The Monroe County Council is expected to have a final vote Tuesday night on whether to approve the purchase of the North Park property for a new county jail and justice center.
The vote comes after the council rejected the proposal on first reading during its May 12 meeting. The motion is on second reading.
The proposal came to the council after the Monroe County Commissioners approved an $11.4 million purchase agreement for the North Park property on April 30.
On Monday evening, county and city leaders released a joint public statement describing North Park as “the only viable option” remaining for Monroe County to move forward with a constitutional jail while maintaining local control over the process.
The statement read, “Doing nothing is not an option, delay is not neutral, and North Park is the best available path before Monroe County.”
The statement was signed by the Monroe County Commissioners, Bloomington Mayor Kerry Thomson, Bloomington Common Council President Isak Nti Asare and County Council President Pro Tempore Peter Iverson.
The ACLU successfully sued Monroe County over unconstitutional jail conditions in 2008 and has said it will not file another extension for the county to fix the problem.
READ MORE: County Commissioners seek jail deadline extension
During the council’s May 12 meeting, Sheriff Ruben Marté said conditions inside the current jail continue to deteriorate and stressed the urgency of building a new facility.
“There are people in that facility that not everybody in this room sees except for me and my staff,” Marté said. “And I'm telling you, it's very difficult. I'm telling you, it's getting worse.”
Councilmember Marty Hawk argued the county should slow down and more fully consider how the location would affect the community, including people who rely on access to downtown services and courts.
“Any way you go, you're not going to have a new jail to go to tomorrow,” Hawk said. “We've got to figure out what's not just best for the jail and how that's going to operate, but for the community at large.”
READ MORE: Bloomington Council opposes county jail in North Park ahead of ACLU deadline
Commissioner Julie Thomas has repeatedly said the current jail is unconstitutional, unsafe and beyond renovation.
According to Commissioner Jody Madeira, approving the purchase agreement doesn’t prevent the county from considering alternatives if other viable options emerge. However, Thomas said North Park remains the only workable option under the current deadline.
In their statement, city and county officials said moving the jail to North Park would require additional planning for transit, courthouse and attorney access, service providers and plans for the downtown jail site.
