Hello and welcome to Cats Week. I'm Annalise Poorman. On March 10th, the Monroe County Council met and
addressed continuing service on Bloomington Transit Route 13. The route was set to be discontinued on
March 15th. Commissioner's Administrator, Angela Purdy, explained why the motion is being presented
at this time. My understanding is why it's coming here is
Despite numerous conversations, I know that the commissioners tried to bring it up during the budget
session that council needed to consider the appropriation of funds for this particular route. I know
there was something in December on the council's agenda got removed after rural transit received their
funding that they needed from the state. And I think also given the fact that there was no point in
getting appropriation
for the Bloomington Transit in December of 2025 because we just have to come back in in 2026. And so
I believe that my understanding is Mr. Thomas and Council Member Trent Deckard have been involved in
these communications with Bloomington Transit. And this is a continuation of last year's program for line 13.
Council President Jennifer Crossley emphasized that the extension would only last for one year. Crossley
says she's glad her daughter, who attends Ivy Tech Bloomington, will continue to have the option to
take the bus to school.
that it is, and again, thankful as a mom of a child who goes to Ivy Tech, this is another thing, if
she doesn't have her parents' car, that she could go to one of these stops and go on over to the west
side. Councilmember Trent Deckard outlined the continued route and the expectations of transit notifications
if this path is modified. Deckard also shared the bus riders' concerns about potential changes. So this route
departs from the Transit Center, and it goes to Walnut Street and 14th Street here in Bloomington. It
then goes to its next stop at Will Detmer Park before heading on past that to Ivy Tech, which is located
on the west side, of course. It goes then to Cimtra at Curry Pike, an employer that we've worked with
here a couple of times, I think at least, then on to Garden Hill at Vernal Pike.
Then goes to 17th Street and Lismore Drive before heading to College Avenue and 11th Street and then
back at the Transit Center. Now, if there's any change to that, Transit would need to speak to that.
I'd heard some rumblings about some tightening on it, but that is literally the route. I saw the Ivy
Tech Chancellor today. He wanted to encourage this council.
to support this. My understanding is that some of the life sciences employers also are greatly concerned
about it and have spent the better part of two to three weeks trying to calm fears on that. And I would
really urge all counselors in their dialogue and in their discussions about this issue and a lot of
others, let's try to return maybe, maybe, I don't know, maybe it's not time, but to calming the public
around resources
and trying to direct them to them with information. And so this one is, this area is well known. There's
more TIFs out there than you could shake a stick at. And the focus of this county has been off and on
for 20 years there. Some of us think we need to get back to that area. Council member David Henry further
questioned the possible financial implications and equity for the county's rural transit line. Purdy
responded. Thank you. I guess the question I have then moving forward is so,
The cost model for Bloomington 13 moving forward is going to be 100% funding I guess for this fiscal.
If this council were asked to consider reviving, like if I were in the town of Ellsville right now and
I wasn't calm but concerned that we didn't have that offer of 100% funding.
is that are we pursuing other cost models for other modes of transit, urban to urban or urban to rural
outside of the city limit? Now, I'm asking it to the ether, but if Ms. Purdy is still on, what prevents
us from reconsidering funding rural transit at the same 100% that's being asked to do here out of economic
development? Do you see any obstacle to that? Well, the fact that they don't need it because they're
being funded from INDOT
And negate that need. So after rural transit Eltsville couldn't afford the match. They went to attempted
legislation and then got a grant from the state so they couldn't rely on their home county in the same
generous way. So my concern is equity across the county for for
transit outside of limits. And this is why, again, I think it's a competence question and I get calm
when I know things are working well. And so I think our community deserves that conversation that we
can handle the big boy conversations of this table, frankly. The amendment was unanimously approved.
An interlocal agreement with Bloomington Transit was sent to the Monroe County Commissioners. The next
Monroe County Council meeting is on March 24th.
