Good morning. I'm going to call to order this meeting of the Monroe County Board of Commissioners. It
is Thursday, December 11th. If you're having conversations, if you could move that outside, we'd appreciate
it. Thank you so much. Just outside the doors there. Thank you. We will begin. I will note for the record
that all three commissioners are here and present in the Nattie Hill room, and we'll begin with the
public statement read by Commissioner Madera.
We, the Monroe County Board of Commissioners, renew our commitment to welcome and protect the rights
of all people, regardless of age, race, color, creed, disability, sexual orientation, gender,
gender identity, marital status, economic status, and national origin. And we affirm the right of every
person to live peacefully and without fear. And we will fight and resist at every step discrimination
and harmful policies, whatever their source. We believe in diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.
We also stand in support of our county public school systems
both RBD and MCC SC. All right, thank you so much. Next, we will move on to our department updates.
Do we have the health department here? Good morning. Yes. Good morning, commissioners. So just a few updates.
According to the Indiana Department of Health dashboard, as of December 9th, emergency department visits
for COVID-like illness remain stable, so not seeing changes there, but wastewater concentrations are
continuing to trend up. According to data from WastewaterScan, flu levels are low and RSV levels have
dropped to very low.
Just as a reminder, vaccinations help to reduce your chances of getting infected and can prevent serious
illness and death. Vaccines are available through the public health clinic. You can call 812-353-3244
for an appointment. Thank you so much. Comments or questions? Commissioner Jones? No, I don't. Commissioner
Madeira? No, thank you. I don't have any either. Thank you so much. Next, we have an update from
Parks and Veterans Affairs, Ms. Whitmer and Mr. Miller. Good morning. Good morning. All right.
Good morning, commissioners. I wanted to just talk to you a little bit about the new 988 suicide prevention
benches that were recently purchased by the Monroe County Parks Department. They ordered 40 new benches
that will be distributed around the county. Right now, what I would like to mention about that is that
they're a powerful message
to let folks know that help is always available. Each bench serves as a quiet reminder that someone
in crisis can reach out by dialing 988, then pressing 1. Excuse me, that will get veterans connected
to a qualified veteran crisis caseworker. And I wanted to also just give a heartfelt thank you to the
entire Parks Department and Kelly for putting this together. I think it's an incredible project.
They'll be located at Cars Farm Park, Cars Farm Greenway, Flatwoods Park, Limestone Greenway, Will Dettmer
Park, Jackson Creek Park, and Monroe County Nature Preserve. They're very well built. We had to go up
to Pendleton facility to go get them.
and high security and that we look like the Beverly Hillbillies with the 40 benches, but we got them
all strapped down. My grandma didn't come with us, but it's really exciting to have these benches because
people go on walks and hikes in our parks and sometimes they need help and hopefully this might be of
assistance, not just to veterans, but to anyone who needs any assistance. Awesome.
And that is important to note that anyone can call 988 and get assistance. All right. Thank you. Thank
you both. That's really good news and a really nice way to enforce the message. I was just going to
say, I hope you stop for vittles on the way home. But anyway, no, this is very cool. Thank you so much.
You're very welcome. I had one more thing I would like to mention. Oh, please. That's OK. On Saturday,
there will be wreaths across America. Right now, weather dependent, but right now we're pressing forward.
And we're going to have the, excuse me, the main ceremony is going to be at the Elks Club at 1030 on
Saturday morning with wreath laying following at Rose Hill at about noon.
Excuse me, there will be about 10 locations this year in Monroe County and around the area. Of course,
Rose Hill, White Oak Cemetery, Gossport Cemetery, Unionville Cemetery, Shiloh Cemetery, the Valhalla
Elks Rest, Burgund Cemetery, South Union, Prairie Chapel in Lyons, and Dog Island in Lyons.
So those all are going to have their ceremonies. Hopefully it'll all turn out the way we hope to, but
the weather is going to depend on things. So we're really excited about that. Thank you again.
Thank you. Do you have comments or questions on the benches? Just that it's a great idea and pretty
exciting. I'm glad it's being done. Great message. Thank you very much. All right.
Any other departments have an update for us? I see a hand raised, but I can't. Ah, Dr. Baten from GIS.
Good morning. Hey, everybody. Can you hear me? Yes. OK, I was going to come down, but I figured I'd
show on my computer instead.
TSC, am I able to share my screen? Are you guys able to see my screen? Yes. Oh, you are. Okay, perfect.
Hey, yeah, so I just wanted to showcase we've been collaborating with our emergency management team,
and we've developed a new
map that's showing the locations of the warming stations that will be open this weekend when we're facing
these bitterly cold temperatures. So I'll just navigate to how to get to this. It is mobile friendly
and everything like that. So if you go to departments, to emergency management, and we'll be sharing
this on our social links and stuff like that as well. And then important news and information. Here's
the map of the warming station locations. You get like a little disclaimer here. If you hit OK,
And you have the locations of all the warming stations. You can essentially zoom into the map,
drop a pointer, and it's going to give you a list of the locations within a specific radius from where
you are. You can click on this, and you can say Bloomington Fire Station 1, and it will
showcase where that is, you can click on the link here, too, and it'll give you an image of what the
location looks like in case folks are curious as to where they're going. A lot of feedback happening.
There we go. This is mobile-friendly, as I said, and so if you click on this link on a mobile device,
it will be functioning appropriately on your screen and things like that. So, yeah, just wanted to get
an update and show the kind of collaboration with
Emergency Management, Surveyor's Office, GIS Division, and NTSD. And yeah, this will be up on the county
site and all of our socials and things like that. So that's it. Great. Thank you so much. Comments or
questions? Commissioner Jones? Yeah, thank you so much for thinking of this and making it happen. With
the weather that's coming up, it could make a big difference for a lot of people. Commissioner Maduro?
I echo Commissioner Jones's comments. Thank you so much. Thank you, Dr. Baten. Appreciate you.
Thank you. Anyone else for a department update? Did you? Oh, you were looking over here. So the commissioners
have an update for the public.
regarding the situation at Thompson, and I'm just going to read the statement and then follow up with
a little additional information. We fervently believe people are safer and healthier when they live
indoors, especially during the winter months. We have worked with Health Net, the City of Bloomington,
and local not-for-profits and community groups to identify reasonable accommodations for people who
currently reside on the Thompson property. Let's be clear, there are people trespassing on county property
and there are no appropriate public health sanitary facilities present. The sheriff has indicated that
he will not remove people from the Thompson property at this juncture. Our hands are tied.
We fear the worst, but we hope for the best. There is a broader community issue that this is a symptom
of. We will be part of the solution, but it will require that we, along with the county council and
the city of Bloomington, the mayor's office and the city council need to work together. This is a,
community problem and we recognize that. So at one o'clock today we will have a community conversation
with folks who are interested and we hope to learn more and engage in a productive conversation
about long-term solutions, what those look like and how we can get there. We are really interested in
hearing from the community and we know that there are people all across this community who are interested
and concerned and care deeply for people in our community who have less than we do. And
So that will be at one o'clock. And as we move into public comment today, it is for items that are not
on our agenda. And so with this being on our agenda, public comment is reserved for items not on our
agenda. And it is limited to three minutes per speaker. And we do ask
for folks to give their name and their county of residence. You can join us via Teams or you can step
up to the podium here in the NatU Hill Room. But if you're here to discuss the issue of the unhoused
and Thompson, that will wait till one o'clock at which point we will have
comment and or conversation, whichever folks prefer. So I see a couple of hands raised online. I don't
see a name, but it is coming up under the letter A. I oppose the evictions that are happening in Bloomington.
Thank you. But that is going to be discussed at one o'clock. So please join us then. Under the letter
L. Looks like Lorraine.
Okay, we can come back to the NETU Hill Room, but again, these are folks who have spoken already last
week on this issue, and we are not going to hear this issue during public comment, but we will hear
it at one o'clock. So do you have an item that is not on our agenda that you'd like to discuss? I do.
Thank you. Hi, my name is Gabriel. I'll wait till that clock starts.
I wore this outfit so that you would recognize me specifically, Ms. Thomas. I would like to talk about
Bloomington's White Flag Policy, which is technically not on your agenda. Now, this policy outlines
the total amount of beds that Bloomington has for the unhoused. Once again, not on the agenda. When
you add them up, it is 259 beds, according to the January 2025 Census of Humvees.
unhoused individuals within Bloomington. There are 305. We understand that number two have ballooned.
We also understand that the census does not pull from faith providers for its counts. Knowing that,
your white flag agenda is short beds. I figure that may be pertinent to items that may be on the agenda,
but it's hard to say. Secondarily, I would like to not apologize for calling you a murderer last week.
Once again, I wore this outfit so that you would recognize me. You continue to obfuscate the public will
You continue to push meetings past vote times and commissioner dates. You continue to silence voices
by sneaking things onto the agenda like this. You continue to make public statements without listening
to the facts, without listening to service providers. I know Health Net's on the agenda, and I'll be
there talking about its absolute inability to provide services as you have described. I do hope people
stand up and speak on this topic in spite
of your actions to silence us. We are your constituency. We will be speaking at this meeting, and you
will cost lives if you do not change course of action. Hi, my name is Sid Das. I live in Monroe County,
and I'd like to talk about the public presence here, which I do not believe is on the agenda either.
So you are saying that if we want to talk about some of the issues on the agenda, such as Health Net
or the camp evictions, that we have to wait till 1 PM when there is a work session. You have the public
here filling out this entire room at 10 AM on a Thursday when most people are usually at work. We've
had to take off time for this. And instead, you're trying to postpone when we can discuss this till
after the county meeting. I just don't get the logic there unless if
Your goal is just to slide this under the rug and follow through with your evictions. Yeah. And sorry.
It's going to take a sec. Yeah. I mean, we're here to show that we are going to be keeping an eye on
everything that you do and that all of us strongly oppose evictions in general. You have the Sheriff's
Office and the County Council all in opposition
of any evictions in the winter yet you can't even commit to putting this off till the spring. We have
all made it clear that we oppose evictions in general as a whole and all we're asking right now is a
pause on these till the spring and you can't even provide that commitment. You mentioned being
in collaboration with different branches of the city, different organizations around town.
