The Monroe County Council voted in August to advertise a new local income tax (LIT) rate increase to fund the construction of a new jail.
Monroe County residents can share their thoughts on the proposed local income tax increase, intended to fund the construction of a new jail, at a public hearing next week.
The Monroe County Council will host the hearing at 5 p.m. Sept. 16 in the Monroe County Courthouse Nat U Hill room to discuss the tax plan. Currently, the maximum Monroe County residents pay to support the jail is 0.01%. During a meeting this month, the council voted to advertise a new jail LIT rate of 0.2%.
A Monroe County resident making around $60,000 annually, around the average salary for a Bloomington resident, would see their jail LIT rate, also called the correctional or rehabilitation facilities rate, rise from $6 to $120 a year.
However, the council also voted to advertise a lower “special purpose” LIT rate, decreased from 0.085% to 0.03%. The special purpose tax supports a juvenile detention center and juvenile services. The sum of the rising jail LIT rate and lowered special purpose rate could result in an overall LIT rate increase of 0.135%.
The proportion of residents’ LIT taxes that fund the jail is the smallest of all Monroe County tax categories, making up around 0.49% of the total LIT tax expenditure. The largest categories are certified shares (46.6% of total LIT) and economic development (33.9% of total LIT).
County officials have been trying to address conditions in the Monroe County Jail for more than three years. An independent report released in 2021 said the current facility, located on College Avenue and built in 1986, had exceeded its structural life cycle and was failing to uphold inmates’ constitutional rights. The American Civil Liberties Union also sued the county in 2009, alleging the jail violated inmates’ constitutional rights.
In May, engineering consulting group RQAW Corporation released a feasibility study recommending the county build a new jail with more beds, rather than renovate the current facility. The study estimated the new jail would cost between $91.5 million and $106.3 million and suggested it should have 450 to 500 beds. The current facility on College Avenue has 287 beds.
The Monroe County Board of Commissioners has not yet selected a site to build the new jail but indicated over the summer a decision could come this fall.
Although the county council voted to advertise a 0.2% jail LIT rate, members will not vote on the increase until it receives formal public input. Members who voted to advertise the rate are not required to vote in its favor.
Those interested can attend the public hearing in person at the Nat U. Hill in the Monroe County Courthouse or join virtually through Microsoft teams.
Local advocates express concerns
County officials have received opposition and criticism from community groups since announcing the county would move forward with constructing a new jail. One of the most vocal opposition groups is Care Not Cages, a local anti-incarceration advocacy group.
Sam Holdeman, a resident and Care Not Cages member, said he thinks there is an increasing number of city residents who have heard about the jail’s progress but that most people are unaware.
“This jail proposal has been an ongoing thing really for the past two years, so I think a fair number of people are vaguely aware that something around a new deal is happening,” Holdeman said. “But they’re probably not aware of the size or the cost or how the county’s going to pay for it.”
Holdeman, who said he would not support the jail LIT increase, described the potential use of LIT to fund the jail construction as a “tremendous mis-investment.” Instead, he thinks the county should invest the LIT into housing, healthcare, mental health and substance use resources.
“This is kind of a pivotal moment in our county’s history, because we’re talking about hundreds of millions of dollars,” Holdeman said.
Leigh Grundhoffer, another Care Not Cages member, said she feels that there is very limited opportunity for public input, and alleged officials are making decisions without community members’ support, mentioning that Monroe County Board of Commissioners voted to suspend meetings of the Community Justice Response Committee in April 2023.
“Local income tax increases only happen in the County Council body,” Grundhoffer said. “So, unless you’re paying attention to what’s happening, you don’t really understand.”
Grundhoffer, who is a yoga and meditation teacher, also said some residents will feel a significant impact on their LIT.
“My local income taxes aren’t going to be that affected, but a lot of people working in the $40,000-$60,000 a year range will have a significant impact,” Grundhoffer said. “Those people, when I’ve talked to them around town passing out flyers, have been against this additional increase.”
Micol Seigel, an IU professor of American studies and history and a Care Not Cages member, emphasized that the current jail conditions cannot stay as they are but disagrees with building a new jail. Instead, she wants county officials to consider renovating the current jail—an option county officials have generally rejected. She said the county should be “more creative and humane in their choices around funding” and fund other community resources instead.
“People should be totally unwilling to spend a penny on the jail,” Seigel said.
The three Care Not Cages representatives each questioned why the officials would want to support building a jail with a larger capacity if they want to reduce incarceration.
However, overcrowding has historically posed challenges for the jail. In January 2024, Monroe County Sheriff Ruben Marté reported in an email to county leaders that the jail population hit its limit of 275 inmates in the facility. Marté said the overcrowding in January led to shortages of clothing, blankets and sleeping mats and altercations between prisoners.
“We should all know with near certainty when the population of jail increases and becomes near or over its capacity, danger to the staff and residents also increases accordingly,” Marté wrote in the email.
Holdeman said Care Not Cages members plan to speak at the Sept. 16 public hearing to share their concerns.
CORRECTION: This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Micol Seigel's name.
