- Hello and welcome to Cats Week. I'm Annaliese Poorman. On March 4th, the Bloomington City Council met
- and discussed a resolution establishing full transparency with flock safety technology. Council President
- Isa Kasari explained the purpose of this resolution. The central question before us is not whether public
- safety matters. Of course it does. I think the question is how we pursue it, what capabilities we build.
- what risks we accept, what limits we place on ourselves when technology expands the reach of institutional power.
- I think generally that we should avoid a common trap in technology, which is this sort of idea that
- any potential benefit, no matter how small, is sufficient justification for something. When we're dealing
- with tools that collect large amounts of data of any sort, or particularly location-linked information
- about residents and visitors, many of whom are not suspective of wrongdoing, it might help sometimes,
- cannot be our governing standard. Benefits should be demonstrated, not presumed,
- and they should decisively outweigh the civil liberties, security, and governance risks that are created
- by the system itself. So the resolution before you tonight is intended as a first step toward responsible
- governance in this space. It does three things. First, it establishes a shared premise that technology
- is capable of collecting large volumes of location-based data, require a higher level of transparency
- and democratic oversight than ordinary municipal tools.
- It initiates a structured process of inquiry. It asks for a public briefing and written materials so
- that the council and the community can understand the program as it exists today, its scope, its cost,
- its retention policies, its access controls, its auditing practices, and its data sharing pathways.
- In other words, the due diligence required to make informed decisions in daylight. I will note here
- that several members of the public submitted to us a sort of shared, a joint written report noting multiple times
- where they have sought information under the Freedom of Information Act and that that's been obscured
- or not accessible to them in certain cases. And third, it signals the council's intent to develop durable
- and enforceable rules governing ALPR and similar technologies in Bloomington, rules that would apply
- regardless of vendor. Now this point I think is quite important. I know that right now the sort of reaction
- is to a particular vendor and I have particular thoughts about the particular
- particular vendor, but we need to think in a broader sense that it's not just maybe a concern with this
- vendor, but about the use and governance of this technology in Bloomington at all. To me, the deeper
- question is whether institutions are prepared to govern technologies that will only become more powerful
- and more common over time. I think
- This is sort of the first motion. I mean, sort of first step here. And it's a spirit in which this resolution
- was drafted. And I look forward to the discussion. Bloomington residents expressed their concern with
- the contract between the city and flock. The company's technology is capable of tracking a person's
- movements using license plate scanners and facial recognition. Residents say that they are suspicious
- of the actual purpose of the flock contract and worry about government transparency.
- Community members say that they believe this program will be used in cooperation with U.S. Immigration
- and Customs Enforcement. Local resident Susan Brackney voiced her opinion during public comment. This
- issue is bigger than just that camera. Focusing on Bloomington's use of one system or one company in
- isolation is not enough.
- If you use flux technology alongside facial recognition software, you've got yourself a live real-time
- dragnet. Bloomington resident Joffrey Livingston also expressed his concern. I want to reiterate that
- transparency about these contracts should be a given. Transparency should be an inherent part of the
- relationship between people and
- Government and there will be many criticisms levied against flock and ALPRs in general tonight But I
- think the reality is that we must and once again, I also want to reiterate that The council does not
- make this decision the mayor who was present in this room and is no longer present in this room for
- just this item alone Is the one who makes this decision? But we must
- divest from this contract. Sarah Owen the community engagement coordinator for Exodus refugee immigration
- office in Bloomington explained the impact on the immigrant community. Exodus is here tonight to make
- clear to the City Council and to the mayor that we are asking for the flock contract to be terminated in full.
- With regard to this ongoing discussion about the contract we ask you to consider everyone's investment
- in the matter Firstly flock is a private company Selling you a product so they can make a profit and
- that is the extent of their interest in this matter The language on their website is simply a matter of PR
- they state that FLOC does not share data with ICE. That does not mean that ICE or the federal government
- does not have access to that data. In fact, there is already a clear and established pattern that that
- is happening across the country and following these comments today, Exodus will be providing documentation
- of that pattern to the council. The BPD is tasked with public safety and therefore advocates for the
- use of FLOC cameras for the sake of investigating crimes. However, we respectfully contend that they
- may not be considering the larger ramifications.