Health Net is going to be on the agenda, but I'd just like to point out that when they supposedly showed
up to help people move during an eviction that happened on Monday still, in the peak of freezing weather,
they showed up, took people's belongings in their truck, and never showed up again despite their promises
to be back there. So these are the organizations that you're saying that you partner with to help people
make it through the winter and find better conditions to stay in. I just wanted to bring that up. Lastly,
I want to talk about the cumulative capital. To be clear, if you're going to use that for evictions,
you have to declare an emergency, which you have not done so. Nor do I know that there are any plans
to do so moving forward when you're planning to pay corporations to carry out these evictions.
So if you do plan to carry this out in the winter anytime soon, we'll be aware of that and know that's
in violation of your own policy. So just want to make that clear as well. So last thing, will you choose
to stay the evictions until April 1st at the earliest? We will be here until you choose to stay the
eviction until April 1st.
Is that what you'll do today? All right, your time is up today. Thank you. That's why we're having a
conversation at 1 o'clock. We take public comment. You all asked for a conversation. We're very happy
to do that at 1 o'clock, dedicated time to
exchange information and ideas. So we're looking forward to that. Public comment is a time for us to
receive comment, not to have a conversation. So next up, please. Hi, my name is Jeremy Nottingham. I
wanted to talk a little bit about the fragility of life
in this city. I live in Bloomington, which is a beautiful city. I live in a great neighborhood.
My neighborhood across the street has about 20 of those inflatable Christmas decorations. I love it.
Every morning I get up and it warms my heart. Today I woke up in a nice warm bed. And the first thing
I did was get my adorable little dog and took her outside into the freezing cold. It was cold today.
Then I went to the freezer and, well,
I got some food out for her. She looks forward to breakfast every morning. I got some food out of the
freezer for myself and made breakfast. It was great. And we sat in front of the TV on the couch. And
she and I, we just kind of cuddled for a little while. She snoozed. She's an expert at snoozing. She's
really good at naps. I was thinking about how easy it would be for me to lose all of this. It wouldn't
be hard at all for this to happen. It's not unrealistic. In fact, I lie awake.
without sleep every night thinking about what would it take. I miss two rent payments because I can't
afford to own a house. I miss two rent payments and the next thing that happens is there's an eviction
notice on my door. And what that means is if I don't leave on time, if I don't go somewhere, people
with guns will show up and tell me to leave. And they'll say you can take whatever you can carry and
whatever you leave in the house, it's not yours anymore.
I can't carry my bed. I can't carry my furnace. I can't carry my freezer. I'll take a bag of dog food,
I guess. Maybe a loaf of bread. Maybe some worn clothes. And my little dog, Pie. Her name is Pie. Not
like the food, but like the Greek letter. And I would have to go somewhere. Where would I go? Well,
I'm lucky because my son and his partner and their little baby, their little six-month-old daughter,
Her name is Robin. And apologies. Anybody have a grandchild or a child? And no offense, but Robin is
the most beautiful girl in the world. So I'm sure yours is very nice. And that's great. She's the apple
of my eye. They would probably take me in. I could probably sleep on their couch. And they're lucky,
because Asher's
My son, his partner Ayanna, her grandmother, their grandmother has let them live in the house that she
owns. And I could stay with them. But what would it take for them to lose their house? It could burn
down tomorrow. And where would they go? They and their dog and their three cats and ran through Little
Robin. And me and my little dog, where would we go? There are shelters in town.
There are a couple of them. But where would they go? Where would little Robin live? Maybe Robin and
her mother could live in a shelter for a few days, maybe a few months. I can live on the street.
I am tough. Your time's up. So if you could complete your thought, thank you. Absolutely. Life is short.
Life is fragile. And we need to think about the people for whom life is even more fragile than ours.
Thank you. Thank you.
Next up, please. Hi. My name is Mo. I wanted to speak to the fact that, Julie Thomas, I see you wearing
a mask, and I'm so grateful to see that. I'm somebody who wears a mask everywhere. I care about the
health and safety of the people around me, and I care about my own health. I am curious about the hypocrisy
of speaking about the health crisis of living outside and saying that people need to live inside.
with literally no solution to get people inside. As many people have said before me, there are not enough
beds. Also something that we just spoke about a little bit with this last person is even where there
are beds, the situation is not always worth it for people. If you have an animal or a pet that you're
not willing to leave behind, you kind of just have to. And you are requiring people to give up family members.
And also, I have been homeless myself. I ran away from home at 18 because I am a survivor of domestic violence.
I was homeless for two months. I am incredibly privileged because I was able to couch surf. I had enough
people and friends who I was able to stay with. I was incredibly privileged because my family, who was
still behind, took care of our pets. They were stuck with our abuser for nine months after me. I was
able to leave, and I wasn't always sure where I was gonna get food, but I was always, I was able to
survive, and I never had to actually set up and stay somewhere and get harassed continuously.
You are asking people to lay down and accept death. That is completely unacceptable. And I do not know
how you live with yourself, considering you are somebody here who is wearing a mask. I love that. Where
is this hypocrisy coming from? Thank you. Next up, please.
My name is Liam Pizzano, and I would like to take this opportunity to comment on the proper usage of
public comment and public comment forums. I actually do think it's good to have a period where our board
of commissioners does just listen. I hope that they take the opportunity for this time to look internally.
and not focus on responding to an individual person, but onto their own experiences and their own beliefs,
and wonder how their policies reflect that. Firstly, I would like to speak to Commissioner Madeira.
Ms. Madeira, I want to believe that you care about treating substance abuse, about gun violence, about
the transgender youth and their access to health care. This was some of the foundational stuff of what
brought you here to the board of commissioners. I want to believe this. But all of these things, what
they have in common,
is that our unhoused neighbors are some of the most vulnerable people within them. Many of our unhoused
are transgender who can't get access to gender-reaffirming health care. Many of our unhoused are victims
of gun violence, and not only victims of substance abuse, but at more risk of developing it as they
are houseless. I know you have lost family due to substance abuse, and I sympathize. I really do. But
during the winter, less than five years ago, a man in recovery from alcoholism died.
froze to death in Seminary Park because of previous alcoholism, what alters temperature regulation in
the body. They are physically more at risk of death because of this. I want to trust you, but how can
I when there are decisions such as these that are leading to the deaths of our most vulnerable neighbors?
You've criticized the board of commissioners in the past for failing to address the problems in Monroe
County. Now is the time to prove that you will not fall for the same apathy to human life that it seems
as though your colleagues have. And on the subject, Commissioner Thomas, I speak to you. I know you
have volunteered extensively for the Middle Way House and similar domestic abuse shelters by personal
experience.
I volunteer at the community kitchen just by South Roger Street, just by the Thompson property, and
I understand how it feels to form these personal connections with people when you were volunteering,
to understand these people and see something of yourself in them. I wonder, did you make any personal
connections with someone there? Maybe she was older than you expected people would be coming into there.
God forbid, maybe she was younger.
I want you to remember that person, keep them in your mind's eye, and see them frozen to death, the
frost clinging to their skin and their eyes frozen open like a broken porcelain doll. I don't say this
to disturb you or to anyone in this room, but to warn you. The lovely previous speaker before me is
direct evidence that previous victims of domestic violence are more likely to be houseless, have less
places to go. Your time is up.
So if you could wrap up, please, in a sentence, I would appreciate it. Commissioners, for today and
for until you stay this eviction, you are on trial, not just as commissioners of this board, not just
as civil servants, but as people, people who care about the lives of other people and will save them
when they can. And you can. And I hope you will, because right now the evidence against you in this
trial is damning. I yield my time.
I'm going to be really quick. I want to let everyone in this room know that if you came to speak on
the evictions today, they can't tell you you can't. It's your First Amendment right, as well as Indiana
code. They can't restrict you from speaking on any subject matter. You can check Indiana code 4-22-2-44.
The other thing I want to say is that there's someone online who's had their hand raised for a little
while. I think they're hoping to speak after me.
And yeah, I oppose these evictions. And we're having that discussion at one o'clock, so I hope you can
be here. Right. Right. Yeah. If you're planning to speak on this matter, come up and speak on this matter.
Thank you.
Mr. Commissioners, my name is Peter Iverson. I am a resident of Monroe County and I want to talk to
you today about volunteering. As you know, the weather is very cold and so our community has stepped
up with the Bloomington Severe Winter Emergency Shelter. Their mission is to provide a warm safe place
to sleep to people who may not have shelter during severe
winter weather. They began in early 2024 when folks in our communities, faith communities came together
to provide more shelter during severe winter weather, and they recognize the need for more beds for
people in Bloomington, especially women.
The lead team was originally compromised people from First United Methodist Church, First Presbyterian
Church, the First Christian Church, and those organizations, those faith, those worship, houses of worship,
agreed to be host sites and Wheeler Mission volunteered to do laundry. 196 different volunteers from
several other faith communities and the Bloomington area rallied and they were opened 43 times in the
winter of 24 to 25.
Churches held supply drives, volunteers brought snacks, and shelter was able to be provided for about
100 different people throughout the season. Now, they're currently providing shelter for over 30 guests
any night when the weather conditions become dangerous. Unfortunately, the reason I'm stepping up today
is last night they were unable to be open because there weren't enough volunteers.
So my plea today is to anybody listening, to anybody watching, please go to BSW.
ers.wordpress.com. The weather tonight is not going to be good, and we need people to step up and volunteer.
Again, that's bswares.wordpress.com. If you cannot volunteer with your time, there's also areas where
you can obtain training so that you can volunteer in a future time. And if you can't volunteer with
your time, you can volunteer with your treasure. There are opportunities to support the organization there.
So I would just really encourage folks to volunteer because last night the individuals who were sleeping
in the Thompson woods were not able to use this resource because there simply were not enough volunteers.
