WEBVTT 00:00:00.226 --> 00:00:07.519 - like to call to order this meeting of the Monroe County Board of Commissioners. I'm very happy to say 00:00:07.519 --> 00:00:14.740 - all three commissioners are here and present today in the Nat U Hill room and we will begin with our 00:00:14.740 --> 00:00:21.890 - public statement. We, the Monroe County Board of Commissioners, renew our commitment to welcome and 00:00:21.890 --> 00:00:27.038 - protect the rights of all people regardless of age, race, color, creed, 00:00:27.298 --> 00:00:35.255 - disability, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, marital status, economic status, and national 00:00:35.255 --> 00:00:43.212 - origin. And we affirm the right of every person to live peacefully and without fear, and we will fight 00:00:43.212 --> 00:00:51.710 - and resist at every step, discrimination and harmful policies, whatever their source. We believe in diversity 00:00:52.002 --> 00:01:13.086 - of our county public school systems, both RBB and MCC SC. And with that. We will. Move on to our 00:01:21.858 --> 00:01:29.910 - Good morning, commissioners. Can you hear me? Yes. Good morning. Good morning. Just a few updates for 00:01:29.910 --> 00:01:38.199 - you this morning. According to the Indiana Department of Health dashboard, as of October 21st, emergency 00:01:38.199 --> 00:01:46.171 - department visits for COVID-like illness have decreased and wastewater concentrations have decreased 00:01:46.171 --> 00:01:50.750 - slightly. Flu activity across the state is still minimal. 00:01:51.586 --> 00:02:00.080 - The Indiana Department of Health has announced the first flu death of the season. The CDC does recommend 00:02:00.080 --> 00:02:08.411 - an annual flu vaccine for all people six months and older. The public health clinic does have vaccines 00:02:08.411 --> 00:02:13.022 - available. You can call 812-353-3244 for an appointment. 00:02:16.866 --> 00:02:26.347 - Thank you so much. Comments or questions? Commissioner Jones? No, I don't. Thank you. Commissioner Madeira? 00:02:26.347 --> 00:02:35.476 - No, thank you. Okay. I do not have any either. Thank you for being here as always. Any other department 00:02:35.476 --> 00:02:41.182 - updates? You can raise your hand on Teams or come to the podium. 00:02:46.594 --> 00:03:02.025 - do have one. It is our health department's medical director, Dr. Reiterband. Good morning. You are unmuted. 00:03:02.025 --> 00:03:13.598 - You're ready for you. I was asked to update you all on immunizations and I'm not 00:03:13.826 --> 00:03:22.782 - clear exactly which of them you would like. There are so many vaccinations and we certainly encourage 00:03:22.782 --> 00:03:32.002 - people to become vaccinated. Flu this year is supposed to be pretty nasty. I certainly know folks across 00:03:32.002 --> 00:03:37.182 - the pond who are suffering for two and a half, three weeks 00:03:37.474 --> 00:03:47.761 - with a single bout of flu. So I certainly encourage people to get their vaccines for flu. It's available 00:03:47.761 --> 00:03:57.657 - for six months and older. COVID vaccines are also widely available and they are available for people 00:03:57.657 --> 00:04:07.454 - 11 years and older. The recommendation for COVID vaccines these days are that you must do that with 00:04:07.586 --> 00:04:16.369 - consulting a professional. Now that professional does not need to be a physician. It can be the pharmacist 00:04:16.369 --> 00:04:24.576 - at your local pharmacy. It can be the nurse. It can be any professional. So as long as you can say, 00:04:24.576 --> 00:04:32.867 - I've consulted a professional and I want the vaccine, you're good to go. The other ones that I would 00:04:32.867 --> 00:04:36.478 - really encourage is that once again, if you 00:04:37.218 --> 00:04:48.753 - Do not know that you are fully vaccinated for measles. Please do that. MMR vaccines are available and 00:04:48.753 --> 00:05:00.740 - we know that there are multiple outbreaks across the country. We've had a couple here in Indiana already, 00:05:00.740 --> 00:05:05.150 - again, and we are surrounded by states 00:05:05.410 --> 00:05:15.713 - in Illinois and Ohio with larger outbreaks. So we're not sure exactly why we have not seen the outbreaks 00:05:15.713 --> 00:05:25.820 - here that we have in our adjacent states, but it is coming until there is really a 95% compliance rate 00:05:25.820 --> 00:05:34.750 - with vaccines. Then we are going to continue to see outbreaks of diseases that are readily 00:05:34.946 --> 00:05:49.632 - avoided and lives saved if people will simply vaccinate. I'm wondering, also RSV, which is respiratory 00:05:49.632 --> 00:06:02.750 - syncytial virus, also has a vaccine. This is a disease, a virus that indeed tends to attack 00:06:03.394 --> 00:06:12.942 - very young children and has caused multiple deaths. So it's, while most of us who are older can manage 00:06:12.942 --> 00:06:22.211 - it, it certainly any child who has any kind of disability, any kind of lung issue, if they have not 00:06:22.211 --> 00:06:32.222 - been vaccinated really should be. And again, it's another one of those vaccines that is certainly suggested 00:06:32.610 --> 00:06:41.837 - for those who are older and have any kind of lung problem. I'm wondering if any of the commissioners 00:06:41.837 --> 00:06:51.795 - have questions or would like recommendations about some specific vaccines. Thank you so much, Dr. Reiterman, 00:06:51.795 --> 00:07:00.382 - for being here. We really appreciate it and the insight into how people can obtain the COVID. 00:07:00.514 --> 00:07:08.170 - COVID-19 vaccine and that flu season is going to be upon us very soon. Comments or questions, Commissioner 00:07:08.170 --> 00:07:15.683 - Madeira? No, thank you very much for that detailed information. Commissioner Jones? No, thank you. Thank 00:07:15.683 --> 00:07:23.339 - you so much. We really appreciate it and we appreciate your good work for the health of the entire county. 00:07:23.339 --> 00:07:28.062 - Thanks so much. I'm happy to serve you all. Thank you. Thank you. 00:07:29.602 --> 00:07:38.996 - All right, any other department updates? You can raise your hand on Teams or come to the podium. Okay, 00:07:38.996 --> 00:07:48.481 - seeing none, we'll move on to public comment. This is for items that are not on the agenda. We ask each 00:07:48.481 --> 00:07:57.601 - speaker to limit their time to three minutes per person and to please provide their name and county 00:07:57.601 --> 00:07:58.878 - of residence. 00:07:58.978 --> 00:08:23.654 - the microphone. You may come up to the podium or raise your hand on teams. Good morning. Good morning. 00:08:23.654 --> 00:08:27.966 - You can pull that 00:08:28.610 --> 00:08:36.404 - I'm Becky Brass, and I'm with the League of Women Voters Observer Corps. And this is my first commission 00:08:36.404 --> 00:08:44.273 - meeting as a League of Women Voters Observer. I'll be observing some in person and some virtually. Great. 00:08:44.273 --> 00:08:51.844 - Thank you for being here. We had this for quite a while, and then COVID hit, and it became difficult. 00:08:51.844 --> 00:08:58.302 - So we appreciate you being here. Thank you. Glad to be here. Any other public comment? 00:09:03.778 --> 00:09:11.363 - Seeing none, we'll move on to our next agenda item, please. Approval of the minutes for August 23rd, 00:09:11.363 --> 00:09:19.024 - 2025. I second that. We have a motion and a second. Any comments, corrections, or edits? I have none. 00:09:19.024 --> 00:09:26.684 - I don't either. Thank you, Ms. Freeman. All those in favor of approving the minutes for October 23rd, 00:09:26.684 --> 00:09:28.862 - 2025, signify by saying aye. 00:09:29.186 --> 00:09:38.580 - Aye. Motion carries 3-0. Next item, please. Move approval of the claims docket, accounts payable October 00:09:38.580 --> 00:09:47.079 - 30th, 2025 and payroll October 31st, 2025. Aye. Second. We have a motion and we have a second. 00:09:47.079 --> 00:09:52.894 - Good morning. Tell us all about it. Good morning, commissioners. 00:09:53.378 --> 00:10:05.858 - The accounts payable claims docket for October 30th, 2025, totals $3,614,556.66. This includes all emergency 00:10:05.858 --> 00:10:15.934 - claims and adjustments. The payroll docket for October 31st, 2025, includes $1,571,276. 