Oct. 29, 2026: Monroe County GO bonds, food and beverage tax, ICE detainers, dispatch tax, health department

Weather Talk

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

Thursday: Start the day with a light wrap to ward off the morning chill, but otherwise you will not need any other extra gear. It will be cloudy with a high of 77F°.

Friday: Same advice as for Thursday, with a high of 72F°.

Sign up for weather alerts: Monroe County emergency alert system

Recent articles

• Monroe County cuts GO bonds to $3.1M, but leaves project list intact.  Monroe County councilors approved $3.1M in GO bonds, down from a $6.5M ceiling, but left nearly $3.9M in projects on the list. Councilors floated food and beverage tax funds for parks, while commissioners eye $300K from that tax to advance the convention center host hotel.
• Judge hears arguments in Rokita–Marté ICE detainer fight, decision not expected before Nov. 12.  A ruling is not expected before Nov. 12 in the dispute between Indiana attorney general Todd Rokita and Monroe County sheriff Ruben Marté over ICE detainers. At Tuesday’s hearing, the judge weighed whether county jailers can legally hold people based on the say-so of a federal immigration officer.
• Bloomington council votes down dispatch tax increase, absences seal defeat.  Bloomington’s city council voted 1–4 Monday on raising the dispatch local income tax, leaving Monroe County’s 2027 rate at 2.205%. With four members absent, the tally also completely blocked the countywide increase. Opponents cited affordability and available reserves among other reasons.
• Monroe County health department to resume regular services Tuesday with interim officer.  Monroe County’s health department will reopen Tuesday, restoring walk-in services, permits, vital records and STI testing. The board appointed Paul Broderick, Morgan County’s health officer, to serve on an interim basis for up to three months. The department’s top administrative post remains vacant.

Other notes

Anniversary of annexation hearing by supreme court. Coming up on Friday (Oct. 30) is the one-year anniversary of oral arguments in front of the Indiana Supreme Court on Bloomington’s one remaining annexation case. We’re still waiting for a ruling about the constitutionality of a law that voided older remonstration waivers.

Early voting numbers. Through the first 18 days of voting at the North Showers location on Morton Street, 13,359 people have cast a ballot. That’s around 3,100 more than in 2022, but about 4,200 less than in 2018 for the same period.

This is a stat that’s easy to check for yourself on the early voting dashboard that Monroe County government has set up.

On the calendar

Food and beverage tax. News out of Tuesday’s Monroe County council meeting included an expected spending plan for food and to be presented at 10 a.m. Thursday (Oct. 29) to county commissioners, with a presentation planned for 2 p.m. Friday (Oct. 30) to the food and beverage tax advisory commission.

The plan would include about $300,000 to help the Monroe County capital improvement board (CIB) with its convention center host hotel project. But I don’t see agendas posted for either meeting. When the regular commissioners meeting is available it will be posted in the usual spot on the county government website.

IU Homecoming. A parade starts on Friday (Oct. 30) 5:30 p.m at Washington Street and Kirkwood Avenue and heads east on Kirkwood to the Sample Gates. That’s a pretty great route. The schedule of events includes a game of foot ball played on Saturday between two teams who are allowed 11 players on the field at a time, in a contest where they try to put an egg-shaped ball over a goal line. The sport appears to be gaining in popularity.

Meet: Hank!

This very, very, very, very, very good boy is a Rottweiler mix. Here’s what the shelter staff have written for Hank:

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.

Shelters, even when they are well maintained and have a great staff, are not places where dogs generally thrive. Hank only just arrived, so let’s try and make his stay as short as possible.

Photo Finish: Madison Street & 6th Street

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

Thanks for reading. I hope you have a great weekend!

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

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