Hello and welcome to Cat's Creek. I'm Annalise Poorman.
The Monroe County Board of Commissioners met on October 22nd. The meeting began with an update from
the health department. Health officer Sarah Ryderband thanked the commissioners for ARPA funding, encouraged
residents to get vaccinated as flu and COVID activity rises, and to announce that the disease intervention
specialists will now be having evening hours. She went on to note concerns for the new state food truck
regulations expected to take effect in January.
public health departments across the state have been trying to iron out what that's going to mean, and
particularly what it's going to mean to our public because there aren't very clear guidelines. It's
simply about making sure that all of the trucks are licensed, but they're licensed once no matter where
they are serving. We don't know what it's going to be like for our county or any other county to try
and keep track of all of it and what it's going to mean in terms of finances because regulating that
number of trucks coming into our community when we're not getting anything in return is going to make
things more
I see in the long run. During public comment, Christopher M.G., speaking for the Greater Bloomington
Chamber of Commerce, raised concerns about staffing and service gaps at the health department. We know
this department, what this department is capable of. We're not asking for a new standard. We're asking
for the county to restore a standard our community once expected. We have the talent, we have the resources
and the commitment to make the health department a model of effective local government again.
The Chamber wants results and we're ready to be part of that solution. The meeting continued on to new
business beginning with a presentation from Dr. Margaret Clements of the Monroe County Plan Commission
on Housing Construction and Development. The City of Bloomington had asserted that 12,225 units were
needed by the year 2040.
Well, between 2016 and 2026, 11,227 units had already been built. Now that's an undercount. There's
another 500 unit apartment building I didn't include in this study because I wasn't sure exactly what
date the occupancy permit was issued and subsequently I found that it would be included in the state
range. And there's also the town of Ellitsville information
we do not have. So I think we're in a position where we have exceeded what has been estimated we need
for a good long time. Clements continued on to recommend regular updates and better data sharing among
city and county departments. Commissioner Jody Madeira believed the report to be premature and incomplete.
From my perspective, it's premature to adopt this report. I think need is measured by
I think the report doesn't analyze these factors. I think it concedes it doesn't analyze affordability,
waging, or housing type, which are the core questions in shortage studies. I think it does count units
built and compares them with older projects. And I think so it counts some things as offered as a correction.
to studies that say that Monroe County needs more housing, but to succeed in that objective, it would
have to actually show that housing demand is satisfied. And I'm not sure that it shows that.
To show that, it would have to incorporate more data about the demand side. Commissioner Julie Thomas
expressed that the report brings useful data, but emphasized an inability to inventory vacancies and
hold developers accountable for price discrepancies. When developers come
to the Planning Commission, they often will say things like, well, we can build houses and they'll be
starting point 250,000. Well, that sounds good because that's a good price range for people who are
just entering the housing market. But when they're built, we find that they're often advertised at a
much higher price. And there's nothing we can do about that. Absolutely nothing. We can't hold them
to a certain
that's the price point. And the other thing is, is it costs a certain amount to build a house, anything,
a house, an apartment building, anything. It costs a certain amount of money in terms of land, utilities,
roadways, et cetera. And so I'm not sure that cheaper housing is possible, although I still hope that
we can have a tiny home community here somewhere.
but that we need to be more focused on the wage side to ensure that people can afford what can be produced
here based on the cost. The commissioners did not formally accept the report during the meeting as the
motion to accept it failed for a lack of a second. Several agreements affecting county parks and public
services were approved, including a $49,000 service agreement for an ADA compliant trail at the New
Monroe County Nature Preserve.
Parks and Recreation Director Kelly Whitmer gave more details. We will have one ADA trail that is crushed
and rolled with quarter minus. It won't be asphalt, it won't be concrete, but it still qualifies for ADA.
I'm not sure how many miles it'll be. It'll be kind of a straight shot and all the grass trails on the
southern end will connect back to it. So it'll be very difficult to get lost because every trail on
the south side leads back to the ADA trail. The dog park that we're building is 100% ADA. We will have
shelters, sidewalks, a nice trailhead, picnic tables. Everything will be accessible, parking. And if you,
can't manage the grass trails, which is some people cannot, there'll be plenty to see and plenty to
do out there. Yeah. And when is it thought that this will be open to the public? If the weather is good
to us and our staff level remains the same, we might be able to be open late 2027.