Thank you.
morning my name is Moby Jean Glazer I'm a working parent and therapist here in Bloomington so I'm going
to speak now because I am here for public comment and I will be speaking on the Thompson property first
I would like to address commissioners Thomas attitude today at this meeting it is it feels very divisive
and aggressive we are your constituents you represent us we are here to collaborate with you and stand
for people who are
the most vulnerable or some of the most vulnerable in our community. Please look at me when I'm speaking
to you Commissioner Thomas. I'm taking notes. I want to see your eyes and I want to feel you because
it feels like you're ignoring me and I hear that you're writing notes. I'm a resident in the Broadview
neighborhood. I would first like to
Thank and express gratitude to Commissioner Madeira for coming out and meeting the neighbors, our unhoused
neighbors. There are a very small amount of neighbors who have complained, complained, who have put
their discomfort above the well-being, the livelihood, the safety of our unhoused neighbors. And you
have decided to center your policy and decision on the discomfort
and the inability to tolerate difference over the lives of our unhoused neighbors. Why weren't you at
the meeting on Tuesday? You could have come and you could have presented and you could have collaborated
with the Common Council. Where were you? All of these people are here to address this and work on this.
And instead, you've chosen to make sneaky decisions that everyone in our community, or sorry, I'll pull
that back. I'm overgeneralizing. Many people
have said, we do not want this. The sheriff is refusing to comply with your eviction. The entire common
council said, we don't want this. We want to work on this. Where are the commissioners? Please listen
to your constituents. People will die. And you will be responsible for their deaths. This is a time
to be in community and to care for each other. And evicting people at any point, but especially in freezing
weather is violence. The letter that you wrote, the statement that you read at the beginning is incredibly
vague. It gives no information about what you're planning to do. And in it, I hear you name hope. Hope
is not going to get us through this. We need your work, your informed work, and you listening to your
community, not hope. Thank you.
My name is Mallory Owen. I'm a local Monroe County resident. I'm a homeowner here in town and also a
business owner, a small business owner. I'm the only person who works there. So my business had to shut
down to come here today. So it's kind of hard and tricky for me to find time. So I just kind of wanted
to first off say thank you to the community for helping me figure out how to be here and how to participate.
It's my first time coming to a county commissioners meeting and so without people helping me figure
out how to navigate this, I don't think I could be here to voice my opinion. So I'd like to talk about
my concerns with transparency of funds and kind of rules of order issues. I kind of have just been hearing
from people in my community that there is some questions about how
funds that are going to be used for evictions, where those are coming from and where they ought to be
going towards, aren't they for building infrastructure? So I'm concerned about that. I don't really
know very much about it, but I just think that that's something that I'm concerned about. I'm also confused
about this timing issue and how agenda items aren't allowed to be talked about in public comment.
I guess I'd like to say that I think it's kind of strange that we can't talk about items on the agenda.
I think that kind of seems like it would be, that's kind of counterintuitive to me. And then I'd also
just like to say I live right across from Building Trades Park, and I've been able to in the last five
years I've lived there notice some of the kind of patterns
of my homeless neighbors as things shift around. So I'm not talking about this eviction specifically
necessarily, but I just wanted to point out that I have noticed as evictions happen, and they do happen
all the time, we see definitely a huge uptick in the number of people that come and live in our park
and struggle to be supported by the infrastructure there. So I just kind of want to point out that just
because they get moved
people don't stop having these issues, right? Like the things that I know people, I guess, have been
concerned about, like litter, or I don't know, being outside at night, I guess, or fighting, or things
like that. That happens still regardless, if that's actually a concern. Now it's just happening somewhere
else, and I think also the displacement that people face is going to be something that
kind of just upticks all these things that people are concerned about, right? So the concerns that we're
facing aren't going to necessarily be fixed just by moving it, right? So, yeah, so, la, la, la.
Yeah, it just kind of increases the struggle for everyone involved when we do things without planning.
So again, I just want to thank the community for bringing this to light, helping me get together, especially
when it's so tricky to find times to talk to you guys and what we're allowed to talk about. So thank you.
Good morning. My name is Jesse Kage and I'm a Monroe County resident in the first district. I was here
last week and I want to take a moment to talk about my overall experience and working with your team
on what I thought would be a no brainer decision. What seven days ago when I spoke last week I came
to this podium with a little hope in the democratic process. I wasn't necessarily holding my breath
but I had a sliver of optimism that there was some truth in that public statement that you read at the
beginning of every meeting.
After hearing Commissioner Thomas tell us last week that the supposed comfort of homeowners is more
important than preventing a cold weather death, which this eviction will absolutely lead to based on
data that we have collected, this hope completely left my body. Instead of spending the last week working
on final projects and studying for exams, I have been losing sleep knowing that my friends are going
to lose their homes, and even worse, that they have nowhere to go. We have conducted near, yeah,
go for it, go for it.
Thank you. Thank you. We have conducted near daily meetings with public officials who actually do want
to listen to their constituents, all while continuing to conduct camp outreach. Two days ago, I went
out at 6 AM with a friend over here to work with some people before a 9 AM class to make sure that they
didn't lose all their possessions as a result of the clearing at Brown Woods, which I know isn't you
guys, but I feel that it is relevant. I see the game that is being played now.
And after all of this deliberation, the question I want to ask is why now? Why can you not wait till
April 1st? Why does seemingly everyone in the county except Julie Thomas, Angela Purdy, and Richard
Kreider vehemently oppose conducting this clearing in the winter? I want to know because this is cruel
and unacceptable. Thank you.
My name is Denise Travers. I'm a 37-year resident of Bloomington. I have volunteered weekly at the Monroe
County Community Kitchen, and I'm a member of the Bloomington Friends Committee, or Bloomington Friends
meaning the Quakers. I am privileged. I am able to show up at this meeting
which I found out about less than 48 hours ago from a signal chat. Now we hear that this topic is being
postponed with little to no notice to 1 p.m. I'll be there. I'm privileged. I'm not sure how many of
the rest of us will be able to be there. I am privileged. I hope that
At this meeting, you will choose not just to listen to your community advocates, but you will choose
to work with us. This is an untenable situation. The lack of transparency about this process to hear
today is evidence of a lack of commitment of the leadership in this community, and that is unacceptable.
I'll be there. I'll be listening. We'll be there.
I'm Jack Municky. I'm currently residing here in Bloomington and I just kind of wanted to talk about
how there's sort of a tendency to dehumanize homeless people. Like a lot of the times people's interactions
with homeless people are them struggling like maybe they're having a mental breakdown or some other
challenge that they're having. And I just want to say like that tendency to just like see them as just
not people is just completely like
I mean, it's just evil. I'll just say it. And I think when we want to address homelessness as an issue,
you can't just keep pushing them around. They don't stop being homeless when you evict them. They don't
stop struggling. You need to give them houses, give them a place to live. And I think focusing on just
evictions, especially during the winter when they're fighting for their lives right now, I think it's
just ridiculous and evil.
Good morning. My name is Ivan. I am a Monroe County resident. I'm originally brought here to the city
of Bloomington through the university. I'm finishing out my studies here this semester and I had the
wonderful opportunity to go to Washington DC to do an internship program and I
someone who considers myself civically engaged, both politically and in state and local matters. And
something that I was really left with after that experience is a real understanding of why institutions,
specifically government institutions, have really had a cratering in faith in the public. And so I kind
of came back a little disillusioned being somebody who wanted to feel like I could
be there in the halls of change, right next to where everything's happening. And I left with a total
lack of confidence that I would actually be able to affect the kind of change that makes me interested
in public affairs in the first place. So coming back to Bloomington, I was in the PACE program.
And I actually had the privilege of having County Commissioner Julie Thomas as my professor for that
course. And a lot of times, I think, local matters, local politics, and local government can seem really
opaque by its structure. We're flooded in our news feeds, in the newspaper, whatever medium you choose
to consume information about public affairs.
These local issues can take the wayside by amount of interest, but it can often seem, like I said, very
opaque and very difficult to kind of get the story on things and to familiarize yourself with the goings
on of your community. But you brought in guests like the wonderful Dave Askins of the B Square Beacon.
And I learned the forums to, the forum, wow, to consume this kind of information,
familiarize myself and I think pursuant to that, pursuant to the idea of transparency and trying to
bring more people into the fold, get the community to engage with institutions like this, like the Monroe
County Board of Commissioners, I would just implore the council to
Again, consider the fact that I cannot be here at 1 p.m. and I do not work a full-time job. I'm a student
and that's an incredible place of privilege, but when we limit the comment to a period in the middle
of the workday when obviously I think it seems a little silly to have that kind of constraint when obviously
that's not what the community here interested in speaking and participating is interested in talking
about. And so what I'd like to end, a last thing I learned from,
your course is that there's going to be an inherent bias of anybody to listen to the voices that vote
and that listen to those who show up. And I've had the privilege of gaining some bit of my own platform
on the internet locally and in spaces beyond that and we're listening and we'd like to have that bias
go towards us. So thank you very much. Thank you.
Can you guys hear me through this mask? Hi, my name is Katie Norris. I am the executive director of
Hotels for Homeless. I apologize for showing up in my pajamas. But I rushed in when I realized Teams
wasn't working. So if there's a way to fix that, that would be great. I know we have somebody on Teams
also that would like to get in. So my family didn't understand why I would rush.
and jump up first thing to come into this meeting in person. But I'm very sick. My children are very
sick. And I hope that this is one last chance to not have to spend my weekend in negative degree weather
moving people from camp to hotels and storage units. So I come to you today to desperately plead for
an extension on this eviction, not on behalf of the dozens of people who are currently living at this camp.
You have already heard and understand the devastating and potentially deadly consequences this eviction
will have on them. You know that their chances of survival significantly decrease instantly upon their
eviction. How them losing the safest and most stable place they have found and worked hard to call home
will put them at greater risk for being robbed, raped, and even murdered right here at night on the
streets of Bloomington. That's not up for question. That's just reality.
Not to mention that if the eviction takes place on Monday the 15th, that the two days before when they
will have to prepare, pack and leave the temperature and leave, the temperatures are going to be negative
one and negative three respectively. Today, I am begging for an extension on the eviction on behalf
of the rest of our community. There is not nearly enough time today to explain the exponential negative
effects our community will suffer by displacing just over two dozen more people.