00:10:16.482 --> 00:10:27.716 - $279.25 indirect costs and the remaining $671,991.65 were for indirect costs for a grand total 00:10:27.716 --> 00:10:39.186 - of $2,243,270.90. Thank you so much. Any comments or questions, Commissioner Jones? No, I don't. 00:10:39.186 --> 00:10:44.862 - Thank you. Commissioner Madeira? No, thank you. 00:10:44.994 --> 00:10:54.367 - I don't either. Let's see if there's any public comment on this item. You can raise your hand on teams 00:10:54.367 --> 00:11:03.467 - or come to the podium. Seeing none, we'll come back for a vote. All those in favor of approving the 00:11:03.467 --> 00:11:13.022 - claim stock at accounts payable October 30th, 2025 and payroll October 31st, 2025 signify by saying aye. 00:11:13.346 --> 00:11:21.524 - I. Motion carries 3-0. I will note for the record, we've received reports from the Clerk of the Circuit 00:11:21.524 --> 00:11:29.466 - Court for September 2025 and weights and measures for September 2025. And with that, we will move on 00:11:29.466 --> 00:11:38.430 - to new business, please. Move approval of the 2026 Department of Corrections Community Corrections Grant Fundings 00:11:38.818 --> 00:11:53.135 - Community Corrections Program, Drug Court, and Mental Health Court. Fund numbers 9142, 9148, and 9150 00:11:53.135 --> 00:12:00.574 - in the grant amount of $1,229,334. We have a motion. 00:12:00.994 --> 00:12:07.315 - I would like to second that. Great. We have a motion and a second, and we have mystery joining us. Good 00:12:07.315 --> 00:12:13.941 - morning. Hi, good morning. Becca Strike, Community Corrections Executive Director and Deputy Chief Probation 00:12:13.941 --> 00:12:20.080 - Officer. I am here requesting that the commissioners sign our 43rd year contract with the Department 00:12:20.080 --> 00:12:26.280 - of Correction. This partnership has been going on, like I said, for 43 years, where the Department of 00:12:26.280 --> 00:12:30.960 - Correction provides funding for us to support alternatives to incarceration. 00:12:30.960 --> 00:12:37.844 - This would include community corrections programs such as home detention, electronic monitoring, our 00:12:37.844 --> 00:12:44.932 - day reporting program, and our drug testing program. This also supports two of our four problem solving 00:12:44.932 --> 00:12:49.566 - courts, including our drug treatment court and mental health court. 00:12:50.498 --> 00:12:58.428 - You might notice one difference. We were disappointed to learn that this year, or for 2026, the Department 00:12:58.428 --> 00:13:05.912 - of Correction is unable to help fund our pretrial program. They've been doing that for, 2026 will be 00:13:05.912 --> 00:13:13.323 - our 10th year of pretrial. This did come as a surprise. Monroe County was not the only one affected 00:13:13.323 --> 00:13:17.918 - by this. DOC could not fund pretrial across the entire state. 00:13:18.082 --> 00:13:26.007 - Fortunately for 2026 the Indiana Supreme Court came through with a one-time assist so our pretrial program 00:13:26.007 --> 00:13:33.562 - is guaranteed to function through 2026 with that extra money but we will be working hard next year to 00:13:33.562 --> 00:13:41.043 - see how we can sustain that program. We've assessed over 20,000 defendants who have been booked into 00:13:41.043 --> 00:13:42.302 - jail in order to 00:13:43.394 --> 00:13:50.522 - to assist the court in making release decisions. So we were disappointed to hear about that. 00:13:50.522 --> 00:13:58.263 - But for 2026, we're solid. But stay tuned. So thank you. Wow. That's a huge disappointment. Comments 00:13:58.263 --> 00:14:01.022 - or questions, Commissioner Madeira? 00:14:01.346 --> 00:14:08.253 - No, I've done a lot of research with pretrial release programs, drug courts, and I think that they're 00:14:08.253 --> 00:14:15.160 - very effective, and we're very proud to have them in our community. So it is wonderful to see this on 00:14:15.160 --> 00:14:22.067 - our agenda for today. Thank you. Commissioner Jones. Yes, I'm very pleased that the Supreme Court did 00:14:22.067 --> 00:14:28.906 - come through for 2026. Really, pretrial is something that needs to be expanded, not have money taken 00:14:28.906 --> 00:14:29.854 - away from it. 00:14:30.114 --> 00:14:39.915 - this is very unfortunate on the part of the state. It really is. Well, you know, we're interested and 00:14:39.915 --> 00:14:49.812 - obviously hopeful that this funding can continue beyond 2026, and we appreciate the effort that's been 00:14:49.812 --> 00:14:59.998 - made. And just for the public certification, the Community Correction Program grant amount is $1,049,167. 00:15:00.226 --> 00:15:08.151 - the mental health court grant amount is $137,209. And the mental health court grant amount is $42,958. 00:15:08.151 --> 00:15:16.000 - All of these programs are vital. Thank you for all you do. All right. Let's see if there's any public 00:15:16.000 --> 00:15:21.694 - comment on this item. You raise your hand on teams or come to the podium. 00:15:32.258 --> 00:15:39.494 - seeing none, we'll come back for a vote. All those in favor of approving the 2026 Department of Corrections 00:15:39.494 --> 00:15:46.530 - Community Corrections Grant signify by saying aye. Aye. Motion carries 3-0. Thank you for your continued 00:15:46.530 --> 00:15:53.297 - support. Thank you. Becca, I'm sending you an email. They have not corrected the signatory line yet. 00:15:53.297 --> 00:15:56.446 - They haven't corrected the signature line yet. 00:15:56.578 --> 00:16:04.430 - on the document so I'm sending an email to them now. Okay and I will alert my program director through 00:16:04.430 --> 00:16:12.053 - the DOC as well. Thank you. Thank you. So if we get it from Indiana don't sign it yet. It's already 00:16:12.053 --> 00:16:19.676 - I have it. Oh okay because yeah all right cool thank you. All right next item please. Move approval 00:16:19.676 --> 00:16:24.478 - of the 2026 Ansem renewal fund name self-insurance fund number 00:16:25.090 --> 00:16:31.678 - 47,000 in an amount that's various. I second that. 00:16:31.810 --> 00:16:39.353 - We have a second. E, good morning. Good morning. So this is our annual process that we go through to 00:16:39.353 --> 00:16:47.494 - ensure the information for our medical plan. So what you have is the stop loss agreement, the administrative 00:16:47.494 --> 00:16:55.410 - fees agreement, what's called the assumptions and conditions, and then we just added the pharmacy pricing 00:16:55.410 --> 00:16:59.294 - information for you as well. And we do have Amanda. 00:16:59.522 --> 00:17:09.985 - Gilbert from Apex is with us to explain this in more detail if that is something that you would like. 00:17:09.985 --> 00:17:19.422 - It's a lot of terms that are not normal for the average person, right? Yes, it takes a bit. 00:17:19.650 --> 00:17:26.976 - It's very dense language. But let's see if we have questions, and we'll start with that. Sounds good. 00:17:26.976 --> 00:17:34.734 - And if she needs to chime in, that would be great. And thank you, Ms. Gilbert, for being here. Commissioner 00:17:34.734 --> 00:17:42.060 - Jones, do you have any comments or questions? Yes, insurance is always very dense language, as far as 00:17:42.060 --> 00:17:47.806 - I can tell. Commissioner Madeira? No, I don't, actually. OK, well, that's easy. 00:17:48.034 --> 00:17:57.475 - I actually don't either, because I looked at last year's. I cheated. So that helps. So no, I don't have 00:17:57.475 --> 00:18:06.643 - any questions. It's necessary. It's obviously one of the most important benefits we can offer to our 00:18:06.643 --> 00:18:15.902 - employees, especially given the crazy stuff going on in Washington, DC with the ACA. So I'm grateful. 00:18:16.194 --> 00:18:24.162 - for everyone that worked on this. Angie, legal, everyone that's worked on this, thank you. It means 00:18:24.162 --> 00:18:32.209 - a lot to all of our employees. So thanks. All right, let's see if there's any public comment on this 00:18:32.209 --> 00:18:36.830 - item. You raise your hand on teams or come to the podium. 00:18:45.826 --> 00:18:53.369 - We do have one commenter. Good morning. Sorry, I didn't put my full name there. This is David Henry. 00:18:53.369 --> 00:19:01.435 - I'm a resident of Monroe County and Van Buren Township, and I'm also a member of the Monroe County Council. 