- Hello and welcome to Cats Week. I'm Annalise Poorman. The Ellitsville Town Council met on April 13th
- and awarded a community crossing matching grant to milestone contractors to repave streets.
- Street Commissioner Kip Hetty said the low bid was just under $148,000. I could add that the streets
- that will be paved this year will be Jessica Street from Benjamin to Hayden Court, Meadowlands Drive,
- from Paddington Way to Daisy, Clover Drive from Meadowlands to Daisy and Wildflower Drive from Meadowlands
- to Daisy. The council approved the contract unanimously.
- Next, Fire Chief Kevin Patton provided an update on the repair of an aerial fire truck. A routine check
- found an issue with a ladder that will require nearly $250,000 in repairs. Councilmember Scott Oldham
- said that it is in the town's best interest to fix the truck rather than buy a new one. I don't see
- it to be practical for us to not fix this. The size of the township, the size of
- Things that may be headed our way in the future. I don't see where we Quite frankly have the option
- to not fix it because redundancy is the is the keystone for public safety And this would only make the
- third one even if we keep us a spare in the county, correct be the fourth I think if when it comes back
- online, it would be the fourth. Yeah, so that's not a whole lot for a county with a
- the population we have and particularly some of the bigger apartment complexes that are not righteously
- ours currently for Ellitsville, but through mutual aid and frankly with the proximity of the airport
- and everything else, I just don't think it's good fiscal policy not to fix this one. Patent said the
- repair will require a new ladder to be built, which takes around six months. However, the truck will
- only be out of commission for about a month while the new ladder is installed. The council will discuss
- funding the repair at its next meeting.
- During supervisor comments, Town Manager Mike Farmer discussed the Town of Ellitsville and Richland
- Township reorganization plan. We'll get it sent out in the media, put it online, put it on our website,
- as soon as possible. And everybody ought to be interested in it, and they should come to the meetings
- and be here for the hearings.
- two meetings at which the resolution to approve the plan is read out loud and then there's a final public
- hearing. The finalized draft was completed by the reorganization committee on April 8th. The town council
- and township board will finalize a schedule for deliberation meetings and public hearings to share with
- the impacted residents.
- The Bloomington Board of Public Safety met on April 16th. First, Deputy Police Chief Scott Oldham said
- that there has been a decrease in crimes with weapons. Crime involving weapons continue to be lower
- than what we've seen in the past. Next, Assistant Fire Chief Tanya Daffron said Bloomington saw fewer
- service calls in the last year. However, overall, the last few years combined have seen an increase.
- So our year to date, 1608,
- calls for service for this month, it was 558 of that. So roughly about 500 a month is standard.
- Of our 558, 220 were medical in nature. We are down from a year ago, which was 150 calls from 2025.
- However, we're up.
- roughly 10% from five years ago. And that seems more consistent that we're generally up. Daffron said
- the station's mobile integrated healthcare numbers rose in March. And then MIH, we had 11 car seats
- installed for the month. Six of those were new car seats for families. So not quite half in one month
- from the year to date, as you can see.
- Average visits per client, 11.1. 27 different services engaged for clients this month. That is the most
- this year for a single month, 27 different ones. And then agencies engaged and where the referrals.
- So again, March was a very busy month.
- after the fire and police department presentations. Board member Tim Brinson said he was disappointed
- in Bloomington for amending the flock camera system contract. I feel that flock camera system is a very
- good program and I don't see how it's violating anyone's civil rights or privacy. It's not being kept
- forever. It's 30 days and it's only a license plate number and as far as I'm concerned,
- The government wants to know how many times I go to the upstairs pub. Well, look at the flock camera
- system down there, because I personally don't care. But some people feel that it's an invasion of their
- privacy. And I would say that out of the people that say that, 99% of them are on Facebook. And 85%
- of them don't have it locked down. And when you don't have it locked down, you have welcomed me into
- your life with open arms.
