April 28, 2025: Futures Clinic, partisan school boards, local income tax, 2026 budget plans

Weather

Based on the National Weather Service forecast in text and charts here's some advice:

Monday: You can probably get away with no extra layer for warmth even at the very start of the day—you'll just have to shed it later. The day will start at around 52°F. It will be 72°F by noon, headed to a high of around 82°F. And the day will be just as bright as your future, so wear some shades, if your eyeballs are sensitive to light. If you need to get something done outside in the next two days, do it Monday, because Tuesday will probably turn wet.

Tuesday: You don't even need to think about staying too warm or too cold, because it will stay a steady 70°F most of the day, from start to finish. But do whatever you normally do to stay dry—umbrella, big-brimmed hat, raincoat, or wit—because the chance of rain, then thunderstorms, is better than 60% for most of the day.

Sign up for weather alerts: Monroe County emergency alert system.

Roundup of recent articles

• Timeline for Futures Family Planning Clinic closure: 'There's still plenty to say here.' The timeline that The B Square built to support this report covers the controversial closure of Monroe County's Futures Family Planning Clinic on August 23, 2024. The closure stemmed from the decision by the IFHC to end its Title X grant to the clinic. The timeline includes leadership changes and disputes over staffing issues, including alleged employee resistance to cross-training, and an unfilled clinic manager position. There was an assumption that county elected officials were aware of the clinic's struggles, when that does not appear to have necessarily been the case.
• Sunday Funnies: Hawk v. Fish This week's edition of the comic combines the Bloomington city council with the Little 500 in a way that will have you laughing for the rest of the day.
• Bill requiring school board candidates to state partisan affiliation awaits Indiana governor's signature Assuming the governor signs the bill into law, candidates for school boards in the state of Indiana will need to state their party affiliation on their nominating petition, or say that they are independent, or that they are declining to do either. But the new law does not require a primary election for school board candidates.
• SB 1 allows higher rates for local income tax, gives cities power to tax only their own residents The change to Indiana's property tax law means somewhat of a break for taxpayers in the short term, but sets up local government units with the ability to impose a bit more local income tax—starting in 2028. The categories of local income tax will be different from those currently available for local units to impose. It likely means that local units will need to talk to each other a bit more.

On the calendar

Micah Beckwith town hall moved to May 19. The event with the lieutenant governor that was originally scheduled this week in Bloomington has been rescheduled for May 19 at 6 p.m. at the Ellettsville town hall.

Bloomington 2026 budget. Bloomington's city council is following up on its April 9 work session about budget priorities with another one this Wednesday (April 30) at 6: 30 p.m. The "compiled information" referenced on the agenda is included in the information packet. Earlier in the afternoon on Wednesday, the city council's fiscal committee has a meeting set at for 2 p.m. The fiscal committee includes: Isak Asare; Isabel Piedmont-Smith; Hopi Stosberg; and Dave Rollo.

Extra meeting for animal control commission. On the calendar for Tuesday (April 29) at 5:30 p.m. is an extra meeting for Bloomington's animal control commission. I don't see an agenda posted.

Election board meeting. Looking ahead to Thursday (May 1), Monroe County's election board has a regular meeting scheduled for 1 p.m. Some discussion of the vote center plan is likely, but the second hearing and possible vote on vote centers is not scheduled until May 19.

Look at the sky! The Kirkwood Observatory is open on the regular on Wednesday evenings, including this Wednesday (April 30). A couple of things to note: masks are required due to the close quarters and number of visitors; and there are ladders and steep stairs, so the place is not ADA accessible.

Meet Tiger!

This very, very good boy is a bully breed mix Here's what shelter staff have to say about Tiger:

Tiger likes: snuggling, being close to people, pottying outside, toys, having you cheer him on while he plays with toys. He's very good at entertaining himself! He was part of a transfer from another shelter and is new to town! He spent the last 18 months living there and just KNOWS that he'll find my people here in Bloomington.

Photo Finish
Hopewell Commons

The Photo Finish items are drawn from the B There section of the B Square website. This one was contributed by a guy with a drone (not me).

You don't need a drone or even a camera, to help improve the geographic coverage of the B There. Please consider occasionally contributing to The B Square's B There section brief factual observations about the world outside your own head, as you go about your normal business. (Photos are optional for B There.) The mechanics of making a contribution are pretty straightforward—just let me know if you'd like to learn the ins and outs. If you're looking at this bulletin in your email inbox, you should be able to reach me by hitting Reply.

Thanks for reading. I hope your week is off to a great start!

Dave Askins
734-645-2633
dave@bsquarebulletin.com