The board also approved agreements for website accessibility work, emergency notifications to county
employees, and software to help manage public records requests. Chief Technology Officer Greg Crone
explained the ADA needs for the project. With the compliance standards being set that are due by August
20th or by 2027, we do have over 10,000 PDFs that still need to be remediated. We've attempted to use
Adobe tools to try to
remediate most of these. That's proved inadequate. It does part of the job. It doesn't do a complete
job as well as the fact it's too cumbersome for one or two people to try to sort through tens of thousands
of documents to get these up to standard. So I brought this request to again partner with site and prove
get it so that we can actually don't have to reach out to the state for those reports and we can get
these ADA compliance issues streamed out. The next Monroe County Commissioner's meeting is scheduled
for October 29th.
On October 21, the Monroe County Capital Improvement Board approved a $660,000 bid to demolish Seminary
Point Apartments. The board selected Denny Excavating to conduct the demolition work, which is set to
be completed by the end of the year. Contractors plan to begin tearing down buildings in November.
During public comment following the vote, members of advocacy group Bloomington Homes for All urged
officials to preserve the housing and reconsider a land swab. The CIB reviewed a preliminary plan showing
how parcels south of the Convention Center would support hotel construction.
This includes space for equipment, construction trailers, dumpsters, and employee parking. Homes for
All member Amber Core asked if those uses justify clearing the site. I just want to point out that it
seems like the plan for the hotel footprint and then what extends beyond it, south,
Um, seems like an excuse to demolish affordable housing when you don't really have any other idea with
what you want to do with it now. And you already have staging equipment set up for the convention center.
I'm sure you have dumped your
dumpster locations, employee parking, and construction offices for this project. I understand that that
might need to be extended in some way, but to demolish the entire site for this purpose seems absurd.
And this land was originally transferred
by the Monroe County Council for a land swap. And we need to consider still using it for that land swap
to save the affordable housing and get the hotel at the right location at Bunger and Robinson.
and other Homes for All member, Bryce Green, condemned the decision to remove housing that exists at
a price point residents can afford. Now, I think I can speak for most people when I say that this is
not a good way to spend city resources, especially when we're in a housing crisis and there doesn't
seem to be any way to get any more units of that cost point into Bloomington. So we're permanently destroying
affordable housing.
wanted on the record that this is what is going on, that this is a conscious choice to do so. And a
number of members of this body have gone on record saying that they don't believe it's their job to
assist in developing Bloomington's affordable housing stock. And that may be true on a technical level,
but on a human level, on the level that I think we should be acting on, and that should be the basis
of any government sanction action, on a human level, it's just wrong. And it's just bad city policy.
And it's very disappointing to see. And we'll be continuing to raise our voices and make the details
of this issue known to as many people as possible. C.I.B. President John Weichart said that the parcels
would support construction until the hotel's anticipated opening in 2029. So once construction of the
hotel begins, which is anticipated to be 18 to 22 months, this would be how
all the parcels would be used during that construction phase. The CIB will meet again November 18th at 3 p.m.
The Monroe County Council adopted its 2027 budget on Tuesday, including a 2% cost of living raise for
county employees and funding to help people experiencing homelessness. The council voted 5 to 0 to adopt
next year's budget.
Councilor Pete Iverson said the $147 million budget represents a 16 percent increase over this year's
adopted budget. Councilmember David Henry said that the county entered the budget process unsure whether
they could afford an employee raise. He credited collaborating with the county commissioners for making
the 2 percent pay increase possible. However, he says affordability remains a problem for county workers.
Does it mean that it's so hard to live here and afford to live here on a county salary? It sure does.