- To be clear, we empathize with the objectives of maintaining public safety, but the more that our city
- invests in data collection, allies with profit-driven companies, and fails to take a firm stand on our
- community's basic rights, the less likely our immigrant community will feel safe to utilize police for
- when they themselves are victims of a crime. Following public comment, council members had the opportunity
- to make their own statements. Councilman Dave Rollo demonstrated his support for the resolution.
- Remembering such things as the Patriot Act which this council opposed back in 2003 and just this steadily
- normalization of government secrecy erosion of free speech Dissenters being targeted all that contextually
- is important So we're essentially living in a society where total surveillance is the goal and It is
- real that is the hallmark of the totalitarian state and
- So, to whatever extent we can push back, we have to do it. I don't want to live in a digital panopticon.
- I don't think anyone should. So I appreciate this council resolution, our council president's resolution,
- very well thought out. Wonder if it goes far enough. I think that the case has been made tonight that
- we don't need this, we don't need flock cameras, and we should think of defunding it.
- And so that's what I look to as the next step. The council unanimously approved the resolution, saying
- it will promote greater transparency and pause the expansion of flock technology. The Richland Township
- and Town of Ellitsville Reorganization Committee met on March 4th. During public comment, resident Phil
- Shanoff shared concerns about the fire protection arrangement between Ellitsville and Richland Township.
- I guess a question
- is if or can Ellitsville town government and Monroe County government get together and agree upon a
- fire protection territory that satisfies Ellitsville's fire department debt while continuing to provide
- fire protection services for both townships, Bean Blossom and Richland and the town. Shanoff suggested
- Monroe County and Ellitsville governments try to reach an agreement.
- Committee member William Ellis said that the fire protection issue came about after the reorganization
- plans began and the county indicated it wanted to move to a new fire district. The reason we decided
- to pursue reorganization was the state has talked about streamlining government duplication of services
- and there was some from the township in the town
- Richland Township and Ellisville has a 79-year history with fire protection. So that was a good blueprint
- for us. We were already kind of married, you know, there. And the county decided, while we're in the
- middle of pursuing this process, to take that away from us. They gave the intention that they wanted
- to do a fire district, which is different than a fire territory. Right now, we just have a contract.
- and what that would do when you're worried about increased taxes. With this plan, your taxes, it would
- increase taxes a lot more than what it would for
- Yeah, then reorganization if they did a fire district because they'd have to build a station. They would
- have to buy equipment because right now Ellisville owns that. Shanoff also expressed concern about how
- the reorganization might affect other county-provided services such as road maintenance, snow removal,
- and stormwater management. Ellis said that the town would take control of services like roads and fire
- protection and the town could use funding already in place from the county.
- The committee moved on to discuss finalized subcommittee reports. Sandy Hash, with the finance subcommittee,
- talked about funding sources for the reorganized area. This plan anticipates that the property tax rates
- for the police, cumulative fire building and equipment, cumulative capital development, and the existing
- debt service will be applied exclusively to the properties within the current boundaries of the town
- of Ellitsville.
- Conversely, tax rates for the town administration, park recreation, and fire will be levied across all
- properties in the consolidated area. The township assistance tax rate will apply to the properties situated
- in Ellisville, Richland, and Richland. Taxing rates allocated to those properties, funding for other
- services will primarily
- derived from local income tax, service charges, wheel tax, and gas revenues. Hash said that the town
- and the township budgets will increase. But when you compare between the 26 certified property tax levies
- and rates with the projections after the reorganization, the impact on the property tax bills is expected
- to be 6.9% for Richland Township, 4.1% for Ellitsville,
- Richland 3.4 percent for for Ellisville being blossom and I think the difference in that is they don't
- they have their own township tax so that we aren't involved with them on the township part in being
- blossom a $300,000 home in Richland Township is expected to see a hundred and seventy three dollar tax
- increase while the same value home in Ellisville will not really have any change because
- In Ellisville, the tax rate is substantially higher than the tax rate in the county. So the people in
- Ellisville will hit the circuit breakers at 300,000, so they won't see any increase in taxes.
- Hash said reorganization will provide long-term financial advantages such as structured service expansion,
- a broader tax base, and coordinated planning for land use and economic growth. It would also create
- a single simplified budget process. Ellisville resident and Parks, Recreation and Cemetery subcommittee
- member Jim Perry asked about the impact of 2025 Senate Enrolled Act 1 on local income tax and taxation
- structure.