The Ellitsville Parks and Recreation Board met on March 9th and discussed revisions to the Heritage
Trail trailer rental policy. Board member Jimmy Durnall said that the Ellitsville Town Council is considering
removing the current requirement in the rental form. The form asks renters to provide a certificate
of liability insurance with a minimum coverage amount of $100,000 with the Town of Ellitsville listed
as additionally insured. Board members said the
requirement is too complicated and discourages people from renting. I think it will detour a lot of
people because that deposit is hefty. So far no one has even inquired about it really. No, it's it's
just too much. Too much to. I guess to deal with the hassle. So as far as I mean, what would be eligible
for claim if there's a deductible? There's just too many.
different steps. So they've, I think, have decided to take that. According to the board, Heritage Trail
rentals have increased, including one recent reservation for a wedding. The board voted to support the
council's consideration of removing the insurance requirement.
It moved on to hear a presentation from the Town of Ellitsville and Richland Township Reorganization
Subcommittee on Parks, Recreation and Cemeteries. Subcommittee member Paula Anderson reviewed the available
resources in the town and in Richland Township. We did a little bit of a dive into what's in Ellitsville
and what's in Richland Township.
According to National Park and Recreation Standards, we're sitting pretty good. Just going to be a little
short on the amount of trails if the reorganization goes through. Anderson said the subcommittee recommended
that the reorganization committee stick with a five-member board with two from Ellitsville, two from
Richland Township, and one appointed by the school board.
Anderson said it also recommended creating a parks master plan that could help the community qualify
for grants and guide future development in the area. The Bloomington Board of Public Works met on March
10th and discussed an on-call service agreement with REA for Engineering Services. Bloomington Senior
Project Engineer Neil Copper explained how this amendment would benefit the Public Works Department.
This amendment increases the total contract amount to allow continued use, supporting various projects,
particularly working on design for resurfacing contracts, supporting the Public Works Department. The
amendment increases the total amount by $100,000 for a new total not to exceed of $404,143.60. The motion
passed unanimously. Next, Copper brought forward another contract for improvements to curb ramps and
crosswalks.
This is a new contract for a project that is expected to include curb ramps and crosswalk improvements
along both East 3rd Street and Atwater Avenue adjacent to IU campus. The project is programmed in the
Metropolitan Planning Organization for federal funding support for both design and construction. REA
was selected to perform the design services for the project based on their response to a request for
proposals. The motion passed three to zero.
Construction for this project will start in 2029. Next, Kyle Baugh, also from the engineering department,
requested a sidewalk closure on North Grant Street on behalf of F.A. Wilhelm Construction at the Poplar's
graduate apartment site. F.A. Wilhelm is requesting a sidewalk closure on North Grant Street as part
of the Beverly Project located at 400 East 7th Street. This request is for facade work as well as final
landscaping work,
This requested closure would take place March 18th through April 10th of this year. Local resident Greg
Alexander expressed concern about this lane closure, saying it is not safe for community members.
proposal was affecting the summer, which was people like me and my kids walking in the street rather
than undergraduates walking in the street. But this is happening in the middle of the semester, a very
busy travel time, very busy visit time, family weekends. I'm telling you, every single time I was there
and the Grant Street sidewalk was closed, which I go through there almost every day,
I saw pedestrians in the street. It is very well used. There are going to be groups of drunk undergraduates.
There are going to be groups of parents walking in the street on grant if you approve this closure.
That's antithetical to our stated goals and the law in this instance. You're not allowed to close a
sidewalk unless they have a walk around that fully reproduces the desirable characteristics of the original
path. This motion passed unanimously.
Lastly, engineering field specialist Zach Bell requested lane and sidewalk closures on South Sare Road
on behalf of Duke Energy. This request is to accommodate boring of underground utilities. Traffic control
would be in place for three weeks with the dates dependent upon approval. Duke has supplied maintenance
of traffic plans for all work. They have also notified MCCSE and will modify their work schedule accordingly.
The board approved the motion unanimously.
The Monroe County Convention and Visitors Commission met on March 10th to provide updates on the innkeeper's
tax revenue. CVC President Mike Campbell says while the innkeeper's tax collections appear higher for
January 2026 compared to January 2025, it may look misleading. He says the current distribution numbers
are one month behind due to a new system. It's the first two months this year.