00:19:01.435 --> 00:19:09.053 - I wanted to thank he and the commissioners for their good work on the anthem insurance for this year. 00:19:09.053 --> 00:19:14.654 - I'd like to express a desire, at least from my own seat on County Council. 00:19:14.978 --> 00:19:21.122 - as well as my colleagues to have an opportunity to be involved in the process at looking at our insurance 00:19:21.122 --> 00:19:27.091 - and self-insurance in the next fiscal year. As we know that we had some additional claims and expenses 00:19:27.091 --> 00:19:33.119 - that kept up on us during the budget cycle that made things a little difficult for us as we were trying 00:19:33.119 --> 00:19:39.320 - to balance the books and pay for things. And so I think if there's opportunities where we conclude council 00:19:39.320 --> 00:19:42.334 - leadership in the next round of decisions about how 00:19:42.562 --> 00:19:47.825 - We're working through choices and claims rather than having this presented at the tail end and settling 00:19:47.825 --> 00:19:52.886 - bills might be useful as we do forecasts in the budget for the next year. Hopefully that was clear. 00:19:52.886 --> 00:19:57.946 - I know sometimes the audio is choppy coming into the room, but again, thank you for everyone's hard 00:19:57.946 --> 00:20:03.007 - work. Thank you. Any other public comment on this item? You may raise your hand on teams or come to 00:20:03.007 --> 00:20:03.614 - the podium. 00:20:16.226 --> 00:20:26.221 - see none, we'll come back for a vote. All those in favor of approving the 2020-2026 Anthem renewal signify 00:20:26.221 --> 00:20:35.563 - by saying aye. Aye. Motion carries 3-0. Thank you so much. But stay there. We got one more for you. 00:20:35.563 --> 00:20:45.278 - Yep. Move approval of resolution 2025-44, the 2026 Monroe County Government holiday schedule. I second. 00:20:46.178 --> 00:20:53.726 - We have a motion. We have a second E. Thank you for working on this for us this year. We appreciate it. 00:20:54.274 --> 00:21:02.125 - No problem. Tell us all about it. Yeah, so this is the holiday schedule for 2026, which includes the 00:21:02.125 --> 00:21:09.897 - primary and general election days. And it also includes an additional holiday on January 2nd due to 00:21:09.897 --> 00:21:17.670 - the day that falls in the week. So we've got the two holidays on the Wednesday and Thursday. And so 00:21:17.670 --> 00:21:23.966 - that's just an additional day because that can be a challenge for people, right? 00:21:25.858 --> 00:21:34.884 - I got it. Thank you. Any comments? So there's no floating holidays this year, just to be clear. Yeah, 00:21:34.884 --> 00:21:43.821 - with those election days, that covers those. Right. Any comments or questions, Commissioner Madeira? 00:21:43.821 --> 00:21:52.670 - No, it's good to get this stuff locked down. Commissioner Jones? No, I don't. I appreciate it. It's 00:21:52.670 --> 00:21:54.174 - very consistent. 00:21:54.562 --> 00:22:10.695 - Good work on that. And I'm going to see if there's any public comments on this item. Seeing none, all 00:22:10.695 --> 00:22:22.558 - those in favor of approving resolution 2025-44 signify by saying aye. Aye. 00:22:22.914 --> 00:22:32.448 - Motion carries 3-0. And we will, thank you. Yep, thank you very much. And we'll move on to the next 00:22:32.448 --> 00:22:42.172 - item. Move approval of Strasser Construction Company, Inc. Agreement for Election Central Renovations 00:22:42.172 --> 00:22:51.134 - at Showers Building North. Fund name 2025 GEO Bond. There is no fund number and the amount is 00:22:51.650 --> 00:23:05.388 - $653,600. I second. We have a motion and a second, Mr. Kreider. This is a little cart and horse, but 00:23:05.388 --> 00:23:15.454 - we're very soon, hopefully, going to have the vote on the GEO bond again. 00:23:16.098 --> 00:23:25.461 - commissioners. We have a few minutes. So this is if all goes well, please tell us about this. All right. 00:23:25.461 --> 00:23:34.557 - Good morning, commissioners. We've recently received bids for renovations at the showers building for 00:23:34.557 --> 00:23:42.494 - Election Central. Um the. Professional services provider sent a letter of recommendation 00:23:42.658 --> 00:23:48.935 - Dear Mr. Kreider, we are pleased to recommend award to Strouser Construction Company Inc. as the most 00:23:48.935 --> 00:23:55.520 - responsible and responsive bid for the renovations in Showers North for the Monroe County election central 00:23:55.520 --> 00:24:01.674 - renovations. Their bid packet included the project bid form and required attachments, State Form 96 00:24:01.674 --> 00:24:08.443 - and the Affidavit of Compliance. We reviewed Strouser Construction Company Inc.'s material and subcontractors 00:24:08.443 --> 00:24:11.582 - list for the project and have found it acceptable. 00:24:11.682 --> 00:24:19.171 - Our firm has multiple project experiences working with Strouser Construction Company, Inc. on a range 00:24:19.171 --> 00:24:26.513 - of project scales and types and can speak to the care they put into their work and their ability to 00:24:26.513 --> 00:24:34.002 - deliver a project on schedule. We recommend accepting Strouser Construction Co.'s Inc.'s base bid and 00:24:34.002 --> 00:24:40.830 - alternate bid pricing as follows for a total contract amount of $653,600. So with that said, 00:24:40.994 --> 00:24:47.809 - This request is to accept the proposal submitted by Strouser Construction Company Inc. in the amount 00:24:47.809 --> 00:24:54.625 - of $653,600 to furnish all material and labor and perform all work necessary to complete renovations 00:24:54.625 --> 00:25:01.642 - for election central in accordance with the contract documents. Wow. Excellent work. You made that look 00:25:01.642 --> 00:25:09.470 - easy, and I know it took a long time to get to that point, so thank you. Comments or questions? Commissioner Jones? 00:25:09.890 --> 00:25:18.804 - I don't. Commissioner Madera? No. So initially we'd received a much higher estimate from the architect 00:25:18.804 --> 00:25:27.459 - and the firm about what it would cost to create this space and we have to create the space. This is 00:25:27.459 --> 00:25:30.142 - for the elections early voting 00:25:30.274 --> 00:25:49.337 - to get that price cut. That's a great question. Um, initial estimates came in at 1.3 to 1.5 million. 00:25:49.337 --> 00:25:52.734 - And at that time, 00:25:52.834 --> 00:26:03.266 - It's zoned as an office space, the occupancy. And changing it to early voting changes the occupancy, 00:26:03.266 --> 00:26:13.698 - which required additional construction, a lot of extra materials, labor, man hours, because you need 00:26:13.698 --> 00:26:17.726 - to completely encapsulate the ceiling. 00:26:17.826 --> 00:26:24.623 - When you walk in, you see an eight-foot ceiling with a suspended ceiling. Actually, above that, it goes 00:26:24.623 --> 00:26:31.485 - several feet higher to the floor above, and we were going to have to encapsulate all that. Well, because 00:26:31.485 --> 00:26:38.021 - of the limited use of the space, twice a year, I think, we were actually able to receive a variance 00:26:38.021 --> 00:26:42.334 - through the state to maintain the current occupancy, and it saved 00:26:42.434 --> 00:26:51.169 - it saved a lot of man hours and material. A lot of money for county taxpayers too. It reduced our bond 00:26:51.169 --> 00:27:00.074 - request for the GEO bond. So thank you for working on that and for getting that variance from the state. 00:27:00.074 --> 00:27:08.555 - I appreciate that. As do all county residents. Thank you for that. And we should be on schedule for 00:27:08.555 --> 00:27:10.590 - the spring early voting 00:27:10.786 --> 00:27:17.681 - we're on schedule. Excellent. Excellent. Thank you. In fact, the the Strauser they've been great to 00:27:17.681 --> 00:27:24.783 - work with. They're doing a lot of the behind of the scenes things to prepare and gear up so that we're 00:27:24.783 --> 00:27:31.884 - not just we're going to hit the ground running. Great. Thank you for that and your attention to detail 00:27:31.884 --> 00:27:33.470 - on this project is is. 00:27:33.762 --> 00:27:41.734 - Thank you. Let's see if there's any public comment on this item. You can raise your hand on teams or 00:27:41.734 --> 00:27:49.154 - come to the podium. Have Ms Ferris from the clerk's office. Good morning. You need to unmute. 