- Now I can see where you like to go eat. I can see where you live. I can see the inside of your house,
- your family, when you're going on vacation, how long you're going to be gone. What kind of pets do you
- have? So I don't understand this invasion of privacy with the flock camera system at all. So me, personally,
- I'm very disappointed in the city. And I fully supported the flock camera system.
- Princeton explained that he did not think that it was an invasion of people's privacy and that it could
- help with crimes. The board acknowledged his thoughts and adjourned the meeting.
- The Bloomington Commission on Sustainability met on April 14th and discussed a resolution against the
- use of glyphosate in Bloomington's public spaces. Experts answered questions about the common herbicide
- used in weed control. Mary Wells, the natural resources manager with Bloomington Parks and Recreation,
- explained how the city uses the herbicide. We are using glyphosate specifically for non-selective control.
- It's a broad spectrum herbicide that's systemic.
- which is one of the reasons why it's such an important tool. It doesn't just top kill, it gets down
- into the roots and then kind of ends its action as it finds the soil particles and starts going through
- its half-life. So we are using it, a lot of our use, over half of our use going back just the last few
- years is for cut stump applications on woody vegetation.
- Well said, the city also uses the herbicide on resistant invasive species, such as bush honeysuckle.
- She said Parks and Recreation reports glyphosate usage on its online pesticide notice interface. Monroe
- County Identify and Reduced Invasive Species Group president, Ellen Jaycart, said only allowing the
- herbicide to be used on invasive species would cause problems with keeping sidewalks cleared of weeds.
- Some communities in Florida have
- attempted to ban glyphosate. And one of the things that they saw was a great increase in lawsuits, largely
- because glyphosate was used to keep sidewalk cracks clean. They had no other way to do that effectively.
- And there were a lot of slip and fall lawsuits. Jaycart and Wells both said their organizations use
- a dye and signage to show where glyphosate has been applied. Jaycart also said glyphosate is safer than
- other herbicides on the market.
- There are hundreds, if not thousands, of other studies. There are incredible studies that have been
- done. Glyphosate is by far the most studied herbicide in the world compared to any other out there,
- Triclopyr, Mesopyr, Pliclorum. Glyphosate is the one they focus on because it has been such a workhorse
- of an herbicide, and it's so greatly used.
- I think you have to carefully evaluate the author's potential for conflict of interest. But from what
- I have seen from all of the work that's been done, thus far there have been no good studies that have
- shown significant harm to humans and applicators and used according to label directions.
- compared to all the other possible herbicides out there, it's the safest we've got. Jaycart said using
- glyphosate helps clear invasive species and promotes native plant growth, which is beneficial for the
- environment. Wells added that invasive species change the soil, so it's best to remove them with the
- herbicide. The commission postponed voting on the resolution until its May meeting so commissioners
- can gather more information and think about possible amendments.
- The Monroe County Capital Improvement Board met on April 15th. First, the board heard updates from Weddle
- Brothers Construction on the Bloomington Convention Center expansion. Senior Superintendent Logan Turner
- said they have made significant progress. We have 52,000 pounds of supplemental steel that's in the
- exhibit hall. And what that means is that's for all the partition walls. There's a lot of coordination
- that goes into that and getting that in place so we can frame walls around it.
- drywall paint, but there's a lot of steel that goes in before we can do that. So on sequence seven,
- as you can tell, the detailing is going on and the decking has started as of today. So that's moving
- that all get closed in. So that's a huge milestone for us. We'll go ahead to the next. Next, the board
- considered the acceptance of land transfers from the city and county board president, John Weikart explained
- the transfers. Uh, since our last meeting, uh, the redevelopment commission, uh, by resolution approved the
- transfer of parcels to the Capital Improvement Board that include, by way of description, the south
- overflow parking lot, as well as the parking lot that is behind the courtyard by Marriott, so west of
- the courtyard by Marriott, south of this building. So the Redevelopment Commission has approved the
- transfer to us of those two parcels. I think it's more than two, but those parcels of land.