We are running a little ahead of where we were in the first two months, but that does have to do a little
bit with the timing of when the business was reported. As you remember, back in April, the county adopted
a new disbursement calendar, and so there were no disbursements in the month of April, and so everything
now is one month back.
at what you're seeing in January would typically match up with the December receipts and then February
would match up last year with January receipts. So if you're looking at the $111,958 that's collected
in February, that should really go against the January numbers from last year. Just to look at an apples
to apples comparison, one reason that
looking at that while we're behind in that month is there were a couple of properties that didn't report.
I think the short-term rentals didn't report for the month, is that right? Did not come in during that
month. Those are both weighing in the next months.
Executive Director of Visit Bloomington, Mike McAfee, said the month of January saw a decrease in revenue
from short-term rentals. He attributed partly to weather, but he added that there also appeared to be
fewer short-term rentals available compared to last year. January 2026, short-term rental revenue is
down 18% versus January 2025. Available listings were down 2% in February of 26.
I do have the February report that was down 31% in revenue and their listings were down 6%. I do think
that when I say listings are down a few percentage points, that's in January and February are always
the lower one, the smaller ones. There's about somewhere between five and 600 listings available in
the market. So when I say they're down, they're down 10 units or something like that. And it probably
does have to do with the weather of those owners
taking them on and off the market. But I do feel that the last few months, we've seen a little bit of
decline versus 24 and 25 numbers in some of the units available. Even with the football season, I feel
like it is going to continue to start to level out. So hopefully, because we've had this conversation,
I feel there's too many in the market. And sometimes it's just not healthy sometimes.
you know, instead of having 1,000 units available, we would certainly be better off with 500 and things
like that. I do know that the mayor's office, it is still on their agenda to take a closer look at the
regulation of short term rentals sometime this year. I don't know what that means. We do know that no
matter what, all of the existing ones would be grandfathered in. So we'll keep an eye on that. I'll
keep updating you with,
things I think I might know. At the end of the meeting, Campbell said due to legislation coming out
of the Indiana State House, the CVC will add a sixth member to the five person commission appointed
by Bloomington Mayor, Kerry Thompson. The Ellisville Town Council met on March 9th. Council members
addressed a resolution for the surplus of equipment in the Department of Public Works. This is a slide
in type unit
that slides into the back of a bed of a pickup truck and makes a regular pickup truck into a normal
dump truck per se. And we don't use it anymore. And we're getting smaller, the smaller type built dump
trucks. So I'm asking to surplus this by gov deals. The resolution passed unanimously.
Town Manager Mike Farmer discussed potential challenges of putting on the annual Monroe County Fall
Festival in the wake of recent flooding. I actually was down during some flooding issues. I talked to
their superintendent and they do realize that they have the date and they're going to try to make it,
but it's going to be close.
Right now, you know, they had to take a couple steps back because they had to take their check dam out.
So they're putting it back in today and it may rain again tomorrow night. But they are going to try
to be out of there before the parade. And I think they tried the last time when it was eastbound and
they made it happen. Councilmember William Ellis voiced his frustration at the lack of acknowledgement
of a historic milestone for the United States.
the 750th anniversary of the country. Well, that is true. At some time, not just us, but I don't think
this year I don't see a lot of people talking about that. That should be a big friggin deal. I don't
even know if you were around during 1976, which most of the people here. That was major and I don't.
I mean, it just seems to be lost in the noise. Well, the town council says they should have a better
outlook on this year's Fall Festival by the end of the summer.
The next Ellitsville Town Council meeting will take place on March 23rd. The Monroe County Commissioners
met on March 12th and discussed the expansion of the Bloomington Convention Center. County Attorney
Jeff Cockerill provided background on the Convention Center expansion. In 2010, the county purchased
those properties and they cost in the neighborhood of $3 million and they were purchased for the expansion
of the convention center, including the location of a potential hotel. And that was, you know,
five years, 10 years, 20 years down the line, it was paid through innkeeper's tax. And since that time,
innkeeper's tax has been used to maintain the property and keep it in relatively working order in order
for it to be able to still be used for that purpose. In February of this year, we have
gotten a request from the CIB, which is the Capital Improvement Board, which is the board that is put
in place to oversee the expansion and the Convention Center properties and things like that for those
properties. And again, those were purchased with innkeepers tax dollars. And so right now we are exploring
that transfer.
