WEBVTT 00:00:07.618 --> 00:00:14.152 - and welcome to Cats Week. I'm Annalise Poorman. Bloomington Mayor Kerry Thompson hosted a press conference 00:00:14.152 --> 00:00:20.748 - following a shooting on Kirkwood Avenue in the early hours of Sunday morning that left five people injured. 00:00:20.748 --> 00:00:26.855 - This comes during Little 500 weekend which draws thousands of visitors to Bloomington. The incident 00:00:26.855 --> 00:00:33.450 - sparked concerns about public safety during one of the largest events of the year. Mayor Thompson condemned 00:00:33.450 --> 00:00:35.038 - the violence on Kirkwood. 00:00:36.706 --> 00:00:46.286 - It is, of course, an incredibly sad day any time there's violence in our community, and any time especially 00:00:46.286 --> 00:00:55.423 - there are victims of gun violence. We condemn gun violence unequivocally, in any form, and my thoughts 00:00:55.423 --> 00:00:59.326 - are with those that were injured last night 00:01:00.258 --> 00:01:06.001 - Police Chief Mike Decoff clarified that five people were injured in the shooting, fewer than the nine 00:01:06.001 --> 00:01:11.350 - people initially reported. Decoff said all of the victims are in stable condition. Last night, 00:01:11.350 --> 00:01:17.375 - at approximately 12.25 a.m., police department officers were stationed in the 400 block of Mason Kirkwood, 00:01:17.375 --> 00:01:23.400 - monitoring a large crowd that had gathered in the street. Officers heard what they believed to be multiple 00:01:23.400 --> 00:01:28.862 - gunshots, and the crowd began scattering. Officers immediately converged on the area and located 00:01:31.938 --> 00:01:41.376 - It was originally believed that up to nine people had been injured as a result of gunfire, but now we 00:01:41.376 --> 00:01:50.814 - believe that there were five people that were actually injured by gunfire and fragments from bullets. 00:01:59.650 --> 00:02:08.456 - The individuals currently known to have suffered injuries were a 20-year-old female, an 18-year-old 00:02:08.456 --> 00:02:17.789 - female, 22-year-old female, a 17-year-old female, and a 21-year-old female. All were treated and released 00:02:17.789 --> 00:02:18.846 - except one. 00:02:22.338 --> 00:02:28.701 - Decoff said that a fight broke out between two women outside five guys on Kirkwood. According to security 00:02:28.701 --> 00:02:34.884 - camera and cell phone footage obtained by the Bloomington Police Department, two males involved in the 00:02:34.884 --> 00:02:37.886 - fight both drew handguns and fired their weapons. 00:02:46.530 --> 00:02:53.368 - The incident prompted concerns about public safety during large events. Decoff said that the crowds 00:02:53.368 --> 00:03:00.754 - were estimated to be made up of two to 3,000 people. Mayor Thompson said while police maintained a presence 00:03:00.754 --> 00:03:07.592 - on Kirkwood, the city's ability to prevent gun violence proves limited under state law. After every 00:03:07.592 --> 00:03:14.568 - large gathering or violent incident, the city does a review. We will be doing that in the coming days 00:03:14.568 --> 00:03:16.414 - again, and we're committed 00:03:16.674 --> 00:03:26.383 - to update policies and procedures as needed to increase safety at public events. It has been suggested 00:03:26.383 --> 00:03:35.809 - that we forbid guns from public gatherings in the future in Bloomington. Unfortunately, Indiana gun 00:03:35.809 --> 00:03:44.670 - laws prohibit such action. And if the gun laws remain as they are, anyone can hope and carry. 00:03:45.794 --> 00:03:54.392 - We encourage people not to bring guns to gatherings. And we encourage you to speak up to those who can 00:03:54.392 --> 00:04:02.824 - change our gun laws. When violence happens in our community, our entire community is impacted. Chief 00:04:02.824 --> 00:04:11.505 - DeKoff said police were active on the scene. However, the large crowd made it difficult to take control 00:04:11.505 --> 00:04:15.262 - of the situation. The crowd was much larger. 