Aug. 31, 2026: Bloomington’s butt logo; ICE-detainer fight; jail population; District 6 race; transit budget

Civic Solver

We’re skipping the puzzle for this week and probably a few more weeks. The news operation is stretching me ever thinner. Puzzles seemed like a good place to conserve time and effort.

Weather Talk

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

Monday: Move slow, wear the coolest clothes you own, and don’t forget your sunglasses. It will be pure sun and hot with a high around 92F°.

Tuesday: The sunny hot wear from Monday will continue with a high around 96F°. Would that be a record for Bloomington? No, according to the archive of measurements at the IU weather station, the highest temperature for the period of record on Sept. 1 was 100F° in 1953.

Sign up for weather alerts: Monroe County emergency alert system

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Recent articles

• Editor’s note: Proposed new Bloomington logo looks like a butt.  Bloomington paid $95,000 for a new visual identity that is polished but generic—and whose giant “B” looks unmistakably like a butt. The city council should use its power of the purse to stop the administration from spending even more to put it everywhere.
• Sunday Funnies: Hawk v. Fish.  Which elected officials does Fish talk to when he wants to get something done? The answer might surprise you!
• Monroe County property transfers through Aug. 26, 2026.  This report includes new property transfers in Monroe County that haven’t previously been reported by The B Square, with dates ranging from Aug. 7 to Aug. 26, 2026. The data in this report comes from Beacon, the county’s online geographic information system for property and parcel data.
• Monroe County jail notebook: Population hits nearly 7-week low, rolling 10-day average below 229.  Monroe County’s jail population hit a nearly 7-week low of 216 on Friday before rising to 235 Saturday. The latest 10-day average, 225, is below the ACLU’s 229-person functional-capacity estimate, but above the county’s 186-person figure.
• Partial settlement of Rokita-Marté immigration fight, but main ICE-detainer dispute remains.  A consent decree narrows Indiana AG Todd Rokita’s two-year legal fight with Monroe County sheriff Ruben Marté, but leaves the central ICE-detainer dispute unresolved. A hearing on competing summary-judgment motions is set for Oct. 27.
• Stockton launches bid for District 6 Bloomington city council seat.  Joshua Stockton has announced a run for Bloomington City Council District 6, the seat Sydney Zulich is leaving to run for mayor. His campaign stresses housing affordability, infrastructure and keeping more city contracts and economic activity local. He's seeking the Democratic Party’s nomination.
• Monroe County commissioner: Councilor Henry’s ‘body armor’ reference was a violent threat.  Monroe County commissioner Julie Thomas called councilor David Henry’s “body armor” remark a threat of violence and faulted the rest of the council for staying silent. Henry said he remains focused on justice building conditions as the dispute heads into September budget hearings.
• Bloomington Transit looks to $37.6M budget vote amid pending management shakeup.  Bloomington Transit’s proposed $37.6 million 2027 budget is almost twice the size of this year’s, driven largely by a $20 million first phase of a new operations complex. The budget approval by the city council comes amid a management change as well as a potential new board appointment.

Other notes

Update on county commissioner Jones. In October 2025, Monroe County commissioner Lee Jones talked about her leukemia diagnosis and her intention to continue to serve through her treatment. Responding to an emailed question from The B Square last week about her recent absences from meetings, and whether she was planning to attend the Aug. 27 meeting, county commissioner Lee Jones wrote:

I’m sorry I didn't get back to you earlier. I have been having some problems with my County computer. It had been my intention to attend that [Aug. 27] meeting on Teams, but I got sick with a virus the day before and didn’t feel confident that I had the stamina for it. I do hope to be able to be at the next meeting. ...
I have spent most of the past 4 months in the hospital receiving a bone marrow transplant due to acute myeloid leukemia.

C’mon B Square readers, shape the future of your library! From the public library: “We’re creating a new strategic plan for the Monroe County Public Library, and we want to hear from you! Take our short survey and share your experiences and ideas. Your feedback will help us better serve you, your household, and our community.”

On the calendar

First round of Monroe County county council budget presentations. Set for 5 p.m. on Wednesday (Sept. 2) is the first round of departmental budget presentations in front of the county council. Up for the first night are: public defender, coroner’s office, surveyor’s office, parks department, recorder’s office, and prosecutor’s office

Bloomington city police and fire collective bargaining. On the 6:30 p.m. Wednesday (Sept. 2) Bloomington city council meeting agenda are resolutions approving the new collective bargaining agreements for the police and fire unions. This is the regular bargaining cycle: the existing police and fire contracts are expiring, and the city has negotiated successor agreements: Four years for police (2027–30) and two years for firefighters (2027–28).

Both agreements provide 3% annual salary increases. The police deal also increases longevity and specialty pay and is estimated to require an additional $5.95 million investment over four years, while the fire deal adds several benefit and pay enhancements and will require an additional $2.8 million over two years.

Liquor licenses. On the 6:30 p.m. Wednesday (Sept. 2) Bloomington city council meeting agenda is an ordinance that would establish Bloomington’s local review process for special on-premises alcohol permits that are available outside the normal state quota system. The ordinance would require applicants in eligible districts to meet city guidelines and sign a formal written commitment as a condition of receiving the city council’s recommendation. The geographic areas in question include the Courthouse Square historic district and the downtown redevelopment district.

Removal of HPC member. On the 6:30 p.m. Wednesday (Sept. 2) Bloomington city council meeting agenda is the potential removal of Reynard Cross as a non-voting member of the city’s historic preservation commission (HPC). Cross is not named in the agenda item, and there does not seem to be any related documentation in the council’s 655-page meeting information packet. It is not common for a city council agenda item to have no supporting documentation in the meeting information packet.

The background includes Cross’s pursuit of procedural issues in connection with a vote the HPC took in late June, which released the Seminary Pointe buildings for demolition. A city council-appointed member of the HPC (non-voting), Cross has raised the procedural points at subsequent meetings. Interim city council attorney Larry Allen sent Cross a letter notifying him of the council’s potential action at its Sept. 2 meeting. And Cross has responded with a 90-paragraph rebuttal of the claims in Allen’s letter.

While local law says that a commissioner can be removed for cause, and the city council has enacted a code of conduct, it’s not clear what, if any, due process was followed to put the question in front of the council. For example, who had standing to make a complaint and what criteria were applied to determine if the complaint had enough merit to be put in front of the council? The B Square made a records request last week for any written documentation of such a process. The city has not responded to the request except to acknowledge its receipt.

Big Book Sale: Sept 18-21. The Friends of the Library will be hosting their Big Fall Book Sale in Meeting Room 1B/C at the Downtown Library with thousands of items at bargain prices. The 2026 Big Fall Book Sale will be open to the public Sept. 18–21 with a special early-bird sale for Friends members on Sept. 17. For hours on specific days, check the book sale webpage.

New Leaf New Life benefit book event: Sept. 23. Authors Chastidy Mader, Ryan Mader, Nordia McNish and Trunnis Goggins II will discuss resilience, recovery, purpose and second chances Wednesday, Sept. 23, from 6–8 p.m. at Redbud Books, 408 W. Kirkwood Ave. Tickets cost $20, with $12 from each ticket benefiting New Leaf New Life, which supports people affected by incarceration and reentry.

Meet Allen!

This very, very, good boy is a shepherd mix. Here’s what the shelter staff have written about Allen:

I am new to the shelter and we are all getting to know each other. If you are interested in adopting, stop by the shelter for a visit.

Photo Finish: Bryan Park

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

Thanks for reading. Enjoy the last day of August. I hope your week is off to a great start!

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

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