Tag: Ruben Marté

Monroe County adds 4 jail guard positions, adds security duty, drops age from 21 to 18

Four new correctional officer positions have been added to the Monroe County jail staff.

B Square file photo. From left: sheriff’s office financial coordinator,Jordon Miller, chief deputy sheriff Phil Parker, and Monroe County sheriff Ruben Marté. (March 26, 2024)

That move came at the regular Tuesday meeting of the Monroe County council on a unanimous vote.

On a separate vote, the council added one duty to the job description for correctional officers.  That duty includes providing security services at the county courthouse.

The council also lowered the age requirement for correctional officers from 21 to 18 years.

Monroe County sheriff Ruben Marté, chief deputy Phil Parker and jail commander Kyle Gibbons were on hand at the council’s meeting to field any questions.

The four new positions are not related to the six other new jail guard positions that the council approved in late March.  The six new positions approved earlier were connected to Monroe County’s plans to design and build a new jail at a still undetermined location. Continue reading “Monroe County adds 4 jail guard positions, adds security duty, drops age from 21 to 18” →

Report: Monroe County should build new jail with 450-500 beds, not renovate current one

Monroe County sheriff Ruben Marté. (April 30, 2024)
From left: Lee Jones, Julie Thomas, Penny Githens. (April 29, 2024)

Monroe County should build a new jail with 450 to 500 beds, according to a report prepared by RQAW Corporation, out of Fishers, Indiana.

The report recommends against renovating the existing facility at 7th Street and College Avenue, which has a total of 287 beds.

The estimated hard cost of a new facility, according to RQAW, is around $76 million, with additional costs like design and construction contingencies, and fixtures and furnishings, bringing the total cost to around $99 million. That’s not an estimate for a “co-located” justice center that would include space for all the courts, prosecutor, public defender, probation, and other support services.

The hard construction cost of a fully co-located new facility is pegged at around $142-152 million by DLZ,  which is the county’s consultant for master planning and designing a new jail facility. That’s based on $70-75 million for a justice center and $72-77 million for the jail and sheriff’s office. Continue reading “Report: Monroe County should build new jail with 450-500 beds, not renovate current one” →

Analysis: Vignettes from candidate forums for county commissioner hopefuls Githens, Madeira, Volan

Both races for Monroe County commissioner are contested this year. In one race, incumbent Democrat Julie Thomas is competing with Peter Iversen for the party’s nomination. Iversen currently serves on the county council.

In the other race, incumbent Democrat Penny Githens is competing for the nomination with Jody Madeira, an Indiana University law professor, and Steve Volan, who lost his re-election bid to the Bloomington city council last year.

For the seat where the Democrats have a three-way primary, the Republicans also have a contested race. Vying for the GOP nomination are Paul White, Sr. and Joe VanDeventer. Continue reading “Analysis: Vignettes from candidate forums for county commissioner hopefuls Githens, Madeira, Volan” →

6 jobs at jail OK’d by Monroe councilors to prep for facility transition, money for mental health mulled

From left: sheriff’s office financial coordinator,Jordon Miller, chief deputy sheriff Phil Parker, and Monroe County sheriff Ruben Marté. (March 26, 2024)
Monroe County council, from near to far: Peter Iversen, Kate Wiltz, Jennifer Crossley, Trent Deckard, Geoff McKim, Cheryl Munson, and Marty Hawk. (March 26, 2024)

Six additional corrections officers for Monroe County’s jail were added to the 2024 salary ordinance by county councilors at their regular Tuesday meeting.

The six positions, which are connected to Monroe County’s plans to design and build a new jail at an undetermined location, got some preliminary discussion at the county council’s meeting two weeks earlier.

The basic idea for assembling a transition team is to draw from current jail staff who know the ins and outs of Monroe County’s current jail and its processes. But in order to do that, the jobs now being done by those staff will need to be backfilled. The added six positions reflect the work by transition team members that still has to be covered.

Two weeks ago, the source of funding for the six positions that was identified by county councilors is revenue from the corrections local income tax (LIT), which county councilors enacted last year.

