WEBVTT 00:00:04.706 --> 00:00:11.893 - Hello, and welcome to Cats Week. I'm Annalise Poorman. At their meeting on July 28th, the Monroe County 00:00:11.893 --> 00:00:19.288 - Council heard about the recent closure of the Justice Building due to a sewage backup in the jail. Council 00:00:19.288 --> 00:00:26.268 - member Marty Hawk asked why employees in the voter registration office were given paid days off when 00:00:26.268 --> 00:00:33.662 - the office itself was not affected by the closure. In a related incident, I think some of us were informed 00:00:33.762 --> 00:00:41.142 - that the voter registration office was closed. And many wondered, did they really think that because 00:00:41.142 --> 00:00:48.667 - the justice building was closed that the showers building people didn't have to go to work? And before 00:00:48.667 --> 00:00:55.974 - I would suggest we spend one more penny, we find out who gave them the permission to stay home. I'm 00:00:55.974 --> 00:01:03.134 - not faulting the employees because I'm sure they did what they were told. But who told them that? 00:01:03.298 --> 00:01:10.046 - And yes, it's a budgetary question because we're being asked to fill the slide plus money out of that 00:01:10.046 --> 00:01:16.860 - election fund. And that's where these folks were getting paid from, I would believe, from the election 00:01:16.860 --> 00:01:21.822 - fund. So do you have an answer as to who gave them the order to stay home? 00:01:22.242 --> 00:01:27.585 - Deputy Clerk Tanner Branham, who was at the meeting to request approval for hiring a part-time voter 00:01:27.585 --> 00:01:33.140 - registration clerk during the county's hiring freeze, stated that the decision was made by Monroe County 00:01:33.140 --> 00:01:38.431 - Clerk Nicole Brown. That was Clerk Nicole Brown decided to close, and that was because we had a few 00:01:38.431 --> 00:01:43.668 - voter registration people who were gonna be out on vacation anyway this week, and then I wouldn't, 00:01:43.668 --> 00:01:49.329 - you know, so we just decided to go ahead and close with the justice building being closed, and we wouldn't 00:01:49.329 --> 00:01:51.710 - have any employees who would be able to help 00:01:52.098 --> 00:01:57.703 - potentially help out any issues that would arise down in Election Central, because they wouldn't be 00:01:57.703 --> 00:02:03.477 - in. Judge Mary Ellen Deakoff, who was also requesting to fill vacancies, elaborated on how the closure 00:02:03.477 --> 00:02:09.139 - affected offices that are located in the Justice Building. We are on minimalistic what we are doing. 00:02:09.139 --> 00:02:14.856 - But for me to shut the courts, for the judges to shut the courts, requires the special petition filed 00:02:14.856 --> 00:02:20.798 - with the Indiana Supreme Court, who then has to grant us the permission to do so. To do that is involved. 00:02:21.314 --> 00:02:29.730 - And so we try not to do it. But I also want to point out that on Friday afternoon when this took place, 00:02:29.730 --> 00:02:37.903 - I have been around a long time. I have seen a lot of things. This was awful. There was water just by 00:02:37.903 --> 00:02:43.486 - the gallon full, just spreading everywhere. And it was toilet water. 00:02:43.906 --> 00:02:50.197 - I was there, they were there, there was others who were there, and we were trying our best. It was kind 00:02:50.197 --> 00:02:56.245 - of like watching a blob movie. And then Dave Gardner showed up and shut off the water. Had that not 00:02:56.245 --> 00:03:02.415 - happened, he tells us that it would have just continued down offices to offices. She said that judges 00:03:02.415 --> 00:03:08.766 - and other employees were working so that operations would be back up and running as quickly as possible. 