The strain this will put on our already inadequate social services is beyond even my comprehension at
this point. I have only recently been able to wrap my mind around the serious and undeniable negative
impact this will have on a handful of service providers and those who use our services that I am personally
in contact with. I am just one person, and I only run one organization. And I am mind blown at how this
eviction is going to affect
just the small group of people that I work with. This eviction will put added strain on our shelters,
outreach providers, mental health services, soup kitchens, material support providers, and of course,
our local emergency services. This will leave all of those who already rely on these services to survive
with less resources than they already have. And let me promise you, they do not have enough. The negative
impact this eviction
at this time will have on our community is so much greater than the negative impact of allowing them
to stay for now and giving us all more time to find solutions. Thank you.
My name is Matt Frost and I come to you as one of the occupants of the Thompson property and I just,
I'm sorry, I'm not, like, I look at others like when the eviction is just, I'm here to, sorry. You're
doing good. Just take a deep breath. Take a deep breath.
This whole thing has been very nerve wracking and overwhelming for me because I go back to my tent every
day and not knowing what the future is going to hold. And seeing that this, you guys are going to see
this eviction through not only during the winter, but so close to the Christmas season. When we were
old, when we're always taught about goodwill towards our fellow man,
and all this stuff in the season where we're supposed to be, where we're supposed to be positive and
uplifting towards the people that we have that are less fortunate than us. But the way I, it just,
it's just, oh. So, yeah. I don't,
I'm really not good with words. I'm sorry. You're doing fine. You're doing great. I just want a chance
to just be able to know that I can at least stay at my tent and at least have the chance to be, if we
get this eviction extended, to help me get some time to get my life together.
That would help me get the stuff that I need. Because I'm in a position where I know I don't want to
be in this spot all the time. But all I know is it's been overwhelming, as you can see. I'm stumbling
my words here.
If we can just get this extension, it will be a lot of pressure off me, and I know it will be a lot
of pressure off the rest of the occupants out there. I know I just want an opportunity, this opportunity
to just...
let you guys realize how hard it's been on me, and I'm sure it's just as hard on the people or the rest
of the property. I figure I might not be able to speak for all of them personally, but I wanted you
guys to at least hear a little bit from one person's experience. Thank you.
If you could unmute, we've got somebody online. We don't do that here. We have TSD up in the booth doing
that. So we're good. Thank you. Good morning everyone. My name is, can you hear me? Yes, we can.
Good morning, commissioners. My name is Deonna Tross. I'm here this morning outside of my classroom.
Actually, I have class literally in 10 minutes. And despite that, I am here talking to you all this
morning because I have finals week and I am so nervous and anxious about my finals. But above all else,
I am terrified and anxious and nervous about how you are deciding
to handle the issue with the evictions of the encampments. I know that you're saying there's a time at 1 p.m.
today, but despite that, I myself, as many other people here in person and online are here at this time
right now to speak to you all about this very important and pressing issue. I know that despite that,
you still want to have this meeting at 1 p.m.
but I'm still going to say my piece because it is so important for us and for so many of these people
to share with you our concern. It's so concerning. I myself have lived here in Bloomington, Indiana.
I have been here in Monroe County for many years. I went to elementary school here. I went to middle
school here. I went to high school here. I go to IU. I am an IU student. And all my life, all this time,
I, you know, we are all taught that, you know, the golden standard, we have to be kind and treat people
the same way that we wanna see other people treated, how we wanna see ourselves being treated. And I
am so privileged to be able to live here, have a home here, have a home to look back to, have friends
and family who have homes. But unfortunately, I also have friends who don't have homes, who are part
of the Thompson property. And I,
You know, on top of all these finals that I'm thinking about, it is so heartbreaking and nerve wracking
that I also have to think how scary it is for these people who they don't know if they are gonna be
able to stay in their tents and their shelters. They don't know where their next support resources are
going to come from. And you just want to, you know, ping pong this situation
until you don't have to hear about it anymore, and that's really concerning. So I just wanna say my
piece now, and I hope that many people online, in person, if you're not gonna say something, be encouraged
to say something now. This is very important, this is very pressing. These people deserve to be able
to stay there at their encampments until spring so that they have a safe and secure opportunity to stay alive.
This is a life and death situation that we're talking about. Thank you. Thank you. Please come up to
the podium. Please come up to the podium. Thank you.
My name is Syd Holub. I'm a resident here of Monroe. And I just want to really quickly say I was told
there's people waiting in the team's lobby to come in. So if we are able to let them in, that would
be awesome. I also want to thank Matt for coming to speak just now. That is a very hard and scary thing
to do. You are facing a very hard time in your life. And so I just want to thank you for coming here.
We are all here to amplify your voice, and we are all here for you.
I grew up in Indiana in a small rural red area. And I was so excited to come here to Bloomington because
I was told this is a big blue dot. I'm going to be safe as a queer person. I'm going to be safe as femme
presenting. I'm going to be safe in all these different ways. And I found hope coming to Bloomington
with the belief that we could be an example and that we can do something better for people.
I've seen that. I had the privilege of working on research on our problem-solving courts here. I've
had the privilege of working with Maurer School of Law, creating new accesses to justice. My passion
is access to justice, and that's what this is right now. God, this is access to justice. This is basic
necessities that people need to live. And you guys are going, and you are going to evict them and put
them in danger. And that is terrifying to me.
so much hope in coming here and believing that I can come to a community that would make a difference.
And I just implore you guys, please, to just prove me correct that we are better than this, that we
are humane and compassionate, and that we care for everyone in our community from the top 1% to all
the way down to the people who do not have homes, the people who don't have medical care access to everyone
in our communities, because I can see what happens
when we care and when we show up for our community members. So I just implore you guys, please, to just
stop this madness and just wait. Just give them the chance to April 1st to just wait and give them a
chance to find a new place or just to not put them out in the cold where there's a chance that they're
gonna freeze to death. That is just so inhumane. So thank you. Thank you.
Good morning. My name is John Coggy. I live here in Bloomington, Monroe County. And I'm just sitting
back there listening. And I'm thinking about our society as a whole and how one of the important measures
of a society is how they treat their elderly, their poorest, their mentally ill, their most downtrodden
and poorest
citizens. And as far as I can see, our present administration in Washington is failing miserably at
this. Our state, as far as I can see, our Republican Indiana state, Hoosier State, is failing miserably.
And as far as I can see so far, you guys are failing miserably in this. You and you. Excuse me. Can
you look at me? Thank you.
You and you are failing miserably at this. And that's an important. That's a measure of our society,
how we treat our poorest. And you guys can make a difference. And you're not so far. Thank you.
My name is Maureen Langley. I'm a resident of Monroe County. I grew up here. I went to Monroe County
schools. I choose to come back here and live in as an adult after college. I have been listening very
carefully today. And from what I hear from the commissioners is a lot of biased personal fear. Fear
for yourselves, fear for people in our community who already have homes, but not enough fear for the
people who will be outside tonight. The individuals living in encampments are not a threat.
I met them personally. I have never once been afraid of them. Evicting them does not create safety.
It simply pushes suffering out of sight. And I fear that is what some of you want. Safety does not come
from displacing the most vulnerable. It comes from ensuring that everyone in Murrow County has a safe
and stable place to live. For now, for some, that means the Thompson property. Displacement is not a
solution. It is harm. It is an act of violence. And I oppose the evictions, and I hope you will too.
Thank you.
commenters. We have her online. AM Moss. Is the last name, I believe. Hello. Yes, please go ahead. Please
introduce yourself. Yeah. Hi, I'm Eva Moss, resident of Monroe County.
I just want to reiterate some real quick math that current census of homeless population in Monroe County
is 305, which we know to be short of the total. Total number of beds at the best. If every shelter is
open at maximum capacity, full staff of volunteers. We're sitting around 250 beds in all of Monroe County.
Interestingly enough,
That is a lower number than the total population. Your actions are going to add 40 people to that total
who need to access these resources. As of right now, they do not need to access these resources because
they have found a safe shelter for the winter. You wish to remove them from that and force them into
the population needing to leverage the shelters that are understaffed, underfunded, and already not
meeting the capacity
or the people who already need it. I got two today. Yes, sir. I didn't know we had a fundraiser. Is
it close to just that, or? OK. Someone just cut in on my end. I don't know what that was about. But
that's my piece. Just sit with that for a minute, that quick math that you are directly adding to pop
that needs to use these resources that already are not meeting the current population. Thank you. We
have someone on line TR.
Okay, sorry. Yes, please. Hello. My name is Toby Robb. I would like to bring up the original inhabitants
of the land currently called Bloomington, Indiana.
which I haven't seen the agenda and I'm willing to bet that it's not there. I would like to call it
to attention the power to be charitable. I would say irony, but I'm not feeling charitable today. So
I would say disgusting to bring up the concepts of property and trespassing by a government that's historically
violently displaced many nations, including the Peoria Nation, the Kickapoo Nation, and the Miami Nation,
among others, from this land, and intends to also violently displace people again.
I would also remark that we all know that Marie Antoinette never said, let the people who have no bread
eat cake. We know that never historically happened. But to say that it's more safe to live indoors to
homeless people is probably the closest thing that I've heard in real life. I would also like to concur with
the other speaker earlier today in naming Julie Thomas, Angie Purdy, and Richard Kreider, and anyone
who has witnessed them in this eviction as martyrs unapologetically. And if that causes you any discomfort,
then for one thing I would say that is much less discomfort than freezing to death. And also to remind
you that you have the power to not be murderers. And I would implore you to do that.
I recognize that this is a public comment session and is not a conversation. So that is all I have to
say. I yield my time. Hello. How are we doing this morning?
Feeling OK? This can be tense, right? It's hard. Not so bad for you, right? Yeah. No, I'm listening.
OK. We're listening. We appreciate everybody being here. I don't think you do. I think you're waiting
for us to get tired and go home. Because this is hard for us, and you know that. You sicken me, personally.
How does that make you feel?
that you're despised by your community. Anything? Yeah, so this isn't a discussion, but you get to make
the rules on when it's a discussion. You answer when you like. Yeah, it could be a conversation, but
it isn't because you don't want it to be. That's fine. I have a couple of things to say. Did everyone
see that social media video where a couple of these jokers came out to the camps? Yeah, hands?
Yeah. Wasn't it kind of crazy how they had to ask, like, where the campers shit, even though supposedly
the shit is everywhere and it's like a huge problem? Right? Like, isn't that actually kind of crazy?