00:27:49.154 --> 00:27:57.205 - There you go. Thank you. Good morning. Good morning, commissioners. I just want to say thank you very 00:27:57.205 --> 00:28:02.494 - much to Richard Crider for working very digitally on this with us. 00:28:02.658 --> 00:28:10.619 - and ensuring that all of the needs that are needed are being met. I also want to say thank you to you, 00:28:10.619 --> 00:28:18.580 - the commissioners for making sure that this is getting done and ready to roll for the primary election 00:28:18.580 --> 00:28:24.222 - in May. Great. Thank you so much. Yes. Thank you. And we appreciate that 00:28:24.418 --> 00:28:35.038 - you and others from the clerk's office have worked with Mr. Kreider throughout this planning process 00:28:35.038 --> 00:28:45.973 - to get this all set up and to make sure that the space will work. And I believe it will and everybody's 00:28:45.973 --> 00:28:53.438 - happy. So excellent. Any other public comment on this item? All right. 00:28:53.794 --> 00:29:04.478 - Seeing none, all those in favor of approving the Strouser Construction Company Inc. agreement for election 00:29:04.478 --> 00:29:13.864 - central renovations at Showers Building North signify by saying aye. Aye. Motion carries 3-0. 00:29:13.864 --> 00:29:22.750 - Thank you. Thank you. Next item please. Move approval of the 2026-27 written plan to use 00:29:22.914 --> 00:29:52.062 - that we have a motion. We have a motion and we have a second. This I will step in here. This is. 00:29:52.290 --> 00:30:06.563 - County Council wanted to reduce the general litigation bond amount. This will add a $905,000 project 00:30:06.563 --> 00:30:19.422 - to food and beverage funding to ensure that the Monroe County Nature Preserve is ready for 00:30:19.746 --> 00:30:30.752 - that we are receiving residents and visitors and obviously we do believe that this is. A tourist attraction 00:30:30.752 --> 00:30:40.942 - and in that way it fulfills the requirements. For the food and beverage fund so there is a food and 00:30:40.942 --> 00:30:49.502 - beverage tax advisory commission meeting tomorrow- and if we approve this I will be 00:30:49.602 --> 00:30:55.174 - Um, Mr. Cockrell, did you have anything you wanted to add? Oh, this is a state required document that 00:30:55.174 --> 00:31:00.964 - we have to file with the state of Indiana and presumably with that, uh, the Indiana coach section dealing 00:31:00.964 --> 00:31:06.536 - with this. And I would also say, uh, this somewhat reflects some of the conversations that was at the 00:31:06.536 --> 00:31:11.998 - previous, uh, food and beverage advisory commission as well. There was, there was some comments by, 00:31:11.998 --> 00:31:17.406 - by some of the other members of that board about utilizing some of that funding for this property. 00:31:18.434 --> 00:31:26.838 - right but that was to build athletic fields which we're not going to do that's yeah that's a very different 00:31:26.838 --> 00:31:34.853 - thing but yes but but we were hopeful i mean this has this is work that has to get done to ensure that 00:31:34.853 --> 00:31:43.102 - the park is accessible to the public and that's something we have to do in order to receive this gift and 00:31:43.330 --> 00:31:51.433 - So it's vital that this gets done. And since we cannot use geobond funding, this works well. So any 00:31:51.433 --> 00:31:59.698 - questions from my colleagues, Commissioner Jones? No, I don't. Thank you. Commissioner Madeira? Okay. 00:31:59.698 --> 00:32:06.910 - Any public comment on this item? You can raise your hand on Teams or come to the podium. 00:32:20.226 --> 00:32:28.537 - Seeing none, all those in favor of approving the revised 2026-27 written plan to use food and beverage 00:32:28.537 --> 00:32:36.929 - tax funds for Monroe County, signify by saying aye. Aye. Motion carries 3-0. Thank you to my colleagues 00:32:36.929 --> 00:32:42.174 - for supporting that. And we'll move on to the next item, please. 00:32:42.754 --> 00:32:53.878 - Move approval of resolution 2025-38-C, approving the issuance of a general obligation bond, fund name 00:32:53.878 --> 00:33:04.892 - and number to be determined in an amount up to $6 million. I second. All right, we have a motion and 00:33:04.892 --> 00:33:08.382 - we have a second. Mr. Caldwell. 00:33:08.546 --> 00:33:15.018 - Yes, and this is the third time we've done this. This is just changing the project list, and this project 00:33:15.018 --> 00:33:21.429 - list is changed to reflect what was approved by the county council on Tuesday night. I think the primary 00:33:21.429 --> 00:33:27.595 - changes were justice building repair, and we removed, I think, the YSV, more of the placement of the 00:33:27.595 --> 00:33:33.823 - justice building repair, so that the modifier of the clerk space, it's clear that it's going to be in 00:33:33.823 --> 00:33:35.166 - the showers building. 00:33:36.994 --> 00:33:44.795 - I'd like to also add that additionally you added a body scanner for the sheriff's office as well as 00:33:44.795 --> 00:33:52.596 - to jail transport vehicles that were not previously correct and and while and we dropped the nature 00:33:52.596 --> 00:34:00.632 - preserve because we just we're going to put it in food and beverage. So that falls under equipment for 00:34:00.632 --> 00:34:03.518 - the sheriff's department. Yes. Okay. 00:34:03.650 --> 00:34:11.569 - vehicles and vehicles. And vehicles. Yes, and vehicles. And vehicles are there. I was thinking about 00:34:11.569 --> 00:34:19.253 - the scanners. Yes. Thank you. Okay. All right. Any comments or questions? Commissioner Jones? No, 00:34:19.253 --> 00:34:27.094 - I don't. Commissioner Madeira? Nope. I'm grateful that we got this process wrangled through earlier 00:34:27.094 --> 00:34:30.622 - this week. Yeah. Who needs sleep? All right. 00:34:33.250 --> 00:34:52.918 - any public comment on this item? You raise your hand on teams or come to the podium. All right. Seeing 00:34:52.918 --> 00:35:03.038 - none all those in favor of approving resolution 2025 00:35:03.298 --> 00:35:12.091 - We can actually get Strouser construction working on the showers building. All right. Next item, please. 00:35:12.091 --> 00:35:20.466 - Move approval of ordinance 2025-40 to amend various traffic ordinances. I second. We have a motion. 00:35:20.466 --> 00:35:27.166 - We have a second. We have Ms. Ridge here to tell us all about it. Good morning. 00:35:27.266 --> 00:35:34.373 - These items did go before the Traffic Commission on October 16th and they were all approved and they 00:35:34.373 --> 00:35:41.481 - are all warranted within the Indiana MUTCD. It is amending Ordinance 86-09 to add a 20 mile per hour 00:35:41.481 --> 00:35:48.799 - speed limit on Salt Creek Drive, Salt Creek Court, Winfrey Lane, Nomp Creek Road. Amend Ordinance 86-06 00:35:48.799 --> 00:35:51.614 - to delete the following stop locations. 00:35:51.810 --> 00:35:58.393 - balkan drive for Gordon Pike, Wiccan Street for Gordon Pike, Clearview Drive for Gordon Pike, Rockport 00:35:58.393 --> 00:36:04.849 - for Fullerton Pike, Fullerton Pike for Rockport Road, Sunrise Greetings Court for Vernal Pike. Amend 00:36:04.849 --> 00:36:11.496 - 86-06 to add the following stop locations, balkan drive for Fullerton Pike, Wiccan Street for Fullerton 00:36:11.496 --> 00:36:17.887 - Pike. Amend ordinance 86-12 to add the following yield locations. Fullerton Pike for Fullerton Pike 00:36:17.887 --> 00:36:18.654 - Roundabout, 00:36:18.818 --> 00:36:24.651 - for fullerton pike roundabout. Gordon pike for fullerton pike roundabout bachelor drive for fullerton 00:36:24.651 --> 00:36:30.656 - pike roundabout. Amend ordinance zero zero dash thirty two to add the following traffic signal location. 00:36:30.656 --> 00:36:36.489 - That would be at the intersection of fullerton pike and rockport road and intersection of vernal pike 00:36:36.489 --> 00:36:42.494 - and sunrise greetings court. And amend zero zero dash thirty one to add following no turn on red look on 00:36:42.754 --> 00:36:52.867 - location eastbound Fullerton Pike for Rockport Road. This is most of these are in coordinates with the 00:36:52.867 --> 00:37:03.078 - new installation of a roundabout on the Fullerton Pike project. And road name change and the completion 00:37:03.078 --> 00:37:11.326 - of the other big projects, Sunrise, which now has a stoplight on Vernal. All right. 