the plan 00:15:35.528 --> 00:15:44.091 - could benefit the entire city. We all know that Bloomington is landlocked. And so we must take great 00:15:44.091 --> 00:15:46.974 - care in dealing with the projects 00:15:47.394 --> 00:15:57.231 - or the land that we do have within sitting limits, which includes all of this area here. And so by providing 00:15:57.231 --> 00:16:06.257 - the TIF and generating revenue, that revenue can be used to help spur this development in ways that 00:16:06.257 --> 00:16:16.094 - it wouldn't happen without it. And again, the wonderful thing is the interconnectivity of the infrastructure 00:16:16.386 --> 00:16:27.879 - This motion passed unanimously. Later in the meeting, Kerr requested approval of an agreement with Sudbury 00:16:27.879 --> 00:16:39.695 - Development Partners for the Summit District planned unit development and public infrastructure improvements. 00:16:39.695 --> 00:16:44.958 - Kerr stressed the importance and costs of roads. 00:17:04.514 --> 00:17:11.689 - This motion passed four to one. The Bloomington Redevelopment Commission will meet again on March 16th. 00:17:11.689 --> 00:17:18.863 - The Monroe County Board of Zoning Appeals met on March 4th. The board began by reviewing the Fisk front 00:17:18.863 --> 00:17:24.382 - yard setback, a proposal to remodel a property in the Geo Triangle subdivision. 00:17:24.994 --> 00:17:31.278 - During the review of the proposed site plan, it was also found that the proposed walkway and boardwalk 00:17:31.278 --> 00:17:37.380 - will need to cross over an area of 25% slope or greater, as shown in Exhibit 5 of the staff packet. 00:17:37.380 --> 00:17:43.542 - In addition, the petitioner is proposing a temporary construction path on the west side of the home, 00:17:43.542 --> 00:17:48.606 - which will be removed and replaced with seed and straw following the construction. 00:17:49.442 --> 00:17:55.996 - The purpose of the construction path down to the lake is for access of construction equipment and a 00:17:55.996 --> 00:18:02.942 - petitioner has confirmed that this land disturbance will be temporary. The petitioner spoke to the board. 00:18:02.942 --> 00:18:09.627 - The stimulus for why we're here is that when we purchased the home we noticed and discovered a lot of 00:18:09.627 --> 00:18:16.574 - major issues actually pre-purchase and that was okay because we got a little bit of a savings on the cost 00:18:16.674 --> 00:18:23.466 - but there were some problems with the home and then we've lived in it for 14 years now and kind of monitored 00:18:23.466 --> 00:18:29.822 - that. And now we're at a point where we want to fix those problems. And then after we fix it, then we 00:18:29.822 --> 00:18:36.303 - want to update it and then live in it full time. The board approved this motion four to zero. The board 00:18:36.303 --> 00:18:39.294 - of zoning appeals will meet again on April 1st. 00:18:40.322 --> 00:18:46.653 - The Monroe County Election Board met on March 5th to discuss logistics for the upcoming primary election. 00:18:46.653 --> 00:18:53.044 - Board members tackled candidate filing procedures, early voting, and progress on the county's new election 00:18:53.044 --> 00:18:59.197 - operations location. Democratic Chair Penny Githans shared concerns about a candidate filing form that 00:18:59.197 --> 00:19:05.408 - had allegedly been altered prior to submission with a name change. I was surprised to hear that because 00:19:05.408 --> 00:19:09.470 - at our training that we all attended in December, we were told that 00:19:09.570 --> 00:19:16.824 - a candidate cannot go in and change. So I was in contact with the Indiana election division and it is 00:19:16.824 --> 00:19:24.078 - not allowed to, for anyone in any circumstance to change a form that has been filed in this situation 00:19:24.078 --> 00:19:31.190 - where someone signs an oath so that they are not to have changes in the clerk's office on any forms 00:19:31.190 --> 00:19:34.462 - even after the candidate has signed the form. 00:19:35.202 --> 00:19:41.493 - So I realize that that may have been a policy in the past, but I want to ensure that going forward that 00:19:41.493 --> 00:19:47.723 - that does not get repeated. The board discussed whether the alteration constituted fraud. County Clerk 00:19:47.723 --> 00:19:53.893 - Nicole Brown said that she does not believe it would. Election Supervisor Kylie Farris maintained the 00:19:53.893 --> 00:20:00.244 - previous policy, allowed editing forms for accuracy, including name changes. She encouraged the election 00:20:00.244 --> 00:20:03.934 - board to develop a new policy. I just don't want fraud to be 00:20:04.066 --> 00:20:12.626 - There was no fraud. There was no fraud. According to a lawyer I spoke with that constitutes fraud. There 00:20:12.626 --> 00:20:21.023 - was no fraud. But what happened has happened in the past. Yes, so in the past it has been handled that 00:20:21.023 --> 00:20:29.502 - if an individual forgets a piece of information and it's generally a simple piece of information, not a 00:20:29.666 --> 00:20:34.406 - Like for this instance, it was a name. They forgot to put their name on it, but we had the rest of their 00:20:34.406 --> 00:20:39.102 - candidate filings with those and had their signature on it. So it was added, should have had an initial 00:20:39.102 --> 00:20:41.630 - next to it in the past. That's how it has been handled. 