Aug. 14, 2025: Water rate increase, tax breaks, city budget, online school

Weather

Based on the National Weather Service forecast in text and charts here’s some advice.

Thursday: Slow down. Pace yourself. By driving slower than usual, you will be ready for the patchy fog before 9 a.m. Drink extra water. Check in on friends, family, and neighbors who have a tough time with hot weather. The 87F° high temperature for Thursday doesn’t sound all that awful, but it’s a good day to get ready for the furnace that follows on Friday and the weekend.

Friday: Carry a water bottle around like you’re on some kind of a desert expedition. The forecasted high is for Friday is 90F°. That’s followed by highs in the low to mid 90s through Monday, with clear skies every day.

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

Roundup of recent articles

• Bloomington utilities looks to raise drinking water rates as part of 4-year cycle.  In a news release issued on Tuesday, the City of Bloomington Utilities (CBU) announced that it is now taking steps to increase drinking water rates for its customers. Currently residential customers pay $4.38 per 1,000 gallons and a fixed monthly charge of $7.93 for a 3/4-inch line.
• Monroe County sets special meeting to vote on Simtra Biopharma tax break for former GE site redevelopment.  A special meeting of the Monroe County council has been called for 4 p.m. on Aug. 26 to discuss the possible approval of a tax abatement for Simtra Biopharma, which announced in late July that it had purchased the former GE site on Bloomington’s west side from Cook Group.
• Bloomington mayor proposes $147M budget for 2026, would tap $11.2M in reserves.  Last Friday, Bloomington mayor Kerry Thomson released her proposed budget for 2026—which includes a total of about $147 million in spending. That compares to about $143 million for 2025, according to the city’s budget book.
• MCCSC Online starts classes, open to K-12 students across Indiana.  Earlier this summer, the Monroe County Community School Corporation announced a new way for students to enroll in the district—MCCSC Online. Courses in the online school are set to start on Monday, Aug. 11. MCCSC Online is available to all students in Indiana.

Quick notes

Blood drives. Originally on the Tuesday agenda for Bloomington’s board of public works was an agreement with the Red Cross that outlines the terms under which the group can hold blood drives in the Showers building, which is home to city administrative offices and, in Showers West, to the fire department’s administration. That item was pulled off the agenda.

This is the same agreement already approved by the city's redevelopment commission, as owner of Showers West. The city is currently working to end the lease agreements with the current tenants of Showers West, because the city says that renting to private groups is not a legal use of the property, which was purchased with bonds issued for a public safety purpose.

www.in.gov/counties/monroe/ Monroe County’s new website is up, but the redirect for the old domain name was still not working last I checked. Here’s link to the new Monroe County government website domain: https://www.in.gov/counties/monroe/

On the calendar

State of the justice center building: Courtroom audio. Even though the jail is generally the focus of discussions about the dismal state of the justice center building at the corner of 7th Street and College Avenue, the rest of the building is not in great shape. On the 10 a.m Thursday (Aug. 14) meeting agenda for the Monroe County commissioners is approval of a contract to replace the audio in one of the courtrooms. The audio hardware is Courtroom 204 is “in the advanced stages of failure,” with complete breakdown expected soon. The agenda request seeks approval of a $31,144.73 agreement with Forte to replace the recording and amplification system, including a year of on-site and remote support.

Friday Football. On Friday (Aug. 15) the Bloomington High School South Panthers scrimmage at home against Lawrence Central to get ready for their first home game a week later against Columbus East. The Bloomington High School North Cougars head up the road to Martinsville for its first scrimmage next Friday (Aug. 15) and take on Mooresville for their home opener the following week. The Edgewood High School Mustangs scrimmage against Indian Creek on Friday (Aug. 15) to tune up for their home opener against Mitchell the following week.

Democrats to elect new vice chair. Last month, after vice chair of the Monroe County Democratic Party Chrissie Geels was elected chair, that left a vacancy in the vice chair position. This Saturday (Aug. 17) at 1:30 p.m. in Bloomington city council chambers the Democrats will elect a new vice chair.

First day of city council budget hearings. Next Monday (Aug. 18), starting at 5:30 p.m. is the first night of budget hearings for Bloomington’s city council. If you’re accustomed to a different start time, pay attention to the 5:30 p.m. scheduled start. Monday’s meeting supposed to focus on what the council and mayor have labeled “high performing government.” Monday’s schedule includes the city clerk, common council, mayor, controller, legal department, human resources department, information and technology services department, and some of the public works divisions. The hearings are set to start at 5:30 p.m.

Bloomington mayor’s traveling office hours. You can set up a 15-minute appointment with Bloomington mayor Kerry Thomson at Hopewell Commons on Tuesday, Aug. 19 from 4:30 p.m. until 5:30 p.m. Pre-registration is required using an online calendar.

Appeal: Annexation trial on the merits. On Aug. 19, oral arguments are scheduled to be held in front of an Indiana court of appeals panel about the city of Bloomington’s attempt to annex Area 1A and Area 1B. The lower court ruled against the city of Bloomington. If you want to follow the arguments live starting at 10:30 a.m. on Aug. 19, the court of appeals has you covered: COA Live Stream.

Hello, you must be going! The play “An Evening with Groucho” is coming to Bloomington Aug. 16–17, with four performances at Constellation Playhouse, presented by Jewish Theatre of Bloomington and The Hundredth Hill. If you’re a young person who often tells older folks, “That was before I was even born,” you might not even know who Groucho Marx was. And you might wonder who said stuff like “I refuse to join any club that would have me as a member,” or “Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.” This show is for you.

The show is performed by award-winning actor Frank Ferrante who delivers a family-friendly one-man show, full of favorite rapid-fire one-liners, stories, and songs. Families and kids are encouraged to dress like Groucho at the matinee shows. Photos of whole families dressed like Groucho would be perfect for the "Be There" section of The B Square. Tickets can be purchased online or at Bloom Magazine;s office: 414 West 6th Street.

Toe-Tappin’ with the Bloomington Jazz Orchestra. This event is hosted by the Bloomington Symphony Orchestra at Switchyard Park on Aug. 24 from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. From the BSO: "Sit back to enjoy some hot jazz on a summer evening as we groove with our friends from the Bloomington Jazz Orchestra, and dance along with the Swing Dance Club at Indiana University. Featuring music of Basie, Gershwin, Ellington and others, this concert will really put the swing in your step!" But the best part is the Instrument Petting Zoo for kids of all ages, which starts a 6 p.m.

Tire amnesty day. The Monroe County waste reduction district is holding a tire amnesty day so that Monroe County residents can dispose of tires in an environmentally responsible manner, for free. Restrictions apply to certain types of tires. Tire collection will be held Saturday Sept. 6 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Monroe County Fairgrounds, 5700 W. Airport Rd, in Bloomington. A maximum of eight tires will be allowed per vehicle per trip. Monroe County residents only. No commercial haulers, businesses, churches, schools, landlords, etc.

Meet Derby!

This very, very good girl is a German shepherd mix. Here’s what the shelter staff have written for Derby:

Oh hey, I'm Derby! I'm a lovebug at heart, and I love making new friends! I've never met a stranger, so I'd love to meet you and become your new bestie. I'm fun and energetic, and love to get all the sniffs in the yard or chase a ball around! I know sit and am ready to learn new tricks with you, too!

Photo Finish: 3rd Street & Walnut Street

The Photo Finish items are drawn from the B There section of the B Square website.

The geographic coverage of the B There section is pretty limited. Please consider occasionally contributing to the B There section some 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 you have a great weekend!

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