- In addition, last night, the County Council completed the approval process started by the County
- Commissioners. The County Commissioners by resolution approved the transfer to the CIB of the West parking
- lot, as well as those parcels that I will simply describe as south of Smith Avenue,
- to 2nd Street, with the exception of a privately owned building that's on that property. So the county
- commissioners approved that by resolution. Last night, the county council also approved that resolution.
- So both the city and the county have advised us that they are transferring or are wanting to transfer
- those parcels to us. The board voted unanimously to accept the conveyance of the properties.
- Then the board discussed related real estate. Weichart maintained that their mission is to expand the
- convention center, renovate the current building and select a hotelier and a site for the host hotel.
- He explained that the college square site is the best option. We're obviously well underway with the
- expansion and plans for renovation and the transfer from the RDC and the county of parking lots secures
- that into the future.
- There is now an opportunity presented by the transfer of the further south properties by the county
- to identify what land we own for hotel development. We've all recognized for two years now that it is
- a north site, the College Square site that is the best fit for the hotel site. Negotiations between
- the hotel developer, we selected in the city ended in December 2025 after 14 months of discussion. But
- now with the transfer of land from the county,
- the CIB is for the first time in a position to make its own offer on the College Square site.
- In May of 2024, in response to the CIB's request to the City to identify property available for the
- Convention Center project, Margie Rice Corporation Council wrote about the site to the North, and I
- quote from her letter, negotiations will be required for the purchase or acquisition of the RDC-owned
- parcels to the North
- If those parcels are determined to be integral to the project, the city will expect to be paid or reimbursed
- in some amount for the real property to the north of the existing convention center. Weichart made a
- motion to negotiate with the president of the Bloomington Redevelopment Commission, Deborah Meyerson,
- for the acquisition of the College Square location. The motion passed unanimously.
- During public comment, city council member Sydney Zulek said she supports negotiations with the city
- on the College Square property. I just want to take the time to thank you all for all the hard work
- that you've done on this and say that it is not necessarily up to me, but I am very supportive of your
- efforts to enter into negotiations with the city for the College Square property. And I just wanted
- to come on record and say that. So thank you very much for all of your work. And I look forward to continuing
- to work with you in the future.
- The Monroe County CIB will meet again on May 20th. The Monroe County Public Library Board of Trustees
- met on April 15th. Library Director Greer Carson presented the monthly report to the board. Carson said
- the library hosted 217 programs, which saw over 3,200 attendees. He said that there has been an increase
- in engagement for children's programming.
- We saw a huge increase in the use of Loat for Kids, which is our newest children's ebook platform, with
- a total of 238 stories viewed. That's a remarkable monthly statistic, given that the total number of
- stories viewed for all of last year was 258. We introduced this resource in January of this year, and
- it was the eLibrary resource of the month in March, so it's likely that the web highlight was the driver
- for such a sharp increase in use, and that's often the case.
- Carson shared that there was an uptick in interest for another program titled Mango Languages.
- increase in use last month, nearly doubling the numbers that we saw in March of 2025. We believe this
- was due at least in part to the temporary loss of Rosetta Stone. So Rosetta Stone, which is a very popular
- language tool, has been a part of the Indiana State Library's Inspire suite of resources for some time.
- It was dropped in July of last year during the State Library's renewal with EBSCO, which is the provider.
- and partly due to the cost-saving measures they took associated with the discontinuation of the IMLS
- funding. Once that funding was restored, Rosetta Stone was added back to the Inspire collection in February
- of this year. And it is very popular, so it's quite possible that Mango Languages sort of took the place
- for Rosetta Stone for a little while. Carson added that the library has introduced Blu-ray discs to
- additional branches following success at the downtown location.
- We introduced blu-ray discs to our branches in March. The popularity of our downtown blu-ray collection
- has grown over the two years that we've offered this, and now we're starting to order branch copies
- of some blu-ray titles so that Ellisville and Southwest both have browsing blu-ray collections.