00:20:42.370 --> 00:20:47.623 - Also it has been that we will call the candidate sometimes if they leave off a piece of information 00:20:47.623 --> 00:20:53.191 - and they will tell us to make the change and then we would just initial next to it. Those are both things 00:20:53.191 --> 00:20:58.443 - that have been done in the past and then we had brought up during that last meeting that if we want 00:20:58.443 --> 00:21:03.696 - to set a new policy I think it would be best to come from the Election Board to set that policy and 00:21:03.696 --> 00:21:09.054 - then we can move forward with that. That way we have a set change and it can be ran from here on out. 00:21:11.234 --> 00:21:18.608 - I don't want to make it any harder than it has to be, but you want to make sure that there are no questions 00:21:18.608 --> 00:21:25.436 - when it's done. Correct. Then the board moved on to early voting plans. Election officials say they 00:21:25.436 --> 00:21:32.400 - are planning for high turnout during early voting. Ferris said they will set up early voting for full 00:21:32.400 --> 00:21:37.726 - capacity. We also do want to make sure that if there is a chance of us having 00:21:37.826 --> 00:21:43.972 - a bigger turnout than expected, then we need to be able to increase that. So I have talked with Bob 00:21:43.972 --> 00:21:50.117 - White on going ahead and setting up early voting at full capacity. So we'll have 10 poll books, six 00:21:50.117 --> 00:21:56.386 - print devices, and five checkouts set up in case if they are needed at any point during early voting. 00:21:56.386 --> 00:22:01.118 - That way we're not having to try to set up equipment overnight, and it takes 00:22:01.474 --> 00:22:08.072 - a good amount of time to get that set up. I want to make sure that we're making it as easy as possible 00:22:08.072 --> 00:22:14.478 - and making it as smooth as possible for the early voting session. And then also for election day, I 00:22:14.478 --> 00:22:21.012 - have those numbers in there for you guys. I have election day for primary and general that is leaving 00:22:21.012 --> 00:22:27.547 - us with backup poll books. And if we do decide after the early voting, if we need to increase some of 00:22:27.547 --> 00:22:31.134 - the locations for workers, then we can do that as well. 00:22:31.746 --> 00:22:46.398 - Fair's shared updated voter registration numbers for the county. 00:22:46.498 --> 00:22:53.141 - inactive, bringing us to a total of 89,740 registered voters in Monroe County. On this information, 00:22:53.141 --> 00:22:59.784 - I wanted to bring this up because we will be getting ready to print out postcards and sending those 00:22:59.784 --> 00:23:06.692 - out in the mail with everybody's updated information for their polling location based on the 28 polling 00:23:06.692 --> 00:23:09.150 - locations and reassigning precincts. 00:23:09.730 --> 00:23:16.201 - Next, Monroe County Building and Fleet Director Richard Kreider updated the board on construction at 00:23:16.201 --> 00:23:22.800 - the county's new election facility. The new election headquarters and early voting site will be on the 00:23:22.800 --> 00:23:29.271 - first level of the showers building at 501 North Morton Street. This week we completed building, the 00:23:29.271 --> 00:23:36.382 - building inspection and it passed. We also completed the fire inspection. It also passed the occupancy number. 00:23:36.482 --> 00:23:44.102 - has been officially determined by the Fire Marshal. That's an important milestone in this project. And 00:23:44.102 --> 00:23:51.647 - it gave us the ability to host this morning's event. The punch list with the architect and contractor 00:23:51.647 --> 00:23:59.045 - happened yesterday. Early voting area, that space is, it's very close to completion. We're actually 00:23:59.045 --> 00:24:03.262 - just a few doorknobs away from getting that finished up. 00:24:03.426 --> 00:24:10.620 - And based on where things stand today, I think we're comfortably on track for the April 7th target date. 00:24:10.620 --> 00:24:17.882 - Clerk Brown said there may be technical difficulties, particularly with the phone lines. Ferris responded 00:24:17.882 --> 00:24:24.938 - that county election officials are working on the issue. I kind of just want to mention there are some 00:24:24.938 --> 00:24:28.158 - glitches not to do with you, but glitches that 00:24:28.546 --> 00:24:35.466 - could translate to the voting public. One of them is the phones. As I understand it, we have one phone 00:24:35.466 --> 00:24:42.184 - line. So we have updated the county website to add a second number, but those phones, the two lines 00:24:42.184 --> 00:24:49.373 - that we have, if a second caller comes in, they do get pushed to voicemail. So we're still working through 00:24:49.373 --> 00:24:56.091 - those kinks, but me and Richard have been working together on trying to come up with some solutions 00:24:56.091 --> 00:24:58.174 - for that. So and so right now, 00:24:58.594 --> 00:25:06.704 - My recollection is I called 2612, and it is not operable. Correct. So we're working on getting ABS set 00:25:06.704 --> 00:25:14.972 - up downstairs where phones will be able to be connected, and they'll also have their computers connected 00:25:14.972 --> 00:25:22.847 - to internet as well. Once they are down there, that line will then be operable again. And that will 00:25:22.847 --> 00:25:24.894 - be? Hopefully Monday. OK. 00:25:25.058 --> 00:25:31.606 - And so I would just encourage voters who have questions to pack their patience. You know, in terms of 00:25:31.606 --> 00:25:38.090 - the calls rolling over into voicemail, nobody likes to get that. But that's where we are and there's 00:25:38.090 --> 00:25:44.510 - nothing that we can be doing differently. The board also approved the list of polling locations for 00:25:44.510 --> 00:25:51.058 - the upcoming election. All 28 former polling locations have agreed to serve again this year. The next 00:25:51.058 --> 00:25:54.910 - county election board meeting will take place on April 2nd. 00:25:55.554 --> 00:26:01.790 - And that is all for Cats Week. Thank you for joining us. For Cats and WFHB, I'm Annalise Poorman.