- I would personally like to see some comparisons, particularly in terms of projected financial implications
- that involve more than simply property tax.
- built only on property tax under SB1. And we don't have the choice to change that, I presume. I don't.
- Hash said that the financial subcommittee report accounts for cigarette tax and excise tax, as well
- as property tax and local income tax. However, she said that the income tax rates for 2028 and onward
- are not yet known. Ellis said that any projections beyond 2027 are uncertain because the state could
- change tax rules again.
- I never look at rate. I look at what the increase is in actual dollars, because I've said somebody,
- people have heard it. When you go pay your mortgage or pay a bill, you don't pay by rate, you pay by
- dollars. So I try to focus on a budget that has the least impact from what you pay this year to what
- you pay next year.
- Ellis said the committee does not yet have all the answers, but it appreciates community input as it
- consolidates subcommittee reports into a final reorganization plan. The next meeting of the Richland
- Township and Town of Ellisville Reorganization Committee will be held on March 18th.
- the Bloomington Redevelopment Commission met on March 2nd. CEO of Amplify Bloomington, John Fernandez,
- provided updates on the Forge apartment complex in the Trades District. We've really got a very stable
- financial position right now with the Forge. It's doing really well. In fact, it's doing so well that
- we're paying back the Redevelopment Commissions
- the city's $100,000 operating fund reserve that you all approved as part of our trades district management
- agreement amendment. If it didn't happen today, it's happening this week. The committee then discussed
- approving a summit district economic development plan and establishing a related residential housing district.
- City Attorney Dana Kerr said that designating the Summit District could improve Bloomington's infrastructure.
- Those roads are very much necessary to connect this overall development to the rest of Bloomington and
- provide some infrastructure that will support Bloomington as a whole. For instance, Adam Street connecting
- it will now give another
- direct line from Winfield Road all the way to Tap Road. So this really helps connectivity. It'll help
- the connectivity for traffic flow to in front of the APA. Kerr further said that approving the plan
- could benefit the entire city. We all know that Bloomington is landlocked. And so we must take great
- care in dealing with the projects
- or the land that we do have within sitting limits, which includes all of this area here. And so by providing
- the TIF and generating revenue, that revenue can be used to help spur this development in ways that
- it wouldn't happen without it. And again, the wonderful thing is the interconnectivity of the infrastructure
- This motion passed unanimously. Later in the meeting, Kerr requested approval of an agreement with Sudbury
- Development Partners for the Summit District planned unit development and public infrastructure improvements.
- Kerr stressed the importance and costs of roads.
- This motion passed four to one. The Bloomington Redevelopment Commission will meet again on March 16th.
- The Monroe County Board of Zoning Appeals met on March 4th. The board began by reviewing the Fisk front
- yard setback, a proposal to remodel a property in the Geo Triangle subdivision.
- During the review of the proposed site plan, it was also found that the proposed walkway and boardwalk
- will need to cross over an area of 25% slope or greater, as shown in Exhibit 5 of the staff packet.
- In addition, the petitioner is proposing a temporary construction path on the west side of the home,
- which will be removed and replaced with seed and straw following the construction.
- The purpose of the construction path down to the lake is for access of construction equipment and a
- petitioner has confirmed that this land disturbance will be temporary. The petitioner spoke to the board.
- The stimulus for why we're here is that when we purchased the home we noticed and discovered a lot of
- major issues actually pre-purchase and that was okay because we got a little bit of a savings on the cost
- but there were some problems with the home and then we've lived in it for 14 years now and kind of monitored
- that. And now we're at a point where we want to fix those problems. And then after we fix it, then we
- want to update it and then live in it full time. The board approved this motion four to zero. The board
- of zoning appeals will meet again on April 1st.
- The Monroe County Election Board met on March 5th to discuss logistics for the upcoming primary election.
- Board members tackled candidate filing procedures, early voting, and progress on the county's new election
- operations location. Democratic Chair Penny Githans shared concerns about a candidate filing form that
- had allegedly been altered prior to submission with a name change. I was surprised to hear that because
- at our training that we all attended in December, we were told that
- a candidate cannot go in and change. So I was in contact with the Indiana election division and it is
- not allowed to, for anyone in any circumstance to change a form that has been filed in this situation
- where someone signs an oath so that they are not to have changes in the clerk's office on any forms
- even after the candidate has signed the form.