00:03:09.090 --> 00:03:16.502 - yesterday there were these folks and other court reporters and other office staff and me and other judges 00:03:16.502 --> 00:03:23.774 - who were in there taking everything off of bookshelves desks etc because they are ripping out carpeting 00:03:23.774 --> 00:03:31.255 - they are ripping out baseboards they are trying to put us back together i tried to negotiate for wednesday 00:03:31.255 --> 00:03:37.758 - they convinced me thursday so um they are telling us that we will be able to have the courts 00:03:38.082 --> 00:03:45.890 - operational, we will still have people in jury rooms, court personnel in jury rooms, in the court conference 00:03:45.890 --> 00:03:53.196 - room, so that we can function and proceed. I was supposed to have a jury trial next week. I contacted 00:03:53.196 --> 00:04:00.360 - the attorneys and told them that cannot happen because I don't have space right now to put them. We 00:04:00.360 --> 00:04:06.878 - were concerned there was a health hazard, which was also addressed and is being addressed. 00:04:07.426 --> 00:04:15.077 - So we are not closed because to close us requires the Indiana Supreme Court. But we are not fully operational 00:04:15.077 --> 00:04:22.310 - because we cannot be. During discussion of the county commissioners bond projects presentation, council 00:04:22.310 --> 00:04:29.335 - members asked questions about preventing future plumbing issues in the jail. Councilor Peter Iverson 00:04:29.335 --> 00:04:36.638 - asked how they can prevent the same situation from happening again. Is there a way to plumb this so that 00:04:36.866 --> 00:04:44.929 - The situation we're experiencing now doesn't happen again. Commissioner's administrator, Angie Purdy, 00:04:44.929 --> 00:04:53.388 - said it was unpreventable because the problem was intentionally caused. The current situation was entirely 00:04:53.388 --> 00:05:01.452 - intentional by inmates. And when somebody is purposely breaking a system, it doesn't matter what kind 00:05:01.452 --> 00:05:06.590 - of maintenance you have. This is just the result of bad actions. 00:05:06.914 --> 00:05:12.716 - bad actions and a bad design." Purdy said that the new jail designs are built in ways that can prevent 00:05:12.716 --> 00:05:18.686 - intentionally caused plumbing issues. The next Monroe County Council meeting is scheduled on August 11th. 00:05:19.810 --> 00:05:26.294 - Bloomington City Council met on July 29th. The meeting opened with multiple council members addressing 00:05:26.294 --> 00:05:32.589 - topics of concern outside the scope of the agenda. Council member Dave Rollo spoke about a reported 00:05:32.589 --> 00:05:38.884 - security breach involving an advanced AI model and urged a moratorium on developing what he called, 00:05:38.884 --> 00:05:45.368 - quote, artificial super intelligence, unquote. This is the loss of control that we've been the experts 00:05:45.368 --> 00:05:46.942 - have been warning about. 00:05:47.522 --> 00:05:55.709 - It proved that AI, powerful AI, can act completely on its own to bypass safety limits when hyper-focused 00:05:55.709 --> 00:06:04.052 - on a specific goal. It demonstrated a real-world threat. That is, instead of staying in a harmless digital 00:06:04.052 --> 00:06:11.849 - test zone, the AI launched a real unauthorized intrusion, which was illegal, by the way, against an 00:06:11.849 --> 00:06:15.358 - outside company. And this is a warning sign. 00:06:16.034 --> 00:06:22.384 - that work on models that are, after all, they're meant to explicitly replace people is becoming too 00:06:22.384 --> 00:06:28.924 - dangerous. Councilmember Hopi Stasberg criticized the Monroe County Commissioner's late stage proposal 00:06:28.924 --> 00:06:35.464 - to use the Hopewell neighborhood as the location for the new jail and justice center. Stasberg aligned 00:06:35.464 --> 00:06:40.798 - herself with Councilmember Isabel Piedmont-Smith's public letter opposing the idea. 00:06:41.186 --> 00:06:47.580 - I've had a few constituents message me about concern for putting a jail there because it had been planned 00:06:47.580 --> 00:06:50.174 - for housing and you know there was several 00:06:50.402 --> 00:06:56.905 - years of feedback given about what to do with Hopewell and There was not any discussion in there at 00:06:56.905 --> 00:07:03.539 - the time about it being a jail and I think that that would have been a very Appropriate time to bring 00:07:03.539 --> 00:07:10.107 - that up and talk about it when there was still that community discussion around it and at this point 00:07:10.107 --> 00:07:16.610 - it feels Not necessarily too late but especially given that there was a collaborative working group 00:07:16.610 --> 00:07:20.382 - all summer long that the