We are aware that there are 17 tenants, residential tenants in those properties through three different
buildings. We are working, we have had discussions with, and I don't know how, what's been communicated
to the tenants yet or not, that we are working with the executive director of the apartment association,
as well as tangently, Mary Morgan with Heading Home has been
has been communicated with and they are prepared to help. He explained that over the course of development,
the site of the proposed host hotel and parking lot has expanded to include Seminary Point apartments
and surrounding properties. Due to this decision, the county notified tenants that their lease ends
on July 7th. Cockrell says future goals include helping them to find a new place to live. During public
comment, several Monroe County residents spoke out against this development.
Community member Barry Herbers criticized what he sees as a lack of transparency and limited options
for those currently living in Seminary Point apartments. Every single person in the Seminary Point apartments
was just told, and I mean within the last few weeks, that they will be forced out of their homes in
July, homes they had been asking for renewals for for six months, and you told them nothing. This is
a college town, so that would be bad enough on its own.
But the Seminary Point apartments are also the most affordable housing in Bloomington's core. I understand
the county, that's you, claim that they have rehomed these people like they're animals. Now it sounds
like you're not claiming that anymore. I guess that was a rumor you found out you were being lied to.
Or if you were lying to us and we found that out first, unclear. But it was a lie. I know that because
I did something that will shock you. I actually asked the people living there if they had been helped.
The man I spoke to the longest is a recovering addict. He's also a father and a husband. He and his
wife have one young child and a second one on the way. I asked him what his plans are when you three
force him out of his home. He said, I have no idea. He told me he was laid off and that he's just trying
to stay off the street. He said this apartment was a lifeline for his family. And you are cutting his
lifeline. His pregnant wife's
Lifeline. Now, it's tempting when you're accused of something like that to deflect and point anywhere
but yourself, which you've already done. But I'm not going to let you do that because this isn't our
first stop. We asked the Bloomington City Council months ago, why are you forcing these people out of
their homes? They pointed at the county. I thought, fair enough, the county owns the building. So I
spoke to the Monroe County Councilors multiple times. I asked them, why are you forcing these people
out of their homes? They pointed at lawyers.
So at that point, I started to get a little annoyed. I get emotional. I understand that. But we heard
from a lawyer, and they pointed at you, three of you, the only three people. This is the end of the
road. I don't really care who you decide, the council, the commissioners, or the lawyers. I just need
you to answer the question honestly and without deflection. Why are you forcing the tenants of the Seminary
Point apartments out of their homes? That is not rhetorical.
What are you planning to do with this block once you've gotten rid of the people who live there and
businesses who pay your innkeepers tax that you're so worried about? In lieu of an answer, I'm left
to assume it's going to be a parking lot for the convention center that you want us to subsidize with
more of our money that again is not yours. Others such as Chris Branham discuss the development as it
relates to the lack of affordable housing in Bloomington.
Branham emphasized the importance of prioritizing residents over tourists and providing more affordable
housing in the area. And so I think there's a time to say, what are we going to prioritize in this moment?
The comfort and pleasures of people from out of town coming in for a convention or our own people that
were here to serve and help our neighbors.
I can speak to my own mother. She is a bus driver in Bloomington, and she does not live in Bloomington.
She couldn't live in Bloomington city limits on the salary she gets. Many of her colleagues are in the
same place. When we count things in terms of we'll help these residents find something relatively close,
and relatively in the same price point, that relative might be doing a lot of work. Local resident Aaron
Comforti also pushed for the possibility of alternative legal interpretations for the restrictions on
the innkeeper's tax. Given the housing affordability crisis, it seems well within reason to research
alternative legal interpretations and analyses that would
allow the county to fulfill its obligations under the state code as it relates to assets purchased through
funds raised through the innkeeper's tax, while also protecting the Seminary Point Department's building
and maintaining it as affordable housing. I really think that there are ways to do so and that it's
very much worth doing.
It's a really reasonable exercise for the county to investigate. The transfer of the properties will
need to be approved by both the county council and the county commissioners. The next meeting of the
Monroe County commissioners will be held on March 19th. And that is all for Cats Week. Thank you for
joining us. For Cats and WFHB, I'm Annalise Poorman.