00:04:16.930 --> 00:04:23.375 - on Friday night and so it would have become a resource issue and our belief was if we tried to move 00:04:23.375 --> 00:04:29.950 - the crowd that that problem would have caused more problems. There wasn't really any reason for us to 00:04:29.950 --> 00:04:34.526 - move the crowd because everybody was pretty jovial and happy until the 00:04:36.546 --> 00:04:43.516 - The Monroe County Council met on April 28th. Health Administrator Lori Kelly presented the results of 00:04:43.516 --> 00:04:50.622 - efforts to remediate homes that were identified as former methamphetamine houses. The Health Department 00:04:50.622 --> 00:04:57.797 - Environmental Health Services, we address testing and remediation for 12 properties that were identified 00:04:57.797 --> 00:05:02.238 - as former methamphetamine lab sites by the Indiana State Police. 00:05:02.434 --> 00:05:09.508 - So properties that were identified go back as far as 2009 with only one of those being vacant. So through 00:05:09.508 --> 00:05:16.515 - the support of Health First Indiana funding in the amount of $50,000 and through approval with our local 00:05:16.515 --> 00:05:23.389 - authorities, we were able to hire a contractor to complete this work. Through those efforts, 11 of the 00:05:23.389 --> 00:05:29.662 - 12 properties were successfully addressed with those $50,000 in Health First Indiana funding. 00:05:30.210 --> 00:05:36.964 - And so we really just hope that these efforts demonstrate a dedication to mitigating environmental health 00:05:36.964 --> 00:05:43.909 - hazards, protecting residents and maintaining compliance with state regulations. Next, the council discussed 00:05:43.909 --> 00:05:50.663 - funding the jail. Council member Peter Iverson asked where the council reached the $135 million estimate. 00:05:50.663 --> 00:05:57.162 - The last estimate that we got, we were sitting in this room and the last architectural rendering that 00:05:57.162 --> 00:05:59.902 - we got was a quarter of a billion dollars. 00:06:00.738 --> 00:06:09.102 - That was for a co-located facility. It was both phases together. I have not seen an analysis that shows 00:06:09.102 --> 00:06:17.547 - that 135 million dollars is phase one. Council President Jennifer Crosley continued that they have asked 00:06:17.547 --> 00:06:24.946 - for those estimates and not received them. I know you've asked during a few different times 00:06:24.946 --> 00:06:30.334 - during conversations that we've had joined earlier this year about 00:06:30.818 --> 00:06:38.720 - like cost estimates for that. And as of air on Tuesday, April 28th, we still haven't received it. Council 00:06:38.720 --> 00:06:46.323 - member Marty Hawk emphasized a location for the jail has not been selected and the county still needs 00:06:46.323 --> 00:06:54.076 - to move the inmates while a facility would be built. I mean, I'm not afraid of ACLU, but you know, some 00:06:54.076 --> 00:06:59.294 - people are shaking, uh, but that we would, we would be forced to, uh, 00:06:59.586 --> 00:07:08.310 - move a certain population, which we've always agreed to from the beginning of the agreement, off to 00:07:08.310 --> 00:07:16.511 - another facility. And that it might be as much as $1 million a year. Well, but if we do this, 00:07:16.511 --> 00:07:25.410 - it is $6,750,000 while we are determining and putting together a known fact so the public knows where 00:07:25.410 --> 00:07:28.638 - we're going and what we're spending. 00:07:28.834 --> 00:07:37.516 - And so yes, it could be more later to build, just like people's salaries are more as we go along. 00:07:37.516 --> 00:07:46.819 - I get that. It's always more every year to operate county government. But I wanted to keep that in mind, 00:07:46.819 --> 00:07:55.856 - that when somebody says, oh, it might cost us a million dollars to move some of these folks someplace 00:07:55.856 --> 00:07:57.982 - else, that shouldn't be 00:07:58.466 --> 00:08:05.413 - the deciding moment, figuring out what we're going to do. The council moved on to discuss appropriations 00:08:05.413 --> 00:08:12.493 - of $30,000 to hire a lawyer in case of further litigation. Crossley said it could be beneficial to protect 00:08:12.493 --> 00:08:19.307 - the county council. But what I'm just saying is, this is just our way of saying, should we get to this 00:08:19.307 --> 00:08:26.321 - level? Again, I really hope to the higher powers that be, we don't. But should we? Maybe that's something 00:08:26.321 --> 00:08:27.710 - that we could enact. 