To get next level on that without overburdening our tax base, it's gonna take some work to find the
additional nickels in the budget, which seem to be there for other things, right? And so I think,
you know, I'm proud of what we did this year to get here, but there's always opportunity to keep looking
ahead and with hopefully,
not too much more disturbance in the manner by which we collect income and property tax in the state
of Indiana. I'm hopeful that we can continue to support our good employees through the benefits, the
salary that we offer, and then also find the resources to improve their quality of life in their offices,
where they work in our buildings, and taking care of the spaces that we provide them to work in, and
opportunities to telework from home when they can't.
part of the package, but I'm proud of what we've done here this year. Counselors cited rising health
care costs as the reasoning for the raise. Iverson said these expenses put pressure on household budgets,
even with the pay raise. This council is very aware that on the same night that we passed a 2% COLA
increase, there was a significant increase in your health care costs here in the county. We at least
I feel that and
the costs sometimes feel like they just keep on coming. Council member Liz Vidal says she wants the
council to revisit employee pay once the county has a clear view of its finances. I would definitely
like to see the salaries higher. I would be interested in seeing if there's a way to look at this after
maybe the first year after we know what the final numbers are and everything and potentially reconsidering it.
That's where I'm at. The budget also includes funding for residents experiencing homelessness. Iverson
explained. This budget appropriates $1,162,000 to direct relief of our neighbors experiencing homelessness.
We know that this is a crisis that is hitting not just Monroe County, but other places as well. And
that the crisis is getting worse.
Councilors also discussed pay for elected officials. Commissioner Julie Thomas asked the council to
bring commissioners salaries to the full level on the elected official pay scale. She said additional
money from the stormwater fund could cover the pay increase without drawing on the county's general
fund. We are seeking pay equity. All full time elected officials should receive 100% of the elected
official salary. We understand
Why the pay was set at 90% for the surveyor so that they can earn one and a half times their pay if
they can become a licensed or registered surveyor. The board of commissioners pay and the coroner's
pay remains an unusual outlier.
on the elected official salary grid. While the council approved the elected official salary ordinance,
they did not include the requested change for commissioners pay increase. Henry said a broader review
should consider how responsibilities are split up between commissioners and the county administrator.
We have to holistically look at the executive pay structure of a county to say, what are those hours
doing? If you do elevate three positions to a full-time
pay or compensation in the county then then what is the purpose of having a fourth person paid a 40
hour a week benefit salary pension that is the county executive statutorily right they are the county
administrator statutorily even though we don't call that here the same name by local ordinance so that's
going to take work.
And if that is an honest effort that the next term of the newly seated board of commissioners, which
is entertained, that would be my offering back is to say that's a January conversation and not an October
one. The council also moved to limit a separate borrowing proposal for county equipment and building
projects, decreasing it from $4.1 million to $3.1 million.
Councillor Kate Wilts said that some purchases could return for consideration next year when county
officials know how much money remains unspent. That way we are paying for it with money we know we have
and don't have to pay interest on. The council approved the lower borrowing limit five to zero. Final
consideration of the bond measure is scheduled for Tuesday, October 27th.
The Monroe County Public Library Board of Trustees met on October 21st. During the Monthly Director's
Report, MCPL Director Greer Carson reported that library use is up.
At the top of each month's director's report, we share how many unique users we've had the previous
month, as well as year-to-date unique users. By October, we typically see around 35% of our registered
patrons having checked out an item at least once during the year. As of October 1st this year, we've
seen 46% of all MCPL registered patrons having checked out at least one item so far this year. So thank
you to all of our patrons, nearly half of whom have borrowed something from the library in 2026.
And for reference, we currently have just shy of 61,000 registered patrons, which by my count is about
43% of reported Monroe County residents. It's a strong number. Carson also highlighted a minor water
leak and that the library is conducting a compensation review and expects to share its findings and
recommendations at the November or December meeting.
The board also heard that the county council approved the library's 2027 budget without changes. I'm
happy to say that there were no changes to the budget numbers that we went over at the July board meeting.
The growth quotient is six percent, so the tax levy revenue and the total spending budget will both
increase by six percent.
Next, the board received an update on employee benefits renewal. Dental and vision rates have been settled
while negotiations with Anthem continue. Alyssa Prince of JA Benefits was present to explain. With Anthem,
we are still in their initial offer phase on that. That one did come in at a 39% this year. We will
talk about some of the history of where we've been in the past and kind of what's driving that increase
this year.