commissioners declined attending 00:07:20.546 --> 00:07:28.928 - It feels a little bit Obtuse perhaps to suddenly come out and suggest something that they could have 00:07:28.928 --> 00:07:37.725 - Participated in a collaborative community discussion about and so to bring it up now just It just doesn't 00:07:37.725 --> 00:07:46.189 - sit very well with me So if you're not sure out there what it is that I'm referring to I would direct 00:07:46.189 --> 00:07:49.758 - you to councilmember Piedmont Smith's very 00:07:49.858 --> 00:07:57.354 - eloquently written public letter. Later in the meeting, the Council heard the first reading of Ordinance 00:07:57.354 --> 00:08:04.707 - 2026-17 to update the Civil City Salary Ordinance by shifting and reclassifying several utilities, HR, 00:08:04.707 --> 00:08:12.702 - and public works positions. HR Director Shar Paycheck described the reclassification as largely budget neutral. 00:08:13.026 --> 00:08:19.973 - Council Member Isabel Piedmont-Smith requested more information on the long-term fiscal impact before 00:08:19.973 --> 00:08:27.192 - the second reading. I feel strongly that the fiscal impact should be calculated beyond the current fiscal 00:08:27.192 --> 00:08:34.070 - year for any ordinances or other legislation that impacts salaries or category one expenses. So I'll 00:08:34.070 --> 00:08:41.630 - put that request in with the controller. The next Bloomington City Council meeting will be held on August 5th. 00:08:42.530 --> 00:08:50.645 - At their July 27th meeting, the Bloomington Utilities Service Board approved its recommended 2027 budget 00:08:50.645 --> 00:08:58.374 - after reviewing proposed spending priorities and hearing questions from board members. The proposed 00:08:58.374 --> 00:09:02.238 - budget includes a $7.56 million increase in 2026. 00:09:02.658 --> 00:09:10.067 - The increase is driven by the city's new water rates, continued modernization of the Monroe Water Treatment 00:09:10.067 --> 00:09:17.065 - Plant, and improvements to the water distribution system. Board member Megan Parmenter questioned why 00:09:17.065 --> 00:09:24.063 - negotiations over fleet maintenance charges have dragged on for so long. We've gone 2024, 2025, 2026. 00:09:24.063 --> 00:09:31.678 - We're going to approve 2027 today. We're still going to be in conversations. And we're still in conversations. 00:09:32.098 --> 00:09:40.911 - We're coming on four and five years that I guess I don't understand why we can't get solid answers on 00:09:40.911 --> 00:09:49.982 - this. The board also revisited plans for a new utility service center at the Winston Thomas site. During 00:09:49.982 --> 00:09:58.708 - the discussion, board member Jim Sherman joked about the long decision making process. Maybe I watch 00:09:58.708 --> 00:10:02.078 - a little too much HGTV, but I see what 00:10:02.338 --> 00:10:10.135 - those people do to existing structures. I think I could take this building and turn it over to some 00:10:10.135 --> 00:10:18.088 - AGTV people and they'd make it into a wonderful thing without this way we're spending a million here, 00:10:18.088 --> 00:10:26.118 - a million here, two million here, without much money. And that's why I say we have not made a decision 00:10:26.118 --> 00:10:31.966 - whether to go forward. And we keep spending more and more and more monies. 00:10:32.258 --> 00:10:38.741 - Despite questions about the service center project, the board unanimously approved forwarding the 2027 00:10:38.741 --> 00:10:45.036 - budget recommendation to the Bloomington City Council. The utility service board will meet again on 00:10:45.036 --> 00:10:45.854 - August 10th. 00:10:47.106 --> 00:10:53.849 - The Ellitsville Town Council met on July 27th. The meeting began with additional appropriation requests 00:10:53.849 --> 00:11:00.656 - for multiple departments to cover expenses through the remainder of the year. Among the largest requests 00:11:00.656 --> 00:11:07.334 - were for the fire and police departments. Both agencies cited staffing shortages as the primary reason 00:11:07.334 --> 00:11:13.882 - for the increased costs, saying vacant positions have required existing personnel to work additional 00:11:13.882 --> 00:11:16.670 - shifts while recruitment efforts continue. 