00:08:28.834 --> 00:08:36.450 - But if we need to have a consultation or anything like that, again, that's up to this body to have that 00:08:36.450 --> 00:08:44.139 - conversation. Crossley further explained that seeking outside legal counsel is not a criticism of Monroe 00:08:44.139 --> 00:08:51.609 - County Attorney Molly Turner King. It is to have separate counsel from the county commissioners. What 00:08:51.609 --> 00:08:56.222 - I'm just saying simply is it is just us seeking outside advice 00:08:56.386 --> 00:09:05.418 - of what we should do should we get to next level mayhem. Because again, as I'm being honest, I've not 00:09:05.418 --> 00:09:14.628 - heard anything that would suggest that we could potentially agree on the train to North Park right now. 00:09:14.628 --> 00:09:22.686 - I don't. But again, I'm willing to work with our city counterparts, but again, it is what? 00:09:24.354 --> 00:09:33.463 - This is April 28th. Again, as I said, we have a meeting. They have a meeting on the 30th. This is coming 00:09:33.463 --> 00:09:42.225 - to them. We have a meeting on the 12th that is coming to us. That is all of the moving pieces before 00:09:42.225 --> 00:09:50.206 - the time bomb clicks at zero. Again, it's just if we prepare and we, again, find that we're 00:09:50.306 --> 00:09:56.375 - Councilor Iverson's words sometimes, if we sing kumbaya and we're all in together on this and we are 00:09:56.375 --> 00:10:02.564 - one, then we don't have to go down this route. I wish to God that we don't have to go down this route. 00:10:02.564 --> 00:10:03.646 - But should we do? 00:10:04.482 --> 00:10:11.032 - That is my intent of just trying to prepare ourselves for what is coming. Council member David Henry 00:10:11.032 --> 00:10:17.582 - moved to approve the appropriation and give power to Crossley as the council president to seek legal 00:10:17.582 --> 00:10:24.197 - advice. The council approved the appropriation with council member Trent Deckard as the only opposing 00:10:24.197 --> 00:10:28.542 - vote. The next county council meeting will take place on May 12th. 00:10:29.826 --> 00:10:36.370 - The Monroe County Commissioners met on April 30th and reviewed an $11.4 million purchase agreement for 00:10:36.370 --> 00:10:42.786 - the North Park property to build a new jail. County Attorney Justin Rody said the purchase agreement 00:10:42.786 --> 00:10:49.520 - resembles a contract brought to the Commissioners last year. He also stated the new terms of the contract 00:10:49.520 --> 00:10:56.318 - allow them to build only a jail, although it's their intention to eventually build a full justice complex. 00:10:56.898 --> 00:11:04.651 - Commissioner Julie Thomas maintained that the current facility does not meet constitutional standards 00:11:04.651 --> 00:11:12.556 - and she does not believe it can be renovated. The current facility is unconstitutional and no it cannot 00:11:12.556 --> 00:11:20.309 - be renovated yet. Somehow all of these things have come back to light again and that's mystifying and 00:11:20.309 --> 00:11:25.022 - talks stalled on questions of multi-floor, single-floor, etc. 00:11:25.314 --> 00:11:34.633 - The council then passed a resolution, I don't remember the date, but it was a resolution that set April 00:11:34.633 --> 00:11:43.773 - 7th as their own internal deadline to complete site selection and identify funding. Well, in a sense, 00:11:43.773 --> 00:11:53.182 - that resolution itself identified funding because it shows existing revenue captured plus future revenue 00:11:54.018 --> 00:12:01.732 - will exceed $170 million, which is more than we think ballpark wise, a new jail only facility will cost. 00:12:01.732 --> 00:12:09.446 - Thomas said the county council asked ACLU representative Ken Falk for an extension on the lawsuit, which 00:12:09.446 --> 00:12:16.792 - he granted. They asked for 30 days and he agreed. So now we're looking at the end of May as the new 00:12:16.792 --> 00:12:22.302 - deadline from the ACLU. So the private settlement agreement is in a sense, 00:12:23.554 --> 00:12:30.963 - putting on hold the lawsuit again, the lawsuit from 2009. And that lawsuit was filed against the board 00:12:30.963 --> 00:12:38.156 - of commissioners and the sheriff of Monroe County, not against the council. So we were, the council 00:12:38.156 --> 00:12:45.636 - had already missed their April 7th deadline, and we were on the verge of as a county, missing