- So I realize that that may have been a policy in the past, but I want to ensure that going forward that
- that does not get repeated. The board discussed whether the alteration constituted fraud. County Clerk
- Nicole Brown said that she does not believe it would. Election Supervisor Kylie Farris maintained the
- previous policy, allowed editing forms for accuracy, including name changes. She encouraged the election
- board to develop a new policy. I just don't want fraud to be
- There was no fraud. There was no fraud. According to a lawyer I spoke with that constitutes fraud. There
- was no fraud. But what happened has happened in the past. Yes, so in the past it has been handled that
- if an individual forgets a piece of information and it's generally a simple piece of information, not a
- Like for this instance, it was a name. They forgot to put their name on it, but we had the rest of their
- candidate filings with those and had their signature on it. So it was added, should have had an initial
- next to it in the past. That's how it has been handled.
- Also it has been that we will call the candidate sometimes if they leave off a piece of information
- and they will tell us to make the change and then we would just initial next to it. Those are both things
- that have been done in the past and then we had brought up during that last meeting that if we want
- to set a new policy I think it would be best to come from the Election Board to set that policy and
- then we can move forward with that. That way we have a set change and it can be ran from here on out.
- 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
- when it's done. Correct. Then the board moved on to early voting plans. Election officials say they
- are planning for high turnout during early voting. Ferris said they will set up early voting for full
- capacity. We also do want to make sure that if there is a chance of us having
- a bigger turnout than expected, then we need to be able to increase that. So I have talked with Bob
- White on going ahead and setting up early voting at full capacity. So we'll have 10 poll books, six
- print devices, and five checkouts set up in case if they are needed at any point during early voting.
- That way we're not having to try to set up equipment overnight, and it takes
- a good amount of time to get that set up. I want to make sure that we're making it as easy as possible
- and making it as smooth as possible for the early voting session. And then also for election day, I
- have those numbers in there for you guys. I have election day for primary and general that is leaving
- us with backup poll books. And if we do decide after the early voting, if we need to increase some of
- the locations for workers, then we can do that as well.
- Fair's shared updated voter registration numbers for the county.
- inactive, bringing us to a total of 89,740 registered voters in Monroe County. On this information,
- I wanted to bring this up because we will be getting ready to print out postcards and sending those
- out in the mail with everybody's updated information for their polling location based on the 28 polling
- locations and reassigning precincts.
- Next, Monroe County Building and Fleet Director Richard Kreider updated the board on construction at
- the county's new election facility. The new election headquarters and early voting site will be on the
- first level of the showers building at 501 North Morton Street. This week we completed building, the
- building inspection and it passed. We also completed the fire inspection. It also passed the occupancy number.
- has been officially determined by the Fire Marshal. That's an important milestone in this project. And
- it gave us the ability to host this morning's event. The punch list with the architect and contractor
- happened yesterday. Early voting area, that space is, it's very close to completion. We're actually
- just a few doorknobs away from getting that finished up.
- And based on where things stand today, I think we're comfortably on track for the April 7th target date.
- Clerk Brown said there may be technical difficulties, particularly with the phone lines. Ferris responded
- that county election officials are working on the issue. I kind of just want to mention there are some
- glitches not to do with you, but glitches that
- could translate to the voting public. One of them is the phones. As I understand it, we have one phone
- line. So we have updated the county website to add a second number, but those phones, the two lines
- that we have, if a second caller comes in, they do get pushed to voicemail. So we're still working through
- those kinks, but me and Richard have been working together on trying to come up with some solutions
- for that. So and so right now,
- My recollection is I called 2612, and it is not operable. Correct. So we're working on getting ABS set
- up downstairs where phones will be able to be connected, and they'll also have their computers connected
- to internet as well. Once they are down there, that line will then be operable again. And that will
- be? Hopefully Monday. OK.
- And so I would just encourage voters who have questions to pack their patience. You know, in terms of
- the calls rolling over into voicemail, nobody likes to get that. But that's where we are and there's
- nothing that we can be doing differently. The board also approved the list of polling locations for
- the upcoming election. All 28 former polling locations have agreed to serve again this year. The next
- county election board meeting will take place on April 2nd.
- And that is all for Cats Week. Thank you for joining us. For Cats and WFHB, I'm Annalise Poorman.