Exterior of the Monroe County Courthouse. (WFIU/WTIU News)
Several unresolved issues from the last meeting of the Monroe County Council are back on the table for this week’s meeting.
Among those is whether to pause the county’s practice of hiring highly experienced employees at more than the normal salary. When a Monroe County department head believes an applicant is particularly well qualified for an opening, a request can be made to the full county council to add a “Knowledge Skills and Abilities” label to the application. If the council approves, the applicant’s salary is higher than base level.
Pausing that practice was raised as a possible savings measure to combat impending property tax revenue losses caused by Senate Bill 1.
During the council’s May 13 public meeting, councilmembers debated whether pausing the practice would save a significant amount of money.
Read more: County employee pay boost practice remains in place for now
Additional tabled items from the May 13 meeting that are on the agenda for Tuesday are operation approvals for the Sophia Travis Community Service Grants Committee and a proposed Cost-of-Living Adjustment for 2026.
Councilmembers will also hear a request from the Monroe County Board of Commissioners to approve $2,500 for ongoing operations of the Monroe County Jail, Law Enforcement, and Governmental Space Building Corporation Board.
According to county attorney Jeff Cockerill, the board acts as a third-party to manage the space intended for Monroe County’s new justice center. It is like the Monroe County Capital Improvement Board, which only manages the development of the Bloomington Convention Center expansion project.
Related: Confusion leads to no action on convention center expansion
At the May 13 meeting, county councilmembers raised concerns over the board’s ability to name its own members with no apparent oversight.
Councilmembers also questioned allocating $2,500 for the board’s activities when board members only meet once a year.
