Monroe County approves 2022 budget with significant increase from 2021
Monroe County Council adopted its 2022 annual budget this week, increasing expenses by nearly 9% from last year. The total County expenses approved during Tuesday night’s budget adoption hearing was just shy of $86,200,000. The total budget was divided into 3 separate measures, The Fire Protection District budget, the Solid Waste Authority Budget, and the remainder of the County General Fund. The former measures were approved 7-0, and the latter was approved by a vote of 6-1, with the lone vote against coming from District 3 Council Member Marty Hawk. Councilor Hawk disagreed with the approving of a bond for over $3 Million, suggesting that the County has enough for that expense within its reserve funds, typically referred to as its “Rainy Day Fund.”
The County budget process began earlier this year with budget requests made by each department in Monroe County Government. This process covers January 1 – December 31, 2022. Those budget requests are combined into a single document, which is available to the public here:
Senator Young is the featured guest at Chamber of Commerce Federal Focus event
The Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce is hosting Sen. Todd Young for the 2021 Federal Focus on Friday, October 22nd from 3:30pm to 5:00pm at the Woolery Mill. Senator Young will provide updates on federal issues that impact the Bloomington and the Monroe County area. He’ll also join the Chamber members for a wide-ranging conversation covering topics that are crucial to the local business community. Time for networking, appetizers, and drinks will be provided. Members can register to attend this event for $20, and non-members may register to attend for $35.
Serving as a US Senator for Indiana since 2017, Senator Todd Young currently serves on the U.S. Senate Committees on Finance; Foreign Relations; Commerce, Science, & Transportation; and, Small Business and Entrepreneurship. Those who have a question for Senator Todd Young can fill out this form.
Limekiln East bike trail opens at Brown County State Park
The DNR and the Hoosier Mountain Bike Association recently held a celebratory ribbon cutting to mark the opening of Limekiln East, a newly completed 1.6-mile beginner-level mountain bike trail in Brown County State Park. Funding for the project included a Next Level Trails (NLT) grant to HMBA, which provided the required match.
Limekiln East is the second of three mountain bike trails to be completed in the state park as part of a $200,000 NLT grant to HMBA to develop 7.5 miles of new mountain bike trail. The first, Weed Patch Trail, a 2.4-mile intermediate-level trail, opened in November 2019. The three new NLT-funded trails will connect with existing trails as well as other park amenities, including the campground, park office, nature center, and Hesitation Point. Once completed, the three new trails will bring the total mileage of mountain bike trails within the state park to 43.5.
Mountain bike trails in Brown County State Park are multi-use and are open to hiking and trail running as well as bicycling. Riders should obtain a $5 daily or $20 annual off-road cycling pass before using park mountain bike trails. Passes can be purchased at gates, the park office or at ShopINStateParks.com. For more information, visit Brown County State Park.
This Week in Hoosier History
1963 – Clowes Hall opened on the campus of Butler University. Designed by Evans Woollen and John M. Johansen, the theater is one of the premier performing arts venues in the Midwest. The structure is distinguished by its exposed limestone and concrete slabs, a feature of the Brutalist style of architecture. The building is named in honor of Dr. George Henry Alexander Clowes, a former director of biochemical research at Eli Lilly and Company.