00:37:11.522 --> 00:37:22.585 - the traffic commission. Uh comments or questions. Commissioner Madeira. No a bunch of essential changes 00:37:22.585 --> 00:37:33.967 - and glad again to see this done. Mr Jones. No, I don't. Thank you. All right. Um. I don't have any either, 00:37:33.967 --> 00:37:40.030 - except thank you for. The attention to detail as always. 00:37:40.898 --> 00:37:54.540 - Any public comment on this item? You may raise your hand on teams or come to the podium. Seeing none, 00:37:54.540 --> 00:38:07.648 - all those in favor of approving ordinance 2025-40 signify by saying aye. Aye. Motion carries 3-0. 00:38:07.648 --> 00:38:10.590 - Thank you, Ms. Ridge. 00:38:10.946 --> 00:38:24.915 - All right. I did want to talk through a couple things because, well, first of all, let's go through 00:38:24.915 --> 00:38:39.582 - the usual, which is that we do know that SNAP benefits, Supported Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, 00:38:39.746 --> 00:38:52.830 - going to end Saturday and we are going to be posting something on our website both for those who need 00:38:52.830 --> 00:39:05.914 - food assistance and those who are able to donate and help. One of the things I know is that there are 00:39:05.914 --> 00:39:07.966 - a lot of really 00:39:08.418 --> 00:39:16.699 - generous people in this community. And we've got our friends and neighbors who are hurting across the 00:39:16.699 --> 00:39:24.900 - US. I believe the average is one in eight people receive some sort of nutrition assistance benefits. 00:39:24.900 --> 00:39:33.262 - That's across the country. We do know that there are a number of people in this county who receive it, 00:39:33.262 --> 00:39:36.510 - a number of households that receive it. 00:39:36.866 --> 00:39:47.077 - And one of the things that may help and does always help is going through the pantry and sharing with 00:39:47.077 --> 00:39:57.189 - others in our community. And there are so many food pantries and almost every township trustee has a 00:39:57.189 --> 00:40:05.598 - food pantry of some sort. Of course, there's Mother Hubbard's Cupboard, Pantry 279. 00:40:05.762 --> 00:40:13.810 - Grace Food Pantry down in Harrettsburg. There are too many to name actually, but we will put that up 00:40:13.810 --> 00:40:21.938 - on our website so that if you know someone who needs help, you know where to go. The biggest supplier 00:40:21.938 --> 00:40:29.906 - of food in this community for those in need is the Hoosier Hills Food Bank, and as a food bank, one 00:40:29.906 --> 00:40:35.006 - of the best ways that you can give is to actually donate money. 00:40:35.330 --> 00:40:45.863 - they can buy a lot more food per dollar than you can at a grocery store. And so if you can please open 00:40:45.863 --> 00:40:56.192 - your hearts, your wallets, check on your neighbors and friends and see what you can do to help those 00:40:56.192 --> 00:41:02.430 - in need at this terrible time for them. And we do appreciate 00:41:02.530 --> 00:41:10.185 - all the great folks who volunteer and staff the Hoosier Hills Food Bank and all of the food pantries 00:41:10.185 --> 00:41:17.840 - and other organizations that help people in need. We really, really do appreciate your hard work all 00:41:17.840 --> 00:41:25.571 - year round. But sadly, it's only going to get tougher, at least for the short term. I'm not sure long 00:41:25.571 --> 00:41:30.270 - term if it's going to get much better. I do want to note that 00:41:31.074 --> 00:41:43.943 - We do have office hours, and they are held six times each month. You just go to the calendar at our 00:41:43.943 --> 00:41:57.069 - website, in.gov slash counties slash Monroe. That's our new home base home web page. And while you're 00:41:57.069 --> 00:42:00.286 - there, please sign up to 00:42:00.450 --> 00:42:09.956 - be alerted for any emergencies, whether it be medical, highway or other, through our resident alert 00:42:09.956 --> 00:42:19.843 - service. This is an amazing service and we encourage people to sign up and stay safe. There is the 10th 00:42:19.843 --> 00:42:30.110 - annual Monroe County Childhood Conditions Summit, which will be held on Thursday, November 13th from 8 a.m. 00:42:30.242 --> 00:42:42.017 - to 4 p.m. and that will be at the Monroe County Convention Center. The admission for that event is free 00:42:42.017 --> 00:42:53.566 - and the event is open to the public, of course. We continue to offer the opportunity to donate blood. 00:42:54.114 --> 00:43:08.030 - The next is Wednesday, November 12th, 2025, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Ivy Tech, and Thursday, November 13th, 00:43:08.030 --> 00:43:19.806 - 2025, 1 p.m. to 6 p.m., also at Ivy Tech, rooms C130A and B. Please go to redcross.org. 00:43:19.938 --> 00:43:28.476 - to make an appointment. We also have in our minutes a list of phone numbers and email addresses for 00:43:28.476 --> 00:43:37.100 - each of our Township Trustees. And again, if you are looking for food resources or assistance during 00:43:37.100 --> 00:43:46.407 - this difficult time, please contact your Township Trustee. They can help you directly or provide information 00:43:46.407 --> 00:43:49.310 - on where you can find assistance. 00:43:49.570 --> 00:44:02.202 - I believe my colleagues may also want to chime in but I've been asked the question after Tuesday's council 00:44:02.202 --> 00:44:14.008 - meeting as what's next and that's a great question because that's pretty much all I think all of us 00:44:14.008 --> 00:44:18.494 - have been thinking about and it's not 00:44:20.034 --> 00:44:36.401 - a great events for us in our lives. We've spent five years on this project. And all along the way, working 00:44:36.401 --> 00:44:50.014 - with the council, all along the way, working with the council. But it's been five years. 00:44:50.914 --> 00:45:09.903 - have had a number of points along the way where we've obviously engaged with, involved council members, 00:45:09.903 --> 00:45:15.198 - board of judges, prosecutor, 00:45:15.586 --> 00:45:24.925 - public defender's office, the clerk's office. It's been a collaborative effort to this point. And we 00:45:24.925 --> 00:45:34.912 - reviewed four properties in 2022. Fullerton Pike, which was the corner of the southeast corner of Fullerton 00:45:34.912 --> 00:45:43.326 - and I-69, was selected as the best site. We wanted to be as close to the city as possible. 00:45:43.874 --> 00:45:52.506 - and that is actually in the city limits. It did require a rezone from the city, but the city planning 00:45:52.506 --> 00:46:01.393 - commission and the city council both denied it, but here they are saying, telling us what to do, telling 00:46:01.393 --> 00:46:10.110 - us that we should work with them. That's a little rich, a little too late. We also actually considered 00:46:10.402 --> 00:46:20.910 - a portion of the Hopewell property as well. It would have divided the jail and the rest of the justice 00:46:20.910 --> 00:46:31.723 - structure, the courts and prosecutor and everything else. It wasn't ideal in that way, but it's downtown, 00:46:31.723 --> 00:46:36.926 - it's close by. We were told no regarding Hopewell. 00:46:37.090 --> 00:46:44.817 - Then we went to look at the Thompson property, property we already owned in the city limits again. 00:46:44.817 --> 00:46:52.701 - This time, it wasn't the city that stood in our way. It was Mother Nature and, of course, all of the 00:46:52.701 --> 00:47:00.506 - people who have owned the property in the past. There is a massive 10-acre mound of dirt that would 00:47:00.506 --> 00:47:03.550 - have to be moved, electrical supports, 00:47:04.546 --> 00:47:14.304 - would have to be moved and removed by Duke, which would be at least a two and a half year delay plus 00:47:14.304 --> 00:47:24.159 - another two million dollars. The city would have to approve us to build in this quarry sinkhole area. 00:47:24.159 --> 00:47:34.110 - We would have had to do a tree study. It's a lot of time. It's extra money. And we moved on. And as we 00:47:34.402 --> 00:47:45.244 - It was honed in on North Park, which I believe was the favored property for the fact that it is unencumbered. 