Because it's almost like you don't think of these people as real humans. I know you don't. At the last
session, you talked about how, well, you see, we have to get them out of the camps because what if they
made me feel icky and I shot them in the fucking head through my door without checking?
Are you nuts? That's really weird to say. Do you not feel weird for saying that? No, we got a head shake.
No. Incredible. Incredible. So you're cool if you shot my friend Matt in the head through his door.
That's not a problem to you. That doesn't make you feel weird. You disgust me. The reality is you don't
see these people as human.
Which is why you actually had to go and see for yourself that they, like other human beings you might
have met, keep their places as nice as they can, because that's what humans are like. But they're not.
They're subhuman to you, right? Why the fuck would you need to be educated on how other humans live
their lives and that they don't wallow in their own shit? You're fucking weird. You think that we're naive.
You're confusing the public by saying things like, oh, well, it just happens to be that the session
where we can have a conversation about this is after the one where we might make a decision about it.
You want to get this over with, right? You want the 15th to come and go, and you want us to all go,
well, we tried our best, and go home. That's not what's going to happen. You're just going to make people
desperate.
people are safer indoors you motherfucker yeah of course they're safer indoors evicting people will
not make them go indoors because they don't have houses I want to speak to the students because there's
so many students here I love y'all thank you for coming out here thank you for giving your time right
A lot of you speak about the privilege you have, and you do. Time is up, sir. And you should use it.
It's ma'am, actually. You want to try again? Can I get a ma'am? Or ma'am. Your time is up. Can I get
a ma'am, please? Your time is up, ma'am. Or do you not give a fuck about trans people in the city? I
know a lot of them. They're my friends. Your time is up. Am I? OK. So can I get a ma'am? Ma'am, your
time is up. Hey, let's go. Fuck yourself.
Do you think we should go to Lorraine online? We could try again. Let's see, the hand keeps coming up
and going down. So let's try Lorraine one more time. That is Lorraine. Also, can we confirm that the
Teams meeting is working?
It is. It's just our screen. Our screen's frozen up here. Yeah. Okay. We can't get her. So next up,
please. We cannot unmute. It's TSD. TSD is doing that, and they have. And so hopefully she will raise
her hand again and come online. Please come up. We have so much. My name is Itzel. I live and work here
in Monroe County. I just want to remind you
that the people living on the street are also residents of Monroe County. You have the power to make
decisions that will not put members of our community in direct danger of freezing to death. I don't
know if that's something that you ever thought of happening to you, but I'd like you to experiment with
empathy for a moment. I fear that in the making of this plan to evict our unhoused neighbors in the
dead of winter, empathy and community have been completely forgotten.
Your community is here today pleading with you for the lives of others, and it is time to listen. We
implore you to remember that community is only as strong, healthy, and safe as the least privileged
of us. That's all I have to say to you. Thank you. Next up, please. I have Lorraine on the phone. I'm
not speaking, but the team isn't working, so she asked if she could call. And is that OK?
Sure, hopefully we can hear. If you don't mind holding it up to the microphone. I don't mind.
Thank you. Go ahead. Can you hear me now? Try again. Can you hear me? Yes. Great. I'm glad that I'm
finally able to speak. Given the fact that I would like to address that I anticipate there's an active
decision to not unmute my mic because my name is Shelby Porteroff and Julie Thomas knows who I am. I'm
here to say specifically to those who are sitting in the audience, that 1 PM meeting that's happening
scheduled after Julie Thomas and her administrators worked with our group to have a meeting set for
last night at 7 p.m. after business hours so that the constituents who they represent could attend and
discuss note that that meeting was also originally set in advance of their agenda this morning where
they will be making decisions on the topic and by they I want to be clear Julie Thomas is leading this
charge and Julie I want you to know that this is your last
If you think that we're going away, if you think we're going to disappear while you campaign for your
next term, you are so vehemently wrong. We will not go away. And you've chosen the wrong constituents
to make your enemies. I also want to address that Julie Thomas has informed her staff that she's physically
afraid of us, that she thinks that we who are showing up here to make our voices heard through the diplomatic
and democratic process are going to physically harm her. But I would like to counter that with what is
physical harm that she's causing to the unhoused community members that she's planning to evict
by strategically manipulating how people can have their voices heard, despite the fact that, again,
we are your constituents. We are the people who put you in office. You are our employee. And don't forget
that. So for those of you who want to know about why that meeting is at 1 p.m., it's because Julie Thomas
changed it.
And she said it was because of open door law violations. She cited Dave Askins calling her out for that.
But I would like you to know that in her office hours on Thursday of last week when we spoke with her,
she made very clear that she was aware of those open door laws. She told us that we would have the meeting
at the public library in person with multiple commissioners. And we do have her recorded saying that.
So to make it a choice to put online was on
She knew it would get her in trouble and that she would have to cancel it. And she knew that she could
show good faith of trying to schedule the meeting beforehand. When I asked her about why she did not
check with any of us to get the meeting rescheduled to a time that worked for us all, she said it was
the only time that worked with the commissioner schedule. The commissioners of whom there are three
people. Look at everybody in the room today, Julie. There's a hell of a lot more of us than there are
three of you.
We'll see you at one. Good morning. Good morning. I am Austin Clark and I am a Bloomington resident.
Like many of us, I'm a student here. So I'm happy to be here at this time when
I guess it started at 10 o'clock, but it seems like time has come up a lot, and I just have a few questions
on what time means. I understand that your goal is to have productive conversation, but you're abusing
the people within your community's time by rescheduling to
By rescheduling something that we have met here to talk about today at 10 to 1, a lot of people can't
actually rearrange their schedules in the same way that this meeting has been rescheduled. Yes, this
is a time for comments and not a discussion. So these questions are rhetorical, of course. But why did
we meet here at this time with the intention to speak about an eviction notice that is now pushed to
when people cannot show up? That is something that I'm having a hard time understanding right now.
What does it mean for you to be able to push this back to a time that is most convenient for you as
the committee instead of a time that works for the amount of people that are here in the room to discuss
this? That is another question that I have that I'm slightly confused on. And then lastly, as many here
asked, what is making it so difficult to postpone this eviction notice
to a time that is not good for the community, but for the community. As we all know that there are going
to be freezing temperatures this weekend, and it's looking to be kind of a brutal winter. So I think
that many of us believe that the eviction notice is, I think that many of us oppose this eviction notice.
But the real question here is why now? And those are my questions on time. Thank you. Thank you.
Hi there. I'm Massimo Pisano. Around this time last year, I worked at Bloomington Hardware. And it was
interesting because it got so cold last year that we were getting calls multiple times a day for road
salt. And every time we restocked it, we would run out that morning. And this is multiple pallets of
road salt that people were getting.
to battle the frost. And not long after that, I was let go from my job there. And I haven't been able
to find full-time work that would support any sort of shelter since then. And if it weren't for my mom
and my brother, I might be in that encampment right now. And this meeting might be about me among all
the other people
whose fates are going to be decided by whether you postpone it to springtime or not. That's all I have
to say. Thank you. Good morning. Today I want to talk about Hoosier hospitality.
And specifically, who's your hospitality for who? And I also want to talk about dehumanization, which
is what has come up many times over and over again today. And I want us to think for a second about
what it takes to directly put someone in harm's way, knowingly and intentionally. And what that requires
is dehumanization, to see people as not on the same level as us in some way, as separate
from us and you know we see a lot of that nowadays it seems online in the news but also right here and
I'm really concerned about that because I'm you know an Indiana resident grew up in Indianapolis my
whole life and yeah my family really instilled in me that who's your hospitality I've heard it over
and over again that if you can help someone you should and it seems that
delaying by several months just to even just help people stay alive for a little bit longer. That just
seems in line with what our state always prides itself in. So I just I feel a bit confused by what it
takes and just I think psychologically inside someone's head to do that to another human being.
And I find it really concerning that we have to have people come in here and plead to stay living in
their tent. I think that you're incredibly brave for coming in today and doing that, but no human being
should have to stand before you and do that. So there's just the gravity of that. I don't know about
you, but I was very, I was super impacted.
by hearing that today. And that that's happening right here in our community. And all that anyone is
asking for is a few more months, which I don't really see how that would harm you individually. So yeah,
I just wanted to say that and to kind of end with that reflection. Thank you. Thank you.
Hi, good morning. My name is Basil. I think a lot of people here today have covered in detail why it
is so fucked up to evict people in the middle of winter from where they're camping. I personally have
experienced
a different aspect of the fucked up housing situation in Bloomington because it's top to bottom. It's
not just this one issue this one day. If you're lucky enough to have a stable income and have access
to technology, you can spend your days getting yanked around by slumlords while you sleep on your friend's
couch because your last lease ended and you can get a new place. And that's if you're lucky. If you
have people who will let you live for free with them and, you know,
open their homes to you if you're not lucky you have to just figure it out completely on your own with
no support because the services in the city are completely inadequate and it's there's not.
I've been to so many meetings like this for so many other instances of different evictions, different
winters, and I just feel like I'm talking to a brick wall every time. We hear the same excuses, the
same problems, you know, the same there's this code, there's that code, and always hearing that, like,
well, there's some vague plan for a future date where we will figure these things out, and it never
happens. I've lived in Bloomington for six years. I've lived in Indiana my whole life.
So Bloomington has been part of my kind of extended Indiana community for my whole life. And it's always
the same shit every year. What is it going to take to not just keep putting it off and putting it off
and saying, we'll evict people in the dead of winter, and we won't give an extension for that, but we'll
keep giving an extension to ourselves for finding any kind of solution?
It's just ridiculous. And there's just so much unnecessary suffering in all of this that doesn't have
to happen. It doesn't have to be this way if literally the three people I'm looking at right now would
just make a different choice. That's all. Thank you.
My name is Ashley. I am a resident of Monroe County, but I also work in Indianapolis as a healthcare
worker. I work night shift. I can't tell you how much sleep I've lost caring about people that you don't
care about and how fucking just miserable it is because it doesn't have to be this way. I don't think
you care about how brave it is
that people care about their survival so much that they're willing to show up here, look you in the
face, and just tell you how disappointed they are in you. It's also incredibly strange to me that you
hold the power to make a decision that doesn't affect you. Very strange the way the world works, I guess.
