Aug. 18, 2025: New jail planning, high school football, botanical bullies, library hours, property transfers

Weather

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

Monday: Wear something light and breezy, and drink plenty of water. No rain is in the forecast and the predicted high is 90F°.

Tuesday: Plan on getting a little wet, because you don’t want to risk losing another umbrella on a chance of rain that is less than 20% until around 11 a.m. when it increases to 50% for most of the rest of the day. Also after 11 a.m. the chance of thunderstorms starts to increase until it’s around 50% by early afternoon. The predicted high temperature is 91F° but the heat index is supposed to be as high was 102F°.

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

Roundup of recent articles

• MCPL board to vote on cutting weeknight hours at downtown library.  A decision about reducing the Monroe County Public Library (MCPL)’s downtown hours will be made by library trustees at their meeting this Wednesday (Aug. 20). The proposed plan would close the downtown library at 7 p.m. instead of 9 p.m. on Monday through Thursday every week.
• Monroe County Democrats confirm Rob Council as new vice chair.  On Sunday afternoon Monroe County Democrats elected Rob Council as their vice chair. Council is a compliance officer in the city of Bloomington’s HAND Department. Council will now be the backup to county chair Chrissie Geels, who was elected to that position last month at a vacancy caucus.
• Sunday Funnies: Hawk v. Fish.  Hawk: Did you hear the one about the local government that had a pile of money so big that it just couldn’t be moved? How does fish answer? Test your wit by clicking through!
• Monroe County property transfers through Aug. 13, 2025.  This report includes new property transfers in Monroe County that haven’t previously been reported by The B Square, with dates as recent as Aug. 13, 2025. The data in this report comes from Beacon, the county’s online geographic information system for property and parcel data.
• Battling Bloomington’s botanical bullies: MC-IRIS ramps up fight against invasives.  Frequent Weed Wrangle events are one way that the nonprofit MC-IRIS is working to fight invasive species. Upcoming parks department Weed Wrangles are scheduled for Crestmont Park, Latimer Woods, Griffy Lake, and Bloomington Rail Trail, among others.
• Edgewood sharpens up with test against Indian Creek, season starts against Mitchell next week.  On Friday night, the Edgewood Mustangs tuned up for next week’s home opener against Mitchell with a scrimmage against Indian Creek. Edgewood’s coach Scott Fischer: “I feel pretty good about where we’re at and the direction we’re going. I thought the kids’ energy was pretty good.”
• Monroe County deputies arrest two in connection with 3-year-old’s death.  According to a news release issued by the Monroe County sheriff’s department Thursday night, two women have been charged with neglect of a dependent in connection with the death of a three-year-old girl.
• ACLU presses Monroe County to move ahead on construction of new jail.  As Monroe County’s plans to build a new jail face headwinds, the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana is still pushing for the county to move forward with construction, according to remarks by attorney Ken Falk at the county council’s Tuesday meeting.

Quick notes

Bloomington 2026 budgeted revenue vs. DLGF estimates. The 2026 budget proposed by Bloomington mayor Kerry Thomson assumes about $32.6 million in local income tax revenue (LIT)—that’s the certified shares plus economic development LIT, not including public safety LIT. It’s a conservative plan for LIT revenue, because it assumes the same number as last year. But the big news last Friday was the release of the DLGF (Department of Local Government Finance) estimates for 2026, which put Bloomington’s estimated revenue for 2026 at $34.81 million, or about $2.16 million more than is assumed for the 2026 budget. That should mean that Bloomington can plan to use less than the $11.2 million in reserves that the city currently has in its 2026 spending plan.

Measure your trash bin? A B Square reader suggests measuring your city of Bloomington trash bin to make sure you’re paying for the correct size. For example, if your bill says you’re paying for a medium sized bin, that’s a 64-gallon cart that should measure 24-inches wide. The reader had been paying for a medium sized bin, but actually had a small sized bin—a fact that emerged when the bin was damaged and they got a replacement.

On the calendar

$150,000 for environmental cleanup at Hopewell. On the Monday (Aug. 18) meeting agenda for Bloomington’s redevelopment commission (RDC) is a $152,486.26 contract with VET Environmental to remove soil polluted with petroleum-based substances at the southwest corner of 2nd and Rogers streets. The amount of soil to be trucked out and disposed of is estimated to be up to 890 cubic yards, or approximately 1,200 tons. For a tri-axle dump truck with about 15–16 cubic yards of capacity, that works out to around 60 loads.

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. For some B Square background on the city’s proposed 2026 budget see: Bloomington mayor proposes $147M budget for 2026, would tap $11.2M in reserves

Second day of city council budget hearings. Next Wednesday (Aug. 20) starting at 5:30 p.m. is the second night of departmental budget hearings for the Bloomington city council. Presenting their proposed budgets on Wednesday starting at 5:30 p.m. will be: Housing and Neighborhood Development (HAND), the Monroe County Capital Improvement Board, Economic and Sustainable Development, Fire Department, and the Police Department.

Convention center expansion updates. On the agenda for the 3 p.m. Wednesday (Aug. 20) meeting of Monroe County’s capital improvement board (CIB) are several updates on: branding (from Visit Bloomington); construction progress (Weddle Bros.); convention center related art (BEAD advisory committee); and negotiations between the city of Bloomington and Dora Hospitality on development of a hotel on the southwest corner of College Avenue and 4th Street. It’s likely that the CIB’s 2026 budget presentation to the city council later the same day will also get a mention, but the CIB approved that budget at its July 16 meeting.

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.

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.

Lake Monroe Day: Sept. 14. The fundraiser will be held at the Fields Clubhouse (1333 S. Fenbrook Lane) from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. From the Friends of Lake Monroe: “Attendees can mingle with other lake supporters and be treated to appetizers from One World Enterprises, music by King Bee and the Stingers, a wine pull, and brief updates from the organization working to protect Lake Monroe. Tickets are $30 for members, $35 for non-members, and $220 for a table of eight.”

Taste of Tibet: Sept. 20. The buffet starts at 6 p.m. (RSVP is requested). A guided tour of the monastery will be available during the open house from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. on same day. The buffet will include traditional Tibetan delicacies like momos, Pingsha, Alu khatsa, and Tibetan butter tea prepared by the monks.

Meet Legend!

This very, very good girl is a boxer mix. Here’s what the shelter staff have written about Legend:

The only thing Legend loves more than romping around in the yard is people. She loves making new friends, and is full of that super cute puppy energy that makes everyone smile. This sweet goofball loves to run free in the yard or chase after squeaky toys. She does great with other dogs and is showing excellent promise with her housetraining.

Photo Finish: College Avenue & 3rd 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 your week is off to great start!

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