00:47:45.244 --> 00:47:55.987 - It is not karst-y and likes with cheese. And it is flat. And it doesn't have anything on it. It's available. 00:47:55.987 --> 00:48:02.590 - It's been a favorite for many of us on the inside of this project. 00:48:02.978 --> 00:48:12.011 - So as we were finalizing those last plans, we were asked to consider a Vernal Pike property, 00:48:12.011 --> 00:48:22.307 - because why not? So once again, like we did with Thompson, we met with area residents. They were opposed. 00:48:22.307 --> 00:48:27.358 - But the property is not ideal for a lot of reasons. 00:48:27.778 --> 00:48:37.192 - sinkholes and it's uneven and it would have required a forced annexation for folks on Vernal Pike just 00:48:37.192 --> 00:48:46.515 - to receive sewer service and we weren't happy with being doing the the work of the city for them. But 00:48:46.515 --> 00:48:56.478 - really the property when Ms. Mitovich looked at both properties she said North Park is ideal in terms of its 00:48:56.802 --> 00:49:12.218 - of the property. Um geography and engineering. So, um. We, um, looked at. Um looked at North Park again. 00:49:12.218 --> 00:49:25.726 - We, uh, we asked the Council to support the purchase of the property in 2024. All along the 00:49:27.298 --> 00:49:40.887 - and we have been working with folks in county government, whether they be elected or department heads. 00:49:40.887 --> 00:49:54.475 - And we have been. Working with, um, the good people at D L Z. And it has been a lot of work trying to. 00:49:54.475 --> 00:49:57.246 - Meet the demands and 00:49:57.378 --> 00:50:10.135 - but Scott Carnegie and his staff have done an admirable job and we appreciate their work. And as we're 00:50:10.135 --> 00:50:22.521 - moving into 2025, we had the county council approve the corrections tax to supplement the edit that 00:50:22.521 --> 00:50:25.246 - would both be used to 00:50:25.346 --> 00:50:33.608 - provide a 20-year bond to pay for this facility. And the total cost over 20 years is eye-watering. It's 00:50:33.608 --> 00:50:41.871 - a high number, but this is vital infrastructure. And we've seen what happens when you try to save money 00:50:41.871 --> 00:50:50.133 - on a building. And you can look at the current Justice Building for that answer. We had the funds ready 00:50:50.133 --> 00:50:51.166 - for liftoff. 00:50:52.002 --> 00:51:01.452 - ready to, we need the schematics done and then ask the council for the bond. But then the state legislature 00:51:01.452 --> 00:51:10.640 - intervened and the state legislature, we're ready for takeoff. We had the money. State legislature said, 00:51:10.640 --> 00:51:18.078 - how about three more obstacles for you? Why not? So, and that's where we've been at. 00:51:18.242 --> 00:51:27.820 - Now, again, the council approved the corrections tax. The council approved the purchase agreement. I 00:51:27.820 --> 00:51:37.683 - heard in general for issues raised by various members of the council on Tuesday night or into the early 00:51:37.683 --> 00:51:47.166 - morning hours of Wednesday. And there's no agreement from them. There is no agreement in that group 00:51:48.386 --> 00:51:55.625 - about what to do next. But location, well, there will be bus service. We didn't talk about this. We 00:51:55.625 --> 00:52:02.864 - did talk about this because why would we put a bus route where there's a field with cows right now? 00:52:02.864 --> 00:52:10.320 - We wouldn't start the bus service yet, but there will be bus service. And not everybody lives downtown 00:52:10.320 --> 00:52:15.966 - either. So what do people do now when they get out of the facility? The cost. 00:52:17.474 --> 00:52:27.853 - It's a high number, but we've reduced what came out of the initial plans working with DLC and every 00:52:27.853 --> 00:52:37.920 - single department head, and none of them are happy, which tells you that we've reduced the cost. 00:52:37.920 --> 00:52:42.590 - The size, well, I'm going to borrow from our 00:52:43.458 --> 00:52:53.342 - and say, Google it, Vigo County. See what happens when you don't build an appropriately sized jail. 00:52:53.342 --> 00:53:03.819 - That is not going to help anyone who lives in Monroe County. Legislature, yep, they're always a question. 00:53:03.819 --> 00:53:13.406 - It's always a question. There's never a known there. Certainly, things were super crazy in 2025. 00:53:16.770 --> 00:53:26.421 - I don't see that as a reason to say no, because I don't see that legislature changing anytime soon. 00:53:26.421 --> 00:53:36.169 - And we do not have constitutional care in our jail. We have schematic drawings. Well, not schematic, 00:53:36.169 --> 00:53:46.206 - sorry. We have drawings. We have designs. These are available and present in both our office and in the 00:53:46.658 --> 00:53:54.499 - legal office and we've had the meetings with council. We've certainly had meetings with a number of 00:53:54.499 --> 00:54:02.497 - department heads going through each point, each possibility. We've talked about, I've been in many of 00:54:02.497 --> 00:54:10.495 - those meetings, we've talked about the size of the desk and the aisle way and where's the kitchenette 00:54:10.495 --> 00:54:16.062 - and how big is it and how many people use it. There's a lot of detail. 00:54:16.290 --> 00:54:24.720 - that's already been done, based on North Park. And we have continued to proceed and continue to work 00:54:24.720 --> 00:54:33.400 - based on what the council has approved to date. Now, I ask my colleagues, sorry to put you on the spot, 00:54:33.400 --> 00:54:41.997 - but have any of you received a phone call from any council members since Tuesday night or early Monday 00:54:41.997 --> 00:54:45.502 - or early Wednesday? Have you? About this? 00:54:45.730 --> 00:54:56.612 - and what they plan to do. No, I haven't. There's no agreement on the council and there needs to be enough 00:54:56.612 --> 00:55:06.980 - agreement on the council to build consensus. They've got a lot of work to do. We've done our job and 00:55:06.980 --> 00:55:12.318 - I think we've done our job well. We've done our job 00:55:12.834 --> 00:55:20.891 - because of DLZ, because of Angie, because of Jeff, because of all the people in our office who have 00:55:20.891 --> 00:55:29.028 - helped make this project work. And with all the department heads who participated, thank you. I hope 00:55:29.028 --> 00:55:37.891 - that your work and efforts has not been in vain. So with that, balls in your court, council. But Commissioner 00:55:37.891 --> 00:55:41.758 - Jones, did you have anything you wanted to add? 00:55:44.386 --> 00:55:52.692 - Well, yes, I just hope that moving forward, the council can come together a bit more in agreement. And 00:55:52.692 --> 00:56:00.918 - hopefully, this project will still be able to happen. Commissioner Madeira? Yes, I actually have some 00:56:00.918 --> 00:56:09.547 - thoughts. I previously mentioned on Tuesday that I believe we can't renovate the existing building because 00:56:09.547 --> 00:56:11.966 - of architectural constraints. 00:56:12.226 --> 00:56:18.359 - In addition, in its current form, we can't effectively provide health care, mental health care, vocational, 00:56:18.359 --> 00:56:24.208 - educational, and reentry services. We can't provide adequate recreational space, gender equitable work 00:56:24.208 --> 00:56:30.283 - opportunities, separate people by risk, gender, medical needs, and other factors. But at Tuesday's council 00:56:30.283 --> 00:56:35.962 - meeting, I actually mentioned that despite our admirable community values and our intentions, local 00:56:35.962 --> 00:56:41.470 - efforts can only have so much of an effect on incarceration rates, and that advocacy efforts can 00:56:41.634 --> 00:56:46.142 - actually be really, really effective on the state level. 