- For some context, we often pilot a new physical collection at the downtown library before expanding
- it to the branches. This allows us to gauge demand for browsing collection before investing and expanding
- its holdings across the system, which, of course, can be quite expensive. While we pilot a collection,
- we watch the patron holds queues for downtown materials to see how many branch patrons request the title
- to be sent to the branch for pickup.
- And this gives us a sense for when it's appropriate to go ahead and invest in expanding a physical collection
- to the branches. The next meeting of the MCPL Board of Trustees will be on May 20th. The Monroe County
- Council met on April 14th. During public comment, a resident addressed the recently revived issue of
- the proposed North Park jail location.
- I'm going to implore you to please, even under these pressure tactics, to remain true to your convictions
- and to remain true to the desires of your constituents. The public does not want a jail at North Park.
- Your colleagues at the city do not want a jail at North Park. I know two of our city council members
- put out a press release to that very sentiment yesterday. Your business community does not want a jail
- at North Park.
- Social service providers, the folks in the trenches doing the work, as you just heard, do not want a
- jail at North Park. And you yourselves in October stated in no unclear terms that you do not want a
- jail in North Park. Building a jail at North Park would be a tremendous harm to our community. And I
- hope that when the time comes, and it seems like it's coming, that you will once again vote no on a
- purchase order for that land. Thank you.
- Chief Deputy Phil Parker from the Monroe County Sheriff's Department then provided an update on ongoing
- hiring challenges. In 2025, we ran two merit processes. In each one of those processes, we had 38 applicants.
- In that first process, we netted zero hires out of that process. We took six people to background in
- polygraphs.
- And they all failed, every one of them. Six failed the polygraph examination, which as we know is a
- test of veracity and what you've done in your past life that may or may not affect you. So what can
- we derive from that? And unfortunately, that's a quality of applicant issue that we're struggling with
- right now.
- The clerk's office represented by new chief deputy Tanner Brawnham requested approval for overtime pay
- to support election related work. So we have several employees in the clerk's office who assist with
- elections during election season. That includes a lot of it is training, training, you know, we have
- a lot of a lot of poll workers, election day poll workers who work full time jobs and they can't make
- our normal training days. And so we have individuals who assist with training
- after hours and on weekends and that's primarily what this line is for. Following tornado damage airport
- director Carlos Laverde requested funds to cover repair costs at the county airport while awaiting insurance
- reimbursement. I'm thinking two million dollars worth of capital damage out there and it's fluctuated
- between two and four right now
- we're looking at approximately $3 million in damage. The council then deliberated a property transfer
- to the Capital Improvement Board for the Convention Center expansion. CIB President John Weichart stated
- his intent to pursue a land swap for the former Bunger and Robertson lot to the north. But it would
- be my hope
- that if we were to receive these parcels in transfer, that we would engage the city and the redevelopment
- commission into a discussion about a land exchange. Can we exchange those south parcels to second street
- for the former Bunger Robertson lot? Can we achieve two goals? Can the CIB then move forward to develop
- a hotel on that north property, which is the best fit for the city?
- see some advantage to having the South South parcels for their own. initiatives for their own priorities
- for their own development, whatever that whatever that may be. I can't I can't predict what will happen
- if we were to make that offer, I can tell you that that in private conversations. i've had with the
- mayor she's not indicated support for a land exchange.
- A local resident identified only as Barry expressed support for a land swap that would preserve affordable
- housing at Seminary Point. It makes no sense to ruin people's lives in the interim, but it makes perfect
- sense to transfer this property to the city with assurance from the city that they intend to transfer
- it to a land trust and actually use their affordable housing fund to keep Seminary Point permanently
- affordable. I spoke to an elderly woman who lives at Seminary Point one week ago. I asked her if she
- wants to leave. She said,
- No! The Council approved the Motion 6-0 with Councilmember Jennifer Crossley abstaining. The next meeting
- of the Monroe County Council will be on April 28th. And that is all for Cats Week. Thank you for joining
- us. For Cats and WFHB, I'm Annaliese Poorman.