But revenue from the corrections LIT—which reflects a tax rate shift, not a rate increase—was conceived at the time of enactment last year as a funding source for a different purpose. That purpose was to pay for three mental health positions at the jail—a qualified mental health professional, charge planner, and a substance use counselor.

An appropriation will still have to be made by the council, likely at a meeting in April, to fund the six positions. A contract with jail transition director Cory Grass was already signed by the sheriff last year, funded by (ARPA) American Rescue Plan Act money.

At their Tuesday meeting, county councilors also received a basic update on the status of the current facility from jail commander Kyle Gibbons. Continue reading “6 jobs at jail OK’d by Monroe councilors to prep for facility transition, money for mental health mulled” →

County commissioner candidates Peter Iversen, Julie Thomas field questions on new jail, housing

On Saturday afternoon, a total of five candidates in two different Democratic Party primary races for county commissioner fielded questions at a forum hosted by League of Women Voters of Bloomington-Monroe County.

The forum took place in the auditorium of the downtown Bloomington location of the Monroe County Public Library.

In one race, incumbent Julie Thomas is competing with Peter Iversen for the party’s nomination. Iversen currently serves on the county council.

In the other race, incumbent Penny Githens is competing for the nomination with Jody Madeira, an Indiana University law professor, and Steve Volan, a former Bloomington city councilmember.

As a group of five, over the course of 90 minutes, they answered a dozen questions that asked for their thoughts on a new jail, housing,  and more.

This report focuses on just the race between Thomas and Iversen. The B Square will report on the other race separately.

At a mid-February event hosted by the Building Association of South Central Indiana (BASCI), Iversen and Thomas answered questions from moderator John Fernandez, who is now vice president for innovation and strategic partnerships at The Mill.

The full forum from Saturday (March 23) is available to watch on CATS. Below is a summary of just a few highlights, which are not necessarily organized in the chronological order of the forum.

The event was cosponsored by the Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce, Monroe County NAACP, Monroe County NOW, IU PACE, IU BIG Voting Challenge, and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Kappa Tau Omega Chapter.

Moderating the forum was Maria Douglas who is development director for Middle Way House. Continue reading “County commissioner candidates Peter Iversen, Julie Thomas field questions on new jail, housing” →

New jail site selection, transition team get attention from Monroe County officials

From left: chief deputy Phil Parker, Monroe County sheriff Ruben Marté, and jail transition director Cory Grass. (March 12, 2024)
From near to far: chief deputy Phil Parker, Monroe County sheriff Ruben Marté, and jail transition director Cory Grass. (March 12, 2024)
Monroe County councilors from near to far: Peter Iversen, Jennifer Crossley, Trent Deckard, Geoff McKim, Cheryl Munson, and Marty Hawk. (March 12, 2024)
Monroe County council meeting (March 12, 2024)
Monroe County jail commander Kyle Gibbons addresses Monroe County commissioners and introduces Officer Wood and Officer Figg to county commissioners. (March 13, 2024)
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Planning for a new Monroe County jail appeared on meeting agendas for both the county council and the board of county commissioners this week.

For county councilors, it was a discussion with Monroe County sheriff Ruben Marté, chief deputy Phil Parker, and jail transition director Cory Grass—about a strategy for funding a transition team to be headed by Grass.

The source of  transition team funding identified by county councilors is revenue from the corrections local income tax, which county councilors enacted last year.

For their part, county commissioners moved ahead with work on site selection for a new jail, by approving a $4,750 contract with VET Environmental Engineering, for a Phase 1 environmental site assessment of some land along West Hunter Valley Road and West SR 46.

This is the land that the county is now considering as a possible location for a new jail, after putting aside consideration of the Thomson PUD location, in south central Bloomington.

County commissioners also received an update from jail commander Kyle Gibbons, who gave them a rundown of the most recent jail population numbers: 164 felony inmates; 35 misdemeanor inmates, and 15 housed in the jail on other holds. Gibbons gave a nod to the circuit court judges for the pretrial release program, which is helping to keep the numbers down.

Gibbons also told the commissioners that the jail is fully staffed. There’s been just one resignation in the last 90 days, by someone who moved back to northern Indiana to be with family.