00:56:46.274 --> 00:56:51.910 - on the local level, certainly, but really primarily on the state level. And so a lot of folks have reached 00:56:51.910 --> 00:56:57.335 - out and asked me what I meant. And so I'd like to talk more a little bit about some of these statewide 00:56:57.335 --> 00:57:02.602 - legislative measures that are coming that will potentially swell our jail populations and that make 00:57:02.602 --> 00:57:07.869 - our current situation even more desperate. So Indiana is a qualified right to bail state right now, 00:57:07.869 --> 00:57:12.926 - meaning that anyone charged with any crime, murder, or treason will have bail set against them. 00:57:13.058 --> 00:57:18.739 - Additionally, there is also a presumption of release and judges utilize a risk assessment tool for bail 00:57:18.739 --> 00:57:20.542 - setting that helps them do that. 00:57:20.642 --> 00:57:26.659 - Currently, though, Indiana doesn't allow for preventative detention. So judges often take matters into 00:57:26.659 --> 00:57:32.675 - their own hands, and they set bail excessively for some offenders. So that makes cash bail a proxy for 00:57:32.675 --> 00:57:38.692 - de facto detention. And statutes in Indiana aren't clear on what constitutes excessive bail. So to fix 00:57:38.692 --> 00:57:45.000 - this, Indiana has proposed a preventative detention measure. We have this, and it says basically, dangerous 00:57:45.000 --> 00:57:50.608 - suspects are to be held without bail. 22 states and the federal government currently have this. 00:57:50.608 --> 00:57:56.982 - of the Indian Constitution. That will allow for all other offenses other than murder or treason to not 00:57:56.982 --> 00:58:03.294 - be bailable. If two factors are meant if proof is evident or the presumption is strong. And the state 00:58:03.294 --> 00:58:09.606 - proves by clear and convincing evidence that no release conditions will reasonably protect the safety 00:58:09.606 --> 00:58:16.166 - of any other person or the community. This requires as a constitutional amendment so it requires language 00:58:16.166 --> 00:58:20.560 - to pass out of a separate general assembly before going to the ballot. 00:58:20.560 --> 00:58:26.796 - for Hoosier citizens to approve. So to take effect, it must pass the General Assembly again, the exact 00:58:26.796 --> 00:58:33.032 - language, in 2526, and it must win voter approval likely on the November 2026 ballot. This is not that 00:58:33.032 --> 00:58:39.087 - far away. It is not yet certified for the ballot, of course, because it has to make its way through 00:58:39.087 --> 00:58:43.870 - this legislature. But if adopted, we can expect a lot more pretrial detention. 00:58:43.970 --> 00:58:50.243 - longer lengths of stay for defendants flagged as dangerous. But note, this process of preventative detention 00:58:50.243 --> 00:58:56.344 - can be subject to misuse and overuse. It provides no instruction to judges. It establishes no due process 00:58:56.344 --> 00:59:02.157 - protections. It offers no guidelines for judges to follow before detaining someone that judges think 00:59:02.157 --> 00:59:07.969 - is, quote unquote, a public safety risk. In addition, we have proposed criminal rule 4D that is open 00:59:07.969 --> 00:59:11.998 - for comment until October 2025. So it's just about current right now. 00:59:12.098 --> 00:59:18.917 - The court has proposed cutting the case continuance period from 90 to 70 days and allowing judges to 00:59:18.917 --> 00:59:25.736 - keep individuals accused of felonies level three to level one and murder jailed during continuances. 00:59:25.736 --> 00:59:30.462 - This means more jailed bedtimes even for a shorter continuance clock. 00:59:30.562 --> 00:59:37.878 - In addition, we have Public Law 197, where arrestees for crimes of violence are to be held until a hearing 00:59:37.878 --> 00:59:44.851 - is held by the court that sets bail individually and in open court. Again, this means longer stays in 00:59:44.851 --> 00:59:50.526 - jail, more people in jail. And there's also a proposal for statewide minimum bail. 00:59:50.690 --> 00:59:56.036 - Currently, Indiana lacks a uniform statewide schedule, so counties set their own provisional amounts. 00:59:56.036 --> 01:00:01.277 - For some reason, state officials are worried that folks lack incentives to show up for their trials 01:00:01.277 --> 01:00:06.623 - or that judges are setting bail too low. So they're looking at imposing a statewide minimum bail that 01:00:06.623 --> 01:00:12.074 - effectively puts people in jail if they cannot afford to post bail. This will disproportionately detain 01:00:12.074 --> 01:00:17.473 - low-income individuals, exacerbate health problems, and have little impact on crime rates, but it will 01:00:17.473 --> 01:00:20.670 - also swell our county jail populations extraordinarily high. 01:00:20.994 --> 01:00:27.294 - We already are facing every legislative session, sentencing, and charging changes that also indirectly 01:00:27.294 --> 01:00:33.655 - swell our jail populations. Outside the bill rules, criminal penalty upgrades mean higher pretrial jail 01:00:33.655 --> 01:00:39.894 - populations and increased costs for counties. In addition, I have a grim and dismal prediction. So in 01:00:39.894 --> 01:00:46.072 - Howard County and in Allen County, which were also under ACLU settlement agreements, they had majors 01:00:46.072 --> 01:00:50.782 - where they were dragging their feats. The ACLU called in the federal courts, 01:00:50.914 --> 01:00:56.829 - they brought the counties to heel in what were called private settlement agreements. That cost the county 01:00:56.829 --> 01:01:02.464 - a great deal of private autonomy, and in addition, the counties ended up building jails. So I have a 01:01:02.464 --> 01:01:08.044 - prediction when our settlement agreement ends, which is going to happen in a couple of months, that 01:01:08.044 --> 01:01:13.735 - we will soon end in a private settlement agreement. We will end up losing our autonomy, our privilege 01:01:13.735 --> 01:01:19.315 - of choice, and we in turn will have to build a jail which might end up being bigger, badder, and in 01:01:19.315 --> 01:01:20.766 - a location we don't want. 01:01:20.930 --> 01:01:30.578 - because we lost our choice and our chance. Thank you for that. I do want to offer the opportunity for 01:01:30.578 --> 01:01:40.225 - Mr. Cockrell and Ms. Purdy if you wish to add anything that we've not addressed because you both been 01:01:40.225 --> 01:01:42.590 - working so hard on this. 01:01:43.170 --> 01:01:49.770 - I just would, the only thing I would add is I don't think anybody really understands the incredible 01:01:49.770 --> 01:01:56.371 - amount of time and effort and really tough decision making that goes through the process that we've 01:01:56.371 --> 01:02:03.235 - gotten to to get to this point. I mean, it was extremely intensive, particularly after the first report 01:02:03.235 --> 01:02:09.836 - where the budget was at 239 million. We have always set the goal and made the requirement and we've 01:02:09.836 --> 01:02:12.542 - expressed it to all our contractors that 01:02:13.154 --> 01:02:19.335 - we are not going to back to the County Council to ask for an increase in the corrections lit, even though 01:02:19.335 --> 01:02:25.400 - there's little room left, we were going to work with what the numbers are of what was already approved. 01:02:25.400 --> 01:02:31.290 - And so we were not going to, we were going to make sure that whatever we came up with fit within the 01:02:31.290 --> 01:02:37.413 - budget as we understood it. And it was just a tremendous amount. And it's, you know, there were meetings 01:02:37.413 --> 01:02:43.070 - we walked out of and said, man, we had to cut things or we had to recommend cuts that, you know, 01:02:43.330 --> 01:02:51.411 - we think are necessary, just to make sure we can comply with the fiscal constraints that we knew about. 01:02:51.411 --> 01:02:59.182 - Thank you for that. Ms. Purdy? I don't have anything in addition to that. I think that yourself and 01:02:59.182 --> 01:03:07.185 - Commissioner Madeira and Mr. Cockrell have pretty much summed it up. It was a gut. I mean, it was just 01:03:07.185 --> 01:03:12.158 - a blow to the gut on Tuesday. And frankly, very depressed about 01:03:12.386 --> 01:03:21.735 - how we're gonna go forward, if we can even go forward. This is just like having the rug pulled out from 01:03:21.735 --> 01:03:31.173 - underneath, yeah. It is easy to say no, it's harder to create and we've spent five years collaboratively 01:03:31.173 --> 01:03:40.702 - getting to the point where we're at on Tuesday and to just be told no, okay, well then what's the option? 01:03:41.666 --> 01:03:51.558 - And I personally don't think I was asked the question about, well, where do you go back to the beginning? 