the April 00:12:45.636 --> 00:12:52.254 - 15th deadline. And I, for one, and I think my colleagues would probably agree, I'm grateful 00:12:53.058 --> 00:12:59.117 - And I feel like we're lucky and fortunate that Mr. Falk agreed to extend the deadline. Commissioner 00:12:59.117 --> 00:13:05.237 - Jody Madeira said moving forward with the purchase agreement does not mean that they are tied to the 00:13:05.237 --> 00:13:11.417 - North Park property if other opportunities present themselves. Just because we move forward with this 00:13:11.417 --> 00:13:17.537 - purchase agreement, by the way, does not mean that if a better option presents itself, we don't have 00:13:17.537 --> 00:13:19.294 - to go down this road. If we, 00:13:19.618 --> 00:13:26.976 - have a better option that presents itself tomorrow, we can go with that option. But this is the option 00:13:26.976 --> 00:13:34.120 - that is before us on the table today. So to all of those who say the commissioners love North Park, 00:13:34.120 --> 00:13:41.550 - this is not so much a vote for North Park as it is a vote against this lawsuit. And it is not, I think, 00:13:41.550 --> 00:13:46.622 - a site that even the commissioners wanted, any of them, even when they 00:13:46.754 --> 00:13:53.689 - looked at this the first time. It is the only viable site they saw when they looked at the accumulation 00:13:53.689 --> 00:14:00.423 - of properties that they considered. So I think that that's where we find ourselves today. Thank you. 00:14:00.423 --> 00:14:07.424 - Thomas rebutted she does not believe alternatives are viable and she sees North Park as the best option. 00:14:07.424 --> 00:14:08.958 - And I'm going to offer 00:14:09.154 --> 00:14:16.370 - my own opinion on if something else comes up. I don't think there's any possibility that anything else 00:14:16.370 --> 00:14:23.727 - can come up and be ready for a bond, a bond initiation in July because you would have to have everything 00:14:23.727 --> 00:14:30.733 - else done. I just don't see that that's even possible. I mean, we should work. It's just not, we've 00:14:30.733 --> 00:14:36.478 - kind of as a county, we've backed ourselves into this corner and the time is now. 00:14:37.922 --> 00:14:44.556 - make the right decision, make the hard decision. One of the things we can do is we could sell Thompson. 00:14:44.556 --> 00:14:50.998 - That could put that property back into the tax rolls for the city. It could become housing. We could 00:14:50.998 --> 00:14:57.440 - use part of it maybe for substance use mental health treatment. I don't know, but you know, and then 00:14:57.440 --> 00:15:03.818 - once we get everyone hopefully to North Park in the co-located facility, that's a healthy building, 00:15:03.818 --> 00:15:07.518 - we can sell that building. And that again becomes another 00:15:08.162 --> 00:15:14.818 - part of the tax base for the city of Bloomington and it could be offices. Lord help me if it's more 00:15:14.818 --> 00:15:21.608 - student housing because I will just scream. Thomas asserted the council has continued pushing off the 00:15:21.608 --> 00:15:28.330 - deadline despite possible legal measures. We're at the bottom line. This has gone on long enough. If 00:15:28.330 --> 00:15:35.453 - Monroe County fails to meet the provisions of the settlement agreement, we're going to look at the council 00:15:35.453 --> 00:15:36.318 - and ask why. 00:15:42.402 --> 00:15:49.475 - Failure to abide by this deadline. I've heard it. Well, I'm shaking in my boots about the ACLU. Oh, 00:15:49.475 --> 00:15:56.972 - you should. We don't know what a judge is going to order. Why would you give that? Why would you abdicate 00:15:56.972 --> 00:16:04.186 - your responsibility and decision making to a judge? The commissioners approved the purchase agreement 00:16:04.186 --> 00:16:09.278 - three to zero. The item now advances to the county council on May 12th. 00:16:10.274 --> 00:16:18.157 - On April 27th, the Ellitsville Town Council met and considered vehicle equipment purchases for the Department 00:16:18.157 --> 00:16:25.467 - of Public Works. Street Commissioner Kip Hetty said the first purchase would be a new street sweeper. 