Continue reading “New jail site selection, transition team get attention from Monroe County officials” →

Alternate site for new Monroe County jail mulled, land to be appraised, feasibility study still not done

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County commissioners (from left) Julie Thomas and Lee Jones address the Monroe County council during departmental report time at the council’s Feb. 27, 2024 meeting. Commissioner Penny Githens attended the Feb. 27 county council meeting by videoconference.

Monroe County commissioners have moved ahead with consideration of other land, besides the county-owned Thomson PUD, as a potential location for a new jail and co-located courts facility.

At their regular Wednesday meeting, commissioners approved contracts with two firms to have appraisals done of some land that is located in the vicinity of SR46 and Hunter Valley Road, north of the city of Bloomington.

The amount to be charged by the two firms for their appraisal work is significantly different—$950 for Advisio and $3,750 for First Appraisal Group. County attorney Jeff Cockerill said that the lower price charged by Advisio is due to the fact that the firm had recently undertaken an appraisal of the same property.

After Wednesday’s meeting, Cockerill told The B Square that the appraisal work by both firms is expected to be completed in four to six weeks.

Still not completed is a required feasibility study for the  construction of a new jail, after the commissioners approved a $40,000 contract with RQAW Corporation in late October 2023 to do the work. The amount of working time, as opposed to calendar time,  for completion of the study had been expected to be around eight weeks. Continue reading “Alternate site for new Monroe County jail mulled, land to be appraised, feasibility study still not done” →

IRACS: Monroe County looks to show readiness for jail reentry program

Antonio Jackson, owner of Big Boy’s Moving and Jumble Firewood.
Monroe County councilor Kate Wiltz.
New Leaf New Life executive director Jordan McIntire.
County commissioner Penny Githens and Jayme Whitaker, vice president of forensic services and director of the IRACS program at Mental Health America of Indiana,
Jayme Whitaker, vice president of forensic services and director of the IRACS program at Mental Health America of Indiana.

By the end of March, local officials will likely know if Monroe County will be included in a program funded partly by the state, to help prisoners return to life outside the county jail.

That’s according to Jayme Whitaker, who is vice president of forensic services and director of the Integrated Reentry and Correctional Support (IRACS) program at Mental Health America of Indiana.

On Monday night, Whitaker fielded questions from an audience of government officials and community leaders who had gathered in the Nat U. Hill room at the Monroe County courthouse.

Monroe County is currently undergoing an assessment by Whitaker of its readiness to host an IRACS program. Part of that readiness assessment includes buy-in from all the relevant players, including the county sheriff.

Monroe County sheriff Ruben Marté attended Monday’s meeting, along with chief deputy sheriff Phil Parker and jail commander Kyle Gibbons.

Marté was quoted in a news release publicizing Monday’s saying, “This is a program that requires the collaboration and support of the court, the bar, local leaders and our recovery community. This is a jail program that reaches beyond the confines of my facility.” Continue reading “IRACS: Monroe County looks to show readiness for jail reentry program” →

Indiana lawmakers talk mental health at Bloomington Chamber event

District 44 state senator Eric Koch. (Jan. 12, 2024)
District 40 state senator Shelli Yoder. (Jan. 12, 2024)
District 46 state representative Bob Heaton. (Jan. 12, 2024)
District 60 state representative Peggy Mayfield. (Jan. 12, 2024)

More than 100 people were assembled at The Mill at midday on Friday for the Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce Legislative Preview.

This year’s session of the Indiana legislature started on Jan. 8 and will wrap up by mid-March.

Friday’s crowd got to hear four Indiana state legislators answer a question posed by Bloomington’s new mayor Kerry Thomson—about mental health.

Thomson’s question, which she had written out on one of the cards distributed for that purpose, was read aloud by the Bloomington Chamber’s CEO, Eric Spoonmore:

The state is experiencing a mental health and substance use crisis. This cannot be addressed simply at the local level. What can be done about it at the state level, to ensure health care before criminal justice?

Taking a crack at the question in turn were the four state legislators who attended the event: Eric Koch (District 44 state senator), Shelli Yoder (District 40 state senator), Bob Heaton (District 46 state representative), and Peggy Mayfield (District 60 state representative).

Yoder is a Democrat. The other three are Republicans. Continue reading “Indiana lawmakers talk mental health at Bloomington Chamber event” →