01:03:51.558 --> 01:04:00.890 - And it's like, well, we've spent five years. And we've looked at all of the possible properties. We 01:04:00.890 --> 01:04:10.782 - have a design for a property. We spent money to get there. And we spent money all along the way to survey 01:04:11.138 --> 01:04:20.239 - study the properties that we've been looking at. We spent six months with the city for Fullerton Pike, 01:04:20.239 --> 01:04:29.516 - and that was a no. I don't think any of us should play Groundhog Day and redo that process, but I didn't 01:04:29.516 --> 01:04:37.822 - hear anything else. I don't know that any land's been manufactured and is suddenly available. 01:04:38.082 --> 01:04:45.843 - right downtown where everybody wants it. There are a lot of issues with the downtown. If you look at 01:04:45.843 --> 01:04:53.834 - all the empty storefronts, you may understand that. And local business, we were talking about how often 01:04:53.834 --> 01:05:01.595 - people eat out for lunch when they're in county employees, and the answer is not often. But a lot of 01:05:01.595 --> 01:05:07.742 - them do order in, and that can happen anywhere in the county. But North Park is 01:05:07.874 --> 01:05:16.578 - right outside the city limits. And I do mean right outside. Just because you're crossing a highway doesn't 01:05:16.578 --> 01:05:24.876 - mean it's a continent away. It's across the highway. It is available land. It is flat land. It's good 01:05:24.876 --> 01:05:33.092 - land to build on. And we had an opportunity to do so. I don't know what happens next either. But I'm 01:05:33.092 --> 01:05:35.614 - sure you're eager to hear from 01:05:36.482 --> 01:05:46.485 - I'm not going to say no to anyone on the council who wants to talk about what they are going to do. 01:05:46.485 --> 01:05:55.987 - Rather than just say no to. So. With that, I think we've provided all the information we have. 01:05:55.987 --> 01:06:05.790 - At this moment, and we will keep everyone updated as as we move along. Yeah, I think if there are 01:06:06.050 --> 01:06:15.130 - we have no more time. The time essentially has run out. And so I think that's the sticking point here. 01:06:15.130 --> 01:06:23.945 - And we have inmates in prison who are suffering. And so we have a lawsuit breathing down our necks. 01:06:23.945 --> 01:06:32.760 - And these solutions that are out there, whatever they are, must include solutions that defray these 01:06:32.760 --> 01:06:35.934 - problems, as well as solutions that 01:06:36.482 --> 01:06:44.255 - don't expend taxpayer dollars needlessly to keep resuscitating a dying building. Right. And yes, to 01:06:44.255 --> 01:06:52.028 - protect our staff, to protect those folks who are currently incarcerated in the Monroe County Jail. 01:06:52.028 --> 01:06:59.801 - And for our community at large, we need to get this done. And I would love to live in a world where 01:06:59.801 --> 01:07:03.454 - there are no jails. That world does not exist. 01:07:05.090 --> 01:07:12.950 - I would love to live in a world where we talk this through until we all come to a consensus. That world 01:07:12.950 --> 01:07:20.809 - doesn't exist either because there are folks who say there should be zero jail. Well, good luck telling 01:07:20.809 --> 01:07:27.913 - a federal judge that when we have no jail. We are constitutionally required to provide a jail 01:07:27.913 --> 01:07:34.110 - as commissioners. Not my favorite thing in the world. I'd much rather be building 01:07:34.562 --> 01:07:42.452 - treatment centers and schools and recreation areas and a thousand other things I would rather build. 01:07:42.452 --> 01:07:50.419 - But we do have an obligation. And that is to protect our community, protect our staff who work in the 01:07:50.419 --> 01:07:58.543 - criminal justice system, to protect the people who are there, to provide for treatment and medical care 01:07:58.543 --> 01:08:03.230 - and constitutional care for inmates. That's our obligation. 01:08:04.034 --> 01:08:10.540 - Again, 100 are the things I'd rather build. But we have to do this. We have to do this. Yeah. If there 01:08:10.540 --> 01:08:16.983 - was some way to have some community, county, government conversation accelerated on steroids, I would 01:08:16.983 --> 01:08:23.362 - love to have that. That would just zoom us forward into the future. But I just can't foresee any way 01:08:23.362 --> 01:08:29.868 - to make that happen on the current timeline. Right. And I will tell you, those are conversations we've 01:08:29.868 --> 01:08:33.342 - been having all along the way for the last five years. 01:08:33.570 --> 01:08:41.629 - Yeah, there were some new faces in the room Tuesday night, but there were some familiar faces. But these 01:08:41.629 --> 01:08:49.458 - are conversations that we've been having all along. And so to have another, OK, but I don't know what 01:08:49.458 --> 01:08:57.211 - that gets us. Because to say no is easy. To build and create and to collaborate and to do as much as 01:08:57.211 --> 01:09:02.814 - you can is hard. And it takes time. And that's been the last five years. 01:09:03.138 --> 01:09:15.969 - I'm just thinking about the number of public meetings that were held over the past few years regarding 01:09:15.969 --> 01:09:24.190 - the search for property and. Um you guys received a lot of public 01:09:24.322 --> 01:09:32.805 - people, nobody wants this facility in their backyard. That is just a fact. We're not going to ever be 01:09:32.805 --> 01:09:41.122 - able to make everybody happy. And as I said before, it's extremely frustrating. We've expended over 01:09:41.122 --> 01:09:49.605 - $3 million already at this point in time on this project. We have a failing building that is not just 01:09:49.605 --> 01:09:52.350 - a jail. The entire facility is a 01:09:52.450 --> 01:10:00.590 - is a nightmare. And it's not that it wasn't cared for. I do want to put that out there. You just cannot 01:10:00.590 --> 01:10:08.573 - renovate a building while it's occupied 24-7 to the level that would need to have been renovated, but 01:10:08.573 --> 01:10:16.400 - it still wouldn't have been provided the necessary space for the jail. So that comment was specific 01:10:16.400 --> 01:10:22.270 - to the people who are working that are not part of the 24-7 jail facility. 01:10:23.170 --> 01:10:31.060 - It's I don't know what else you guys can do. I really don't. Yeah. And a lot of the members of the public 01:10:31.060 --> 01:10:38.801 - were calling it our project. And yes, commissioners have to provide the building. That is our job. That 01:10:38.801 --> 01:10:46.393 - is our constitutional requirement, statutory requirement to provide a jail. But this project has been 01:10:46.393 --> 01:10:48.254 - collaborative all along. 01:10:48.418 --> 01:10:55.656 - And there are things I'm not excited about. There are things that others aren't excited about. And it 01:10:55.656 --> 01:11:02.893 - runs the gamut. There are things about this building, not quite what I envisioned, but we have to cut 01:11:02.893 --> 01:11:10.131 - costs or we have to make this work. And this is part of building such a huge project. You would think 01:11:10.131 --> 01:11:16.446 - for that much money, it should be exactly what we want. But what is it that we all want? 01:11:16.642 --> 01:11:24.859 - We are not all going to agree on that. If we sat down right now and drew out our ideal facility space, 01:11:24.859 --> 01:11:33.395 - it would not look the same at all. And so we have to be careful. We cannot be reckless. We have to provide 01:11:33.395 --> 01:11:41.692 - a facility. And again, easy to say no, difficult to do the work. And we have to provide a facility that 01:11:41.692 --> 01:11:46.558 - will serve us now as well as it will 50 years in the future. 01:11:49.282 --> 01:11:59.674 - So everybody Google vehicle county. So if you want a small facility, great. All right, I think we've 01:11:59.674 --> 01:12:09.964 - done enough here. Yes, I think we've responded. OK, I'm sure we will have more to say. But for now, 01:12:09.964 --> 01:12:16.446 - what I will let folks know is that we do have our next meeting 01:12:17.250 --> 01:12:28.322 - which is Thursday, November 6th, and we do not have a work session today. So with that, we are adjourned. 01:12:28.322 --> 01:12:33.022 - Thank you everyone for letting us speak out.