00:11:17.314 --> 00:11:25.734 - Detective Lieutenant Zach Michael explained the issues in the police department. We too have also had 00:11:25.734 --> 00:11:34.319 - an unfilled position. So we've had to use quite a bit of overtime to keep our shifts staffed. So that's 00:11:34.319 --> 00:11:42.822 - the request for 55,000 additional overtime. You'll see an additional appropriation for an officer spot 00:11:42.822 --> 00:11:46.206 - that is filling. Well, we had filled it. 00:11:46.466 --> 00:11:52.290 - Now we have another one open because of a recent retirement. So that is to get us through the end of 00:11:52.290 --> 00:11:58.173 - the year for that position. So similar to the fire department, we're hoping when we're fully staffed, 00:11:58.173 --> 00:12:04.862 - we won't have to use as much of the overtime. The requests for additional appropriations were unanimously approved. 00:12:05.666 --> 00:12:13.121 - Council members then approved a wholesale water rate tracker ordinance to reflect higher water costs 00:12:13.121 --> 00:12:20.871 - charged by the city of Bloomington utilities. Officials emphasized that the increase simply passes along 00:12:20.871 --> 00:12:28.326 - the higher cost and is intended to keep the municipal water utility financially stable. Town manager 00:12:28.326 --> 00:12:34.526 - Mike Farmer explained. The water tracker means that we ask for a raise in the rates 00:12:34.786 --> 00:12:42.346 - to reflect the new costs we pay for per thousand gallons to the City of Bloomington Utilities. They 00:12:42.346 --> 00:12:50.133 - supply our water for us. They recently went through a rate change and the wholesale users, which would 00:12:50.133 --> 00:12:57.845 - be like Ellipsville, our rate went up significantly. And so we just asked that the tracker pass, it's 00:12:57.845 --> 00:13:03.742 - a pass through. We didn't ask for any more than what CBU charges per thousand 00:13:03.970 --> 00:13:14.623 - increase. It allows us to retain the rates we had before. And without this tracker, our rates would 00:13:14.623 --> 00:13:25.277 - go at a deficit. And then one way or the other, we'd have to figure out how to recoup the money. So 00:13:25.277 --> 00:13:33.054 - this is basically penny for penny to track what CBU raised our rates to. 00:13:33.154 --> 00:13:39.906 - applies to our new schedule of water rates. Later in the meeting, attention shifted toward preparation 00:13:39.906 --> 00:13:46.724 - of the 2027 budget. According to staff, the budgeting process has become significantly more complicated 00:13:46.724 --> 00:13:53.541 - because they must prepare both a standard budget and a consolidated budget in preparation for potential 00:13:53.541 --> 00:13:54.590 - reorganization. 00:13:55.330 --> 00:14:01.517 - Clerk Treasurer Noelle Conyer explained the increased complications. The Gateway platform has completely 00:14:01.517 --> 00:14:07.764 - changed this year and we've already started inputting things. We have to put in the fire territory budget 00:14:07.764 --> 00:14:13.656 - and the reorganization budget. We had to separate out the police and the fire. It's a new platform. 00:14:13.656 --> 00:14:20.020 - It's taking three times as long as it normally does. The next Ellitsville Town Council meeting is scheduled 00:14:20.020 --> 00:14:21.022 - for August 10th. 00:14:22.018 --> 00:14:27.874 - The Monroe County Community School Corporation Board of Trustees met on July 28th. First, Assistant 00:14:27.874 --> 00:14:33.905 - Superintendent Dr. Jeffrey Henderson announced that there would be an increase in school lunch prices. 00:14:33.905 --> 00:14:39.819 - Federal regulations govern the pricing of all meals and snacks in the USDA child nutrition programs. 00:14:39.819 --> 00:14:45.850 - And the paid lunch equity tool that's issued by the Indiana Department of Education is what's utilized 00:14:45.850 --> 00:14:49.598 - to determine the need for price increases to secondary lunches. 00:14:49.730 --> 00:14:56.264 - The price increases this year impact middle school lunch and high school lunch with an increase to each 00:14:56.264 --> 00:15:02.798 - of 20 cents per lunch price. I want to highlight that we're pleased to continue offering free breakfast 00:15:02.798 --> 00:15:08.830 - and lunch to all students at the following schools through the community eligibility provision. 