But it doesn't have to be that way either.
it strange that the thing that we're asking you for is to actually do nothing. It would cost you way
less time and energy to just take this seriously as a serious request because people do die and people
have died and people will die if you don't take human life seriously. You exist here today because somebody
cares about you.
I'm glad it's more than one person. And I hope everybody in camps or in any encampment today knows that
people care about them too. And that people will show up and show out for you. Even if it's, as you
like to say, uncomfortable. I watched somebody really struggle to get through their speech today, who
is living with the consequences that you decide.
have to be here. This is a waste of your time to not make this decision as easy as it should be. My
grandma looks just like you, and now I probably don't like her as much either. The same haircut. It's
not brave or honorable to make people come in here and ask to live.
It's just not. It's really, really not. I work at the county hospital in Indianapolis. We watch homeless
people die all the time. And that's with getting some small amount of medical care that they might need
and that has been put off for way too long because nobody cared to help. When you have the resources,
all you have to say is OK. You don't have to ask for money.
You don't have to get in somebody's pocket. You could just say yes. It could be very easy. Thank you.
Next up, please. Good morning, commissioners. My name is Josh Tapp. I'm a 36-year resident in Monroe
County and sixth generation business owner.
I've served with the Bloomington Fire Department 10 plus years. Obviously homeless is a main issue today.
I want to maybe give a solution to help some of these people. I'm not sure some of the topics or solutions
that have been presented. One thing I'd like to present that as a possible solution, I don't know if
any of you ever thought about storm shelters or
almost safe rooms, but they are basically a waterproof, waterproof, weatherproof building.
They can be heated, they can be air conditioned, very, very low cost. I know some numbers that have
been thrown around about Beacon and all this are nine to $10 million. These can be set within about
an hour. I think to buy them is about $5,000 a piece, but over a 10 year cost.
You're looking at $500 a year, $1.30 a day. Two to three people can easily live in some of these shelters.
They're roughly 10 feet by six feet. They have lockable doors, so all their stuff would be safe. They
could make these a small home if they wanted to. I just wanted to present that idea. I don't know if
anyone's ever
talked about it or not, or a place to put that many shelter houses. That's about all I've got to say
about the homeless. My next topic is for single-family homes in Bloomington. I'm 36 years old. I graduated
from Bloomington South in 2007.
more and more people my age and younger are struggling to find single-family homes in Bloomington that
they can afford, number one, and plant their roots and stay here as families. They're also, sorry, I
collect my thoughts here a minute, but basically more and more people my age and younger are leaving
Monroe County just because they cannot afford to live here. I think the county,
and the city have got to work together on trying to figure out how to get more single-family homes into
Bloomington that can be affordable. It seems like the city of Bloomington keeps growing up and up and
up, and there's nothing happening in the actual county. I think there's a responsible way to find places
to have these single-family homes that are affordable, but it seems like any of the projects in the
county are not approved.
or shut down very quickly. I definitely think there's a responsible way to make these things happen
in a responsible fashion and still protect all the things that, you know, topics that are important
to people. That's all I've got to say today. Thank you. We have online L
Hello, I am a lifelong resident of Bloomington and Monroe County and I oppose the evictions. We should
not risk the lives of some of our neighbors for the supposed comfort of others or for any other excuse.
That is all I have to say. Thank you.
Hi, my name's Thomas Pigott. I wasn't really planning on speaking today. If I'm being honest, I didn't
really know who any of you were yesterday. But what I will say is what I know about you now is exclusively
negative. And there's a whole room full of people behind me who think of you as murderers or even just
putting people in harm's way. And I guess I don't have some grand thought behind this, except I don't know.
would find that existence miserable. I can't imagine going and walking my dog in like Brian Park or
whatever you guys do and running the risk that someone is going to walk up to me and yell murderer and
deep down, I know they might be right. That's all. Thank you. Online, it appears we have David Henry online.
Madam Council President, can you hear me okay? Yes, we can hear you. Great, thank you.
Thank you, Commissioner Thomas and members of the board. My name is David Henry. I'm a resident of Van
Buren Township. I'm one of the Monroe County Councilors. I want to thank you for going ahead and setting
a time this public comment period, even though I know you were hopeful to move this conversation to
earlier in the day or later in the day. I'd like to read into the record the letter from the Monroe
County Council to the commissioners on December 10th.
The letter was signed individually by six of the seven members, but the unanimous Democratic caucus
of the council. Dear commissioners, know that our ethic of care as county officials and public servants
is aligned in support of all members of our community and none of us wish to do harm in our work. We
as a concerned individuals respectfully request the board of commissioners officially stop all action
regarding the removal of people and property from Thompson property. We appreciate the one week stay
on the planned eviction and note that
The winter weather played a role in the decision. Given that the weather conditions are and will remain
unpredictable for the foreseeable future and that our conversations with constituents, service providers,
and members of the public have underscored a lack of immediate threat to public safety and health, there
is at least considerable ambiguity and differing positions on the conditions on the property that would
warrant action by the county. Please postpone all eviction action until there is a protocol or plan
for addressing concerns about the encampment.
Such a plan will be informed by a number of entities, internal and external, including members of the
unhoused community and worked on collaboratively to address our concerns. Collectively, our immediate
questions and concerns include, what was the process for notifying the residents of their eviction both
for the 12-8 and 12-15 planned events? What funds are being used? What are the contracted services?
What internal county resources are being committed? How many people are residing at the property?
who is providing street services at this property? What housing entities are involved? And where are
the impacted individuals going? In the absence of adequate response to this request, the council may
consider. Okay. Not sure what happened with our screens down here.
We're still online so please come on up. Hello my name is Joffrey Livingston and I am just here to reiterate
along with what many others have said that the decision these eviction notices come without a lot of
public oversight.
Many of the key architects of the decision are non-elected officials. And I and many others would agree
that at the very least, this decision needs to be postponed because not even a vote from the board came
into play with these decisions. And in between now and a date like, say, April 1st, it should be something
that the public
the board members and even non-elected officials should come together and try to make a better decision.
Thank you. All right. So we do have a number of agenda items we need to address today. So we're going
to move forward with that part of our meeting so that we can be back at 1.30.
1 o'clock for our meeting until 2.30. So can we go ahead and have the next agenda item, please? Move
approval of the minutes for December 4th, 2025. Second. All right. We have a motion. We have a second.
Any comments, corrections, or edits? Okay. All right. Seeing none, all those in favor of approving the
minutes for December 4th, signify by saying aye. Aye. Motion carries 3-0.
Next item, please. Move approval of the claims docket, accounts payable December 11th, 2025 and payroll
December 12th, 2025. Second. We have a motion and we have a second. Ms. Moser. Good morning. The accounts
payable claims docket for December 11th, 2025 totals 11 million.
244,065 dollars and 19 cents. This includes all emergency claims and adjustments, the payroll docket
for December 12th, 2025,
includes $1,592,529.16 in direct costs and the remaining $681,150.99 were for indirect costs for a grand
total of $2,287,515.25. Thank you so much. Comments or questions? Commissioner Jones? No,
I don't. Commissioner Redire? Thank you.
Any public comment on this item? Can you raise your hand on teams or come to the podium? All right,
seeing none, all those in favor of approving the claim stock at accounts payable December 11th, 2025
and payroll December 12th, 2025 signify by saying aye. Aye. Motion carries three zero. Note for the
record that we have
that we have received reports from weights and measures. And that report covers November, 2025. And
we'll now move on to new business, please. Move approval of the board. Yeah, just so you know, it's
not going out. I've been in communication with Mr. Cron and it's not, we're not broadcasting. Okay.
So we'll go ahead and do what? 10 minute recess.
Is that what we need? We understand we're talking to technical services. Thank you. Do we need 10 minutes?
What do we need? Okay, great. We're gonna take a 10 minute recess and we'll be back here in 10 minutes.
Thank you all. Thank you very much. Quiet please. Next, we're calling this meeting back to order. Next
item please.
Moved to approve awarding Nexus Group the 26-20-30 cyclical reassessment and annual adjustment contract.
Fund name, reassessment, fund number 1224 in the amount of $1,650,000. No, 600. Yes, $650,000. Sorry. I second.
We have a motion, and we have a second. Yes, and the assessor was here and had a different engagement.
This is an item that we opened bids for on the 20th of November. We looked at the bids. We went through
them. The contract actually being approved is a required state-formed contract. So this is for the cyclical
assessment and annual adjustments for until 2030.
Thank you so much. Any comments or questions? Commissioner Madeira? No, thank you. Commissioner Jones?
No, I don't. Any public comment on this item? You raise your hand on teams or come to the podium.
see none all those in favor of awarding nexus group the twenty twenty six to twenty thirty cyclical
reassessment annual adjustment contract signify by saying aye aye motion carries three zero next item
please move approval of health net hip services agreement fund name local public health services fund
number eleven sixty one in the amount of a hundred thirty five thousand second
We have a motion and we have a second, Ms. Kelly. Good morning. So this is actually a renewal. We have
been doing this program for almost a year now. Before the onset of this program, we were actually contacted
by an individual through IU Health. They were noticing an increase in emergency department visits coming
from the Wheeler shelter.
and on certain days of the week. So we started this program to be able to provide clinical care, so
health care services within the local shelter. And this does align with our Health First Indiana core
services, so addressing access and linkage to clinical care. So just looking for approval to continue
this program. Thank you so much.
Comments or questions? Commissioner Jones? No, I don't. Commissioner Madera? Just a quick question.
What kind of briefly, what services do you provide? Sure. So it's really kind of widespread. And I do
provide updates to the Board of Health. So I'm happy to send those along your way too. But a lot of
times it can be referral services, medications. They're also doing health screenings, kind of de-escalation.
But it's really very widespread, some wound care services as well.
Thank you so much. Any public comment on this item? You raise your hand in teams or come to the podium.
All right. Seeing none, all those in favor of approving the Health Net HIP services agreement signify
by saying aye. Aye. Motion carries three zero. Next item please. Move approval of Centerstone MOU for
blood pressure monitors. Second. We have a motion and we have a second.
