Former officials say years of failed jail proposals reflect dysfunction within county government, not a lack of available solutions.
In the 18 years since the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana sued Monroe County over unconstitutional conditions at the jail, little progress has been made.
The county has received nearly two decades of extensions from the ACLU since the 2009 agreement. The ACLU allowed the most recent extension to expire, allowing for new litigation.
Former Fort Wayne mayor and Indiana University professor Paul Helmke said the prolonged failure to reach a decision reflects a reluctance among elected officials to make politically difficult choices.
“They won't say this, but if you don't want to make the tough decisions on where this is going to be located or how it's going to be paid for, then in effect what we're saying is we want the judge and the judges to decide,” Helmke said.
Helmke said while public officials often want to respond to residents' concerns, unpopular decisions must be made.
“Good political leadership always means doing the right thing for the future of the community, not just for what people today might be concerned about,” Helmke said.
Read more: County’s 18-year jail saga drags on as officials brace for another lawsuit
At a May 26 Monroe County Council meeting, former Bloomington City Councilmember Steve Volan called for the commissioners to resign, arguing they refused to listen to constituents or collaborate with other governmental bodies.
“For whatever reason, they think, ‘No, we're the deciders, we have to decide, and everyone has to go along with us,’” Volan said. “That is dysfunction in a nutshell.”
Volan said county commissioners have repeatedly advanced jail proposals without support and struggled to work with the city, county council and advocacy groups.
“What is perfect for them is not perfect for anybody else, and they didn't take no for an answer because they had the perfect solution, as far as they're concerned,” Volan said.
"Good political leadership always means doing the right thing for the future of the community, not just for what people today might be concerned about."Indiana University professor Paul Helmke
Several jail proposals failed because of disagreements between local officials. Plans for a jail at Fullerton Pike were abandoned after Bloomington officials rejected the proposal in 2022. The Thomson property was also rejected.
Volan served on the Bloomington City Council from 2004 through 2023 and participated in discussions surrounding several jail proposals, including the Fullerton Pike site rejected by the city council in 2022.
Volan said the Fullerton Pike proposal failed to gain support because of concerns about its distance from downtown and limited accessibility.
“They should be trying to work in the city of Bloomington, but their solution is to pit the city against the county, as though the city has not been a part of the county for more than 200 years, as though city residents aren't also county residents,” Volan said.
More recently, county commissioners and the Monroe County Council approved the purchase of the North Park site in 2024. However, the project stalled when the county council declined to fund construction last October following revenue losses tied to 2025 Senate Bill 1.
The Monroe County Council and Bloomington Common Council have voiced opposition to the North Park proposal. Despite that opposition, commissioners revived the site in April, arguing it was the county’s only remaining option to meet the ACLU’s deadline and avoid another lawsuit.
READ MORE: Monroe County Council rejects North Park property for new jail site
The county council voted against moving forward with the North Park property again at the end of May, causing the county to miss the ACLU lawsuit deadlines.
Volan said renewed litigation may be the only way to force progress after years of political stalemate.
In 2008, the ACLU filed a class-action lawsuit alleging the facility was consistently and dangerously overcrowded and lacked adequate beds, toilets, showers and supervision.
Monroe County acknowledged unconstitutional conditions in a 2009 agreement. City and County officials have spent years attempting to build a replacement jail.
“Oftentimes these issues are handed up and end up in the hands of the judges, and that's not a good way to have decisions being made,” Helmke said. “That's kind of what we end up getting when the elected officials can't bite the bullet and make the tough decision.”