We are still working on negotiating with Anthem currently, but we are seeing that the market is moving
a little bit less than it has in the past. And in some cases, they are not moving much at all. So we
are pushing as hard as we can. They also reported that MCPL's overall benefits package compares favorably
with similar employers, giving the board context as it weighs renewal options and prepares for open
enrollment expected around the beginning of December.
Next, adult services manager Elizabeth Gray reported on an exciting year of varied programming, including
book clubs, a poetry contest, cooking challenges, gardening and craft programs, and classes for emerging
adults. She went on to share how a staff member helped a patron facing eviction. One of the men had
lived in the same apartment complex for 15 years. The complex had recently been bought by a new company
who had a new way of paying rent online.
The patron did not understand how to do it, so he had not paid his rent for several months. He had been
to numerous places in Bloomington looking for help because he was facing eviction. He had been told
to come to the library to watch a video about eviction by somebody. And we were trying to figure out
the best way to help him. Cole began chatting with me, and eventually we both thought we should see
if Shakae Norris, the prevention and diversion case manager from heading home who was housed in the
library, could help him.
Fortunately, Chiquet was available. About two hours later, the entire situation was resolved. The meeting
ended with a presentation from Chiquet Norris, the diversion and prevention case manager with Heading
Home, who described how the partnership works to help residents stay housed.
In my department, what I do is keep people from losing their housing, which oftentimes consists of going
to eviction court with them, trying to negotiate with landlords. If it just is not affordable, we try
to help them find another place. And we also can help them with moving in.
cost deposit first month. Sometimes people get into rental arrears for various reasons. They don't have
anywhere else to go, so we try to not allow them to go to the street. Right now we are at a 97% success
rate, which is amazing. The next Monroe County Public Library Board of Trustees meeting will take place
on November 18th.
Monroe County Health Officer Dr. Sarah Ryderband resigned on October 22nd during the Board of Health's
regular meeting prior to a hearing on her potential removal. This comes six weeks after Ryderband fired
Health Administrator Lori Kelly. Board members unanimously approved hiring an interim health officer,
but that appointment still needs approval. Ryderband announced she was leaving immediately. It has been
interesting
partnering with you all. And I do love you, but I am done. I resign effective immediately. Rider band
defended her decision to fire Kelly and accused the board of failing to ask her for explanation. I don't
know what it is that I'm even accused of other than displeasing members of the Monroe County board of
health by taking lawful action without their blessing. If I regret anything,
is that back in August, when I told the chair I wished to have an executive session with the board,
I accepted her refusal. I did not simply go ahead and schedule the meeting. Had I posted that proposed
executive session, then board members would have been informed of the issues that I was experiencing
prior to my action on the afternoon of September 10th. I'm sad because not one of you reached out
to ask what was going on that I would act in a manner that you must have seen as precipitous. I've known
two of you for nearly four years. Did you really imagine that I would not reply? Or were you under orders?
Are you not independent thinking curious individuals? Or had you all entered a state of hive mind?
County Attorney David Schilling said no vote was needed to accept the resignation. Hannah Robinson then
discussed temporary replacement. Finding ourselves without a health officer. We have a lot of business
to conduct. Dr. Paul Broderick, who currently serves as the Northern County Health Officer,
has indicated that he would be willing to serve as interim health officer for a few months for us. This
is of course pending his approval or rather approval by our commissioners and also pending approval
of his board to allow him to do that because he currently serves in Morgan County.
Schilling said that the county needs to act promptly because the health department can no longer issue
documents under Rider Band's authority. Sarah is no longer the health officer, so anything that's stamped
issued by the health department with her name on it cannot be issued until we have some replacement,
which we need to do quickly. Schilling maintained that he would contact state health officials about
covering the vacancy while the interim appointment moves forward.
The board also plans to advertise a position for a permanent health officer. Hanner Robinson said that
they are currently reviewing applications for the vacant health administrator position. The hearing
to consider writer bands removal following the regular health board session was canceled. And that is
all for Cats Week. Thank you for joining us. For Cats and WFHB, I'm Annalise Poorman.