So the Board of Health has established one of the initiatives is that we're working to try to reduce
chronic disease, so hypertension, high blood pressure. The health department currently has a large stock
of blood pressure monitors. So this is essentially just a way for us to be able to help distribute those
to individuals who are identified at Centerstone in need of having a device. So perhaps they were newly
diagnosed, they don't have access to a monitor, they need a monitor at home, and also to be able to
evaluate are their medications working effectively. So this is essentially just to
be able to provide those monitors. All right, thank you so much. Comments or questions? Commissioner
Madeira? Nope, this is great. Thank you. Commissioner Jones? Thank you for doing this. Any public comment
on this item? You can raise your hand in teams or come to the podium here in the NatU Hill Room.
Seeing none, all those in favor of approving the Centerstone MOU for blood pressure monitor signify
by saying aye. Aye. Motion carries 3-0. Next item, please. Move approval of ordinance 2025-48, amending
Monroe County Code chapter 310-4. Second. We have a motion and we have a second.
So we're just looking through trying to make some updates to our code here. So we have the price of
our birth and death certificates have not actually been changed since 2015. We have ongoing increase
in costs, supplies, postage, shipping, employee salaries have increased. So just looking to change the
fee for those from 16 to $20.
We are looking to also add both small sizes and small sleeves and offer the small size birth certificate
to the public as an option. And then lastly we just needed to include public health clinic fees. So
these are fees that have been used through the I.U. health contract but they're just not actually in our
in the Chapter 310. I'm not sure if they should have been all along, to be honest. So just making sure
that that information is in there. Happy to answer any questions then. Thank you so much. Comments or
questions? Commissioner Madeira? None, thank you. Commissioner Jones? No, I don't. Yeah, this all makes
sense. I was watching that meeting where you all discussed this. So thank you, bringing this forward.
Let's see if there's any public comment on this item. You raise your hand on teams or come to the podium.
Seeing none, all those in favor of approving ordinance 2025-48 signify by saying aye. Aye. Motion carries
three zero. Next item please. Thank you. Move approval of US imaging digital scanning service agreement
fund name, recorders perpetuation, fund number 1189 in the amount of $112,471.76. Second. We have a
motion and we have a second. Recorder swing. Good morning. Good morning. This is part of a three prong
project to
scan and digitize the remaining books in the recorder's office that are there currently. There's
approximately 300 books. Many of them have been scanned, but not all of them. The bulk of our records
are stored in archives with a dry fire suppression system. The fire suppression system in the recorder's
office is water.
And so should anything happen, these books would be damaged. So the purpose of the perpetuation fund,
which the money for this contract would come out of, is expressly to preserve and protect our historical
documents and also to increase the
access for the public, the record-keeping system. So this project in the three parts would address all
of those. And so we are asking to work with U.S. Imaging again. They have scanned our books previously
with good results, and so they are a trusted business partner. Thank you so much. Comments or questions?
Commissioner Jones?
I certainly think that preserving our records is one of the most important things. I agree, and it's
a lot of counties that don't have this service, which makes things very difficult when something happens.
Thank you. Yeah, I appreciate your work on this. Let's see if there's any public comment on this item.
You can raise your hand, and teams who have come to the podium here and then at you.
Seeing none, all those in favor of approving the agreement with U.S. Imaging Digital Scanning Service
signify by saying aye. Aye. Motion carries 3-0. Thank you. Thank you very much. Next item, please. Move
approval of Axon Enterprise Inc. agreement renewal for body worn cameras, fund name 2025 GEO bond, fund
number to be determined in the amount of $1 million
$998,775.02. Second. We have a motion, and we have a second. Mr. Crum. Good morning, everyone. So we're
approaching the end of our current five-year agreement with Axon. It expires in the second quarter of
26. But currently, the tasers that's deployed to the Winter County Shares Department are failing.
They're out of service life, getting to the end of it, and we're due for certification. So Officer Ruiz
and Randy Jacobs had reached out to Axon and got them to agree they will go ahead and deploy us new
tasers now instead of waiting until that agreement expires by amending that original agreement, prorating,
and then extending that contract another five years. So this also adds
Part of the problem with the cost before that we found was we'd bought the base package. And with that,
it doesn't apply to taser cartridges or the certification process for the tasers. So that was an additional
cost that we kept reoccurring that the Sheriff's Department was having to pay. So that all gets folded
into this new agreement. They won't have any surprise charges. The certifications, the cartridges, everything
are included in that cost.
This also replaces, upgrades the evidence room storage. And for the interview room, the cameras and
the backend hardware to that, all that gets upgraded. So it's a complete refresh of that Axon system.
Thank you so much. Comments or questions, Commissioner Jones? This is a little confusing because it
says body-borne cameras. Yes. That's the bug.
Yes, that's part of the contract too. That's all brand new body worn cameras. Sorry, I failed to mention
that. So that is part of that package as well. Yes. Okay. Thank you. I have none. Thank you. Yeah, I
don't either something that we talked about briefly last time. So any public comment on this item? You
raise your hand in teams or come to the podium.
Seeing none, all those in favor of approving the Axon Enterprise Agreement, signify by saying aye. Aye.
Motion carries 3-0. Thank you very much. Thank you. Next item, please. Move approval of ordinance 2025-47,
interlocal agreement regarding animal management and animal shelter services.
Fund name county general fund number 1000 in the amount of $480,480 second motion and we have a second.
Yes, this is the agreement that we've had had annually with the city of Bloomington and the town of
Alexville to provide the city balloons and provide shelter space for our the animals that are brought
in either through
county users or the county animal management control. This also allows us to conduct those animal management
calls with our, with our sheriff's department, uh, animal management officers in within the town of
Ellisville. Uh, it's based on the same formula as we've had for the last decade or so. Thank you. Um,
questions or comments? Uh, commissioner. Commissioner Jones. No, I don't.
I don't have any either except to note that this cost has escalated appreciably over the last several
years. I remember when this first started, it was in the 225,000 range. That was several years ago.
However, yeah, the cost has increased quite a bit. See if there's any public comment on this item. You
raise your hand on Teams or come to the podium.
Seeing none, all those in favor of approving ordinance 2025-47 signify by saying aye. Aye. Motion carries
3-0. Next item, please. Move approval of the collective bargaining agreement with the highway collective
bargaining unit, fund name, various, fund number, multiple in an amount as budgeted. Second. We have
a motion and we have a second.
Yes, and the reason the fund name is various is because Stormwater is also included in the contracts.
We have more than one fund that we're doing. This is very similar to our last agreement. I think the
items that we really worked with our highway management and the union on were dealing with callout time
and how to get people to respond to callouts in a more appropriate manner. And we also included some
when you can use benefit time for
and still go one of the call outs. We don't want people out there who are actually sick in other words.
In order to do some of that we did give them five days of personal time that they could convert and
they could do that at the beginning of the year to kind of help cover for times where they need to be
out of the office but they want to be available for calling. So that's kind of the big areas I think
where the changes are. Would you agree.
Yeah, they were already getting 32 hours of the personal time out of their sick bank. So we just increased
it to 40 and put less restrictions on that. So yeah, I think that was the main, and we changed it to,
I think we extended it to three years versus the two years. So it'll be a three year contract. We did
not want it to end at the end of 2027. I wonder why, okay.
All right, yeah, I was gonna note that extended time on this contract. It's a good idea. Comments or
questions, Commissioner Jones? No, I don't. Commissioner Maduro? No, thank you. I don't have any either.
Let's see if there's any public comment on this item. Raise your hand on teams or come to the podium.
Seeing none, all those in favor of approving the collective bargaining agreement with highway collective
bargaining unit signify by saying aye. Aye. Motion carries 3-0. And again, thank you for working on
this. Mr. Cockrell and Ms. Ridge appreciate it. Next item please.
Move approval of Wiley's Floor Covering Inc. for floor covering replacement at Convention Center. Fund
name ARPA, fund number 8950 in the amount of $3,661. Second. We have a motion and we have a second.
Mr. Crider. Good afternoon, commissioners. Richard Crider, Monroe County Building and Fleet Department.
This is a Convention Center ARPA project.
main floor north hall at the convention center. This request is to accept the proposal submitted by
Wiley's Floor Covering Inc. in the amount of $3,661 to remove existing floor tile, apply a leveling
compound, then install clean and seal new tile. Thank you so much. Comments or questions? Commissioner
Maduro? No, thank you. Commissioner Jones? No, I don't.
I don't either. It's good to keep these projects getting done. So thank you for working on that. Any
public comments on this item? You raise your hand in teams or come to the podium. Seeing none, all those
in favor of approving the agreement with Wiley's floor covering ink for the convention center signify
by saying aye.
I motion carries three zero thank you next item please move approval of blood so rigor Cooper and James
amendment number three for the limestone Greenway second we have a motion and we have a second is Whitmer
sorry just organizing this yeah you've got a few
This is the third addendum and also is doing is extending the expiration date to 6 1 26. No, no money.
No, no difference in the money. Thank you. Come answer questions. Commissioner Jones. I don't. Commissioner
Madera. Nope. All right. I don't either. Um, any public comment on this item?
Seeing none, all those in favor of approving the bullets or your Cooper and James amendment number three
for limestone greenway signify by saying aye. Motion carries three zero. Next item please. Move approval
of Cassidy electrical service agreement fund names, county general and parks non-reverting fund numbers,
1,000, 1178, 1179 and 4113.
in an amount not to exceed $30,000. Second. We have a motion, and we have a second. Ms. Whitmer. This
is an accumulated amount. It expires 12-31-27. And if we don't need them, we won't spend a dime. But
they also take care of athletic complex lights. So if something would major happen, they're ready to
go. Yeah. All right. Comments or questions? Commissioner Jones? I don't. Commissioner Redu? No, thanks.
Any public comment on this item? You can raise your hand and teams should come to the podium.
Seeing none, all those in favor of approving the Cassidy Electrical Service Agreement signify by saying
aye. Motion carries three zero. Next item please. Move approval of Heflin Industries Inc. Service Agreement.
Fund names, county general and parks non-reverting. Fund numbers, 1,000, 1178 and 1179 in an amount
not to exceed $4,000. Second? We have a motion and we have a second. It's an accumulated amount of 4,000,
expires 12-31-27. They are required by
I don't know if it's ordinance or state law to check all of our backflow preventers at all of our parks
and then to make corrections if needed. And then they give a report to the city of Bloomington.