00:15:09.026 --> 00:15:14.835 - program. That's Arlington Bloomington Graduation School, Clear Creek, Fairview, Grandview, Highland 00:15:14.835 --> 00:15:20.644 - Park and Templeton. Board member April Hennessy suggested that those who want to help alleviate the 00:15:20.644 --> 00:15:26.627 - effects of the increases support community funds. No one ever likes raising lunch prices. We know that 00:15:26.627 --> 00:15:32.436 - it's something that has to happen occasionally. I do appreciate that we've tried to keep, you know, 00:15:32.436 --> 00:15:37.374 - the impact in places where perhaps there might it might be easier to sort of manage. 00:15:37.602 --> 00:15:43.171 - But I also want to remind people who are out there listening, all four of you, not including who are 00:15:43.171 --> 00:15:48.850 - in the room, but a lot of you are here because you have a vested interest in what's happening tonight. 00:15:48.850 --> 00:15:54.529 - But that donations to lunch funds can be made. And so I do just want to continually remind people that 00:15:54.529 --> 00:16:00.042 - that exists. And if that's something that you feel like you want to do or can do, that we encourage 00:16:00.042 --> 00:16:03.902 - you to do that, especially as we see this small bump in lunch prices. 00:16:04.066 --> 00:16:10.266 - The board also heard a piece of legislation that would limit collective bargaining rights for operations 00:16:10.266 --> 00:16:15.699 - employees, making their rights comparable to teachers, which is limited to wages, benefits, 00:16:15.699 --> 00:16:21.663 - and paid leave. Dr. Henderson spoke more about the purpose behind this legislation. I think that the 00:16:21.663 --> 00:16:27.745 - policy just speaks to the fact that we continue, although there are no requirements or obligations for 00:16:27.745 --> 00:16:33.886 - us to engage in bargaining, it just speaks to the fact that we have a continued and ongoing commitment. 00:16:34.018 --> 00:16:40.948 - to continue to support our bargaining groups and ensuring the rights of them are upheld. And so this 00:16:40.948 --> 00:16:48.084 - resolution asserts that, and it doesn't take a position one way or the other in terms of the importance 00:16:48.084 --> 00:16:55.015 - or the significance of those rights. However, other members were concerned that this would result in 00:16:55.015 --> 00:17:02.219 - more difficult and complex negotiation processes. Hennessy commented. I am pretty staunchly and strongly 00:17:02.219 --> 00:17:02.974 - pro-union. 00:17:03.234 --> 00:17:12.789 - I actually do believe in, you know, sort of empowering people to bargain wherever there is space and 00:17:12.789 --> 00:17:22.628 - room to do so. And I do also know that the teachers bargaining has been sort of truncated. Their rights 00:17:22.628 --> 00:17:31.710 - have been stripped, truncated in many ways as a result of the legislature of the state. And so, 00:17:32.002 --> 00:17:42.395 - those things were somewhat out of our control. And I do understand the impulse or desire then to kind 00:17:42.395 --> 00:17:52.891 - of, in the sort of effort toward, what would we, I guess, fairness or equitable policies and processes 00:17:52.891 --> 00:17:57.374 - to sort of align what can be bargained for. 00:17:59.842 --> 00:18:08.975 - I will just say that from my perspective at this moment, I don't know that I fully agree with the desire 00:18:08.975 --> 00:18:18.022 - or the decision to remove bargaining rights that are available to people as there are no laws stripping 00:18:18.022 --> 00:18:26.720 - or governing what can or cannot be bargained. I'll also admit that it probably does make bargaining 00:18:26.720 --> 00:18:28.286 - more complicated. 00:18:28.642 --> 00:18:35.617 - And when you have more to bargain for, the process can take longer. Maybe resolutions are not reached 00:18:35.617 --> 00:18:42.797 - as sort of efficiency, efficiently or in a timely manner. This resolution will have its second and final 00:18:42.797 --> 00:18:49.977 - reading at the board's next meeting on August 25th. And that is all for Cats Week. Thank you for joining 00:18:49.977 --> 00:18:53.054 - us. For Cats and WFHB, I'm Annalise Poorman.