00:16:25.467 --> 00:16:32.633 - So what it is is that if you remember, I come to you a couple months ago letting you know that we'd 00:16:32.633 --> 00:16:40.158 - be looking for a new street sweeper. That's the first item. We've got a global sweeper that's going from 00:16:40.482 --> 00:16:50.270 - a vacuum type sweeper to mechanical sweeper. We like this setup a lot better. It will be replacing our 00:16:50.270 --> 00:16:59.964 - 2005, which is over 20 years old street sweeper. I tried to entertain a trade-in from the company and 00:16:59.964 --> 00:17:09.182 - the trade-in was way, way, way below what I wanted to get for it. So, depending on what happens, 00:17:09.314 --> 00:17:16.950 - In November, we might keep it around a little longer to have an extra sweeper. We'll put a little money 00:17:16.950 --> 00:17:24.512 - into it to get us going in the first of the next year. Following the sweeper, Hetty explained that the 00:17:24.512 --> 00:17:31.854 - Public Works Department would budget for a snow plow. The second one is a 2026 Kenworth single axle 00:17:31.854 --> 00:17:38.462 - dump truck complete with the snow plow and spreader. I originally reached out to Kenworth 00:17:38.658 --> 00:17:46.651 - to spec for a 2026 cabin chassis and then get all the outfits. And while I was on the phone with them, 00:17:46.651 --> 00:17:54.411 - they told me they actually had one there set up in stock. The price that I have here, prices I have 00:17:54.411 --> 00:18:02.171 - here are exact prices. And that price there of $213,002 is roughly 20,000 cheaper if I were to wait 00:18:02.171 --> 00:18:06.750 - and order it versus getting one that's already on the lot. 00:18:06.882 --> 00:18:13.799 - That will replace also a dump truck that's at least 18 years old. And again, I will probably not surplus 00:18:13.799 --> 00:18:20.387 - that until we'll see how the fall goes. Heady said the department can use the current equipment for 00:18:20.387 --> 00:18:27.238 - a little while longer, though it's nearly 20 years old. He said funding is available within its budget. 00:18:27.238 --> 00:18:33.892 - Clerk Treasurer Noelle Conyers explained that a newer funding plan called the Master Lease Agreement 00:18:33.892 --> 00:18:34.814 - is available. 00:18:35.522 --> 00:18:43.435 - So the master lease agreement can be used for equipment. It essentially is a loan, but we're just putting 00:18:43.435 --> 00:18:50.901 - it under one umbrella to keep it all legal. The motion was postponed until the next Ellisville town 00:18:50.901 --> 00:18:58.740 - council meeting on May 11th. And that is all for Cats Week. Thank you for joining us. For Cats and WFHB, 00:18:58.740 --> 00:19:00.382 - I'm Annalise Poorman. 00:26:53.218 --> 00:27:02.221 - hurting families in Monroe County. A contribution to children who are vulnerable and in need of an advocate. 00:27:02.221 --> 00:27:10.563 - A staff that goes above and beyond to support and advocate for children in need of services. The web 00:27:10.563 --> 00:27:18.988 - of remarkable people who are dealing with difficult situations. So many young people that are in need 00:27:18.988 --> 00:27:22.622 - of help and trying to find a stable family. 00:27:23.202 --> 00:27:29.825 - stable place to live. Without the CASAs, to make that happen, many of them would be unable to find a 00:27:29.825 --> 00:27:36.514 - good home. I love being that voice for the child who can't speak for themselves in court. It takes me 00:27:36.514 --> 00:27:43.203 - out of my comfort zone and it also helps others. CASA means supporting our community. Being a CASA is 00:27:43.203 --> 00:27:49.892 - making sure that your village is healthy and whole and that the children in your village will someday 00:27:49.892 --> 00:27:52.318 - be able to help the village as well. 00:27:52.962 --> 00:27:59.346 - A child who doesn't have a voice maybe in their family situation or school situation now has a voice 00:27:59.346 --> 00:28:05.921 - that can advocate for them. I really enjoy working with children that are going through difficult times 00:28:05.921 --> 00:28:12.495 - and letting them know that I care about their future. We are privileged with our charge of representing 00:28:12.495 --> 00:28:19.448 - the best interest of children and so therefore we can advocate for exactly what they need without restriction 00:28:19.448 --> 00:28:21.534 - focusing on their best interest. 00:28:22.146 --> 00:28:25.246 - I want to repair the world one child at a time.