Got it. Okay. Thank you so much. Um, comments or questions, commissioner Madeira. None.
Thank you. Commissioner Jones. I don't, I don't either. Um, any public comment on this item? You raise
your hand in teams or come to the podium.
Seeing none, all those in favor of approving the Heflin Industries Inc Service Agreement signify by
saying aye. Aye. Motion carries 3-0. Next item, please. Move approval of J&S Locksmiths Service Agreement,
fund names, county general, and parks non-reverting, fund number 1000, 1178, and 1179 in an amount not
to exceed $500. Second.
We have a motion and we have a second. Ms. Wimmer. Each project is not to exceed $500, expires 11-127.
It's for locksmithing and small engine repair. Thank you. It's really nice to have these contracts set
up so you don't have to bring in individual items or wait for us to have a meeting in order for you
to get the work done. So that's what all of these are. Comments or questions from my colleagues?
Any public comment on this item? Seeing none, all those in favor of approving the J and S locksmith
service agreement signify by saying aye. Aye. Motion carries 3-0. Next item please.
Move approval of landmark aquatic service agreement, fund names, county general and parks non-reverting,
fund numbers, 1,000, 1178, and 1179 in an amount not to exceed $5,000. Second? We have a motion and
we have a second. Talks about this one. Landmark aquatic is our vendor that comes and helps us repair
the car splash pad.
It's one project does not exceed 5,000. That would be a major repair. But our staff usually repairs
almost everything that we can, but sometimes under warranty issues that we need to bring them in. And
I believe they might be the only one in the state of Indiana who does this. So. Comments or questions
for my colleagues? Any public comment on the site? Raise your hand in teams or come to the podium.
Seeing none, all those in favor of approving the landmark aquatic service agreement signify by saying
aye. Aye. Motion carries 3-0. Next item please. Move approval of Monroe-Tuff-John service agreement,
fund names, county general and parks non-reverting, fund numbers, 1,000, 1178, 1179, and 4113 in an
amount not to exceed $16,000. Second.
We have a motion and we have a second as well. This is an accumulated amount. Term dates 12-31-27 is
$25 per toilet per trip with our own ADA Porter toilets. And we will not be spending $16,000, but just
in case we acquire more toilets or we think we need to clean them more often, I don't want to be limited.
by the amount because cleaning porter toilets is one of our number one priorities and make sure they're
nice to use. Yeah. And this is a two-year contract essentially. So comments or questions for my colleagues?
It's essential. Yeah, it is. Any public comment on this item?
All right, all those in favor of approving the Monroe-Tuff-John service agreement signify by saying
aye. Aye. Motion carries 3-0. Next item, please. Move approval of Richard Small Engine Inc.
service agreement, fund names, county general and parks non-reverting, fund numbers 1,178 and 1,179
in an amount not to exceed $3,000. Second.
We have a motion and we have a second. This is not to exceed 3000 for one repair project. Hopefully
we'll never get to that. Most of all our equipment, our mowers are under warranty, so everything works
it out, but we do have small engines that we also take there. Great. Thank you so much. Comments or
questions from my colleagues? Any public comment on this item? You can raise your hand on teams or come
to the podium.
see none all those in favor of proving the Richard small engine Inc. service agreement signify by saying
aye aye motion carries 3, 0, thank you. Thank you. Thanks so much. Next item, please. Move approval
of lock Mueller group amendment number one for Fairfax Road safety grant project. Fund name local road
and street fund number 1169 in an amount not to exceed 9,500 dollars.
Second? We have a motion and we have a second. Ms. Ridge, thank you for your patience. Good morning.
Good afternoon. So this amendment is for us to conduct some core samples in different locations with
our project on Fairfax Road. There's locations that we're going to do a high friction pavement. So if
we do some core samples in the beginning, then it might save us some cost up in the long run when we
do the project of not having to do as many locations with full depth patching. So we want to move forward
with getting these additional core samples in the roadway. Thank you so much. Comments or questions?
Commissioner Jones? Commissioner Redira? Any public comment on this item? You can raise your hand in
teams, you can come to the podium.
Seeing none, all those in favor of approving the Locke Mueller group amendment number one for Fairfax
Road Safety Grant Project signify by saying aye. Aye. Motion carries 3-0. And we have one more item.
Move approval of ordinance 2025-44, amendments to the county development ordinance, fixing Scrivener's
errors and align with state
code provisions. Second. We have a motion and we have a second. Director Jelen is joining us. Good afternoon,
Commissioner. So in your packet today, you'll see the list of revisions here on page 237.
I just want to reiterate that these changes are largely a result of House Bill 1037, which has now been
codified. It states basically that we cannot regulate grading, excavating, filling or removing vegetative
cover in a way more stringent than the state. So that has had ripple effects on our ordinance as well
as Stormwater who already amended their ordinance.
Other amendments throughout are just correcting Scrivener's errors, aligning our language with state
code requirements, and a few staff edits. I'll move through these fairly quickly, but just note there's
a good summary here on page 237 of everything that we are changing.
I also want to note that there were some linking errors. So this document is a linked document and it
looks like we're changing things that are not being changed. So for instance, if they're changing a
chapter from its normal number to zero, that's not something that we're actually going to be changing.
It's just an error of the linking that we could not fix.
More substantive changes, we are recommending a change to remove a trigger or prompt for when sidewalks
are required. So right now we have it tied to our alternative transportation plan, which is not going
to change, but one of the transportation plan map
lines that was requiring sidewalks was actually following a waterway and a duke easement where there
was no actual planned trail, and this was triggering sidewalks in a very rural area. So we're recommending
that that be stricken with this text amendment.
A few other changes just throughout, we are clarifying some changes to our type G, which is a conservation
subdivision, allows people to administratively create a lot for agricultural conservation purposes.
And we're just clarifying after we've used the CDO for some time that they can only create two lots.
So otherwise, all changes included in the document are redlined, and I'd be happy to take any questions
about any specific changes. All right, thank you so much, Director Dillon. Comments or questions,
Commissioner Jones? No, I don't. Commissioner Redira? Is there any public comment on this item, whether
there's support or opposition
to this ordinance. All right, well, I do want to thank Director Jelena's staff for working on this so
diligently and carefully, because there's always Scrivener's errors no matter what you do. And then
the state changes also have to be accommodated. So thank you for your work on this.
All right. So I don't see anyone here for public comment. So all those in favor of approving ordinance
2025-44 signify by saying aye. Aye. Motion carries three zero. We have a few appointments to make today.
If you would read it all as one motion. Thank you.
Move to approve the appointment of M. Davis-Oguin to the Alcoholic Beverage Board. It's a one
year appointment that expires 12-31-26. E. Sensenstein is appointed to the ADA internal group. One year
appointment expiring 12-31-26.
Patrick Murphy is reappointed to the Board of Aviation for a four-year appointment, expiring 12-31-2029.
Guy Lofman is appointed to the Board of Zoning Appeals. It's a four-year appointment, expiring January
1st, 2030. Margaret Clements is appointed to the Board of Zoning Appeals and the Plan Commission for
four years.
expiring January 1st, 2023, 2030. Chief Deputy Jeffrey Combs is, or Combs is appointed to Central Dispatch
Policy Board. It's a three-year appointment expiring 1-1-2029. Angie Purdy is appointed to the Child
Protection Team. It's a one-year appointment expiring 1-1-2029.
Michael Campbell is appointed to the Convention and Visitors Commission, a two-year appointment expiring
12-31-2027. Robert Audio is appointed to the Drainage Board. It's a four-year appointment expiring 12-31-29.
Greg Travis is appointed to Economic Development.
a two-year appointment expiring 2-1-27. Stephen Coover is appointed to the Human Rights Commission.
Two-year appointment expiring 1-31-29. Kelly Whitmer is appointed to Parks Access to Recreational Endowment.
A four-year appointment expiring 1-1-2030.
and Maggie Sullivan is appointed to the Resiliency Commission. It's a two-year appointment expiring
12-31-2027. Thank you so much. We have a motion. Can I get a second? Second. All right. We have a motion
and a second. I want to thank everyone in advance for offering to serve. All those in favor of approving
these folks to these boards and commissions signify by saying aye. Aye. Motion carries 3-0. Thank you
for reading all those.
I have been notified that there was an error in the claims. So I'm going to make a motion to reopen.
The claims for counts payable for December 11th 2025. And this is from County General and it's $1800.
That was a contract that we did not approve with Seven Oaks.
So unfortunately, that was in the claims and I missed it. Yes, that's correct. That was included. Yep.
Sorry. I missed it. I read them. I don't always read them, I guess. There's a lot to read. So I'm sorry
I missed that. So I'm going to move that we remove that claim from the docket for this week. Could I
get a second? Second.
I'm gonna get a motion and a second. Any public comment on this item? All right, all those in favor
of adjusting the claims docket for December 11th, 2025 signify by saying aye. Aye. Motion carries. What
are the consequences of removing it from the docket? Does that mean it's just not paid? It's not paid
because it wasn't approved. We don't have a contract.
because we voted two one to not approve their contract. So we can't pay them. So it's, yeah. I think
the other question is what would happen if we'd left it? That's the real. I think just as a point of
information, I do believe that on Tuesday, the council did approve a resolution making that a donation
to Seven Oaks. So while you didn't approve the contract and there is no contract,
per se, and you can disallow the claim, I don't think you would be in any harm if it was approved.
All right. Well, I haven't received any communication from the council about a donation. So I'm I'm
if they want to bring it, they can bring it. I'm OK with did you all want to revote? Are you all good?
OK, all right. Motion carries.
All right. We do have work session items, so we're going to start the work session in like two minutes
after this meeting ends because we're going to have to get through a lot. And then at one o'clock, we
have a meeting here for conversation and
I'm going to ask folks to consider. Applying for boards and commissions. I know we have some. Openings
on things like animal management board and others that that really needs some. Applicants so.
Anything that. Folks can do to help out would be greatly
10 o'clock here in the NatU Hill Room. Anything else for the good of the order? All right, we are adjourned
for two minutes and then we'll come back for the work session.