WFHB Bloomington Community Radio
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 29:00 — 39.9MB)
Subscribe: RSS
This is the WFHB Local News for Thursday, February 22nd, 2024.
Later in the program, Dark Past, Bright Future – a segment produced by Bring It On’s Liz Mitchell featuring accounts of Black history that often go overlooked. More in the bottom half of our program.
Also coming up in the next half hour, we have coverage on the most recent meetings of the Monroe County Council and the Bloomington Utilities Service Board.
That’s coming up next in your local headlines:
Monroe County Council
At the Monroe County Council meeting on February 13th, Soil and Water Conservation District Manager, Martha Miller, gave an update on the Soil and Water Conservation projects that are ongoing.
Council Member Pete Iverson asked for clarification on a term Miller used when explaining an Indiana Department of Environmental Management project.
Next, Sheriff Ruben Marté gave an update on the jail, and the work that they have been doing to translate their jail policies into Spanish with the help of the Bloomington Outreach Coordinator Ximena Martinez .
Council Member Jennifer Crossley followed up, asking how many inmates are in need of the translated version. Marté responded.
Next, the Council heard a request to appoint Dr. Lisa Hanner‐Robinson to the Monroe County Board of Health.
Council Member Trent Deckard commented on the application.
Hanner‐Robinson spoke to the board about why she applied for the board position.
The Council voted unanimously to approve the appointment.
The next Monroe County Council meeting will be held on February 27th.
Bloomington Utilities Service Board
At the Bloomington Utilities Service Board meeting on February 12th, Capital Projects Manager Dan Hudson requested approval for Wessler Engineering to provide an Asset Management Capital Improvement Plan for the Monroe Water Treatment Plant.
The board unanimously approved the contract with Wessler Engineering.
Later in the meeting, Pre-Treatment Coordinator Jason Wenning gave an update on the Wastewater Monitoring Program.
Board Member Kirk White asked where the public can find the results of the sampling. Wenning responded.
The next Bloomington Utilities Service Board meeting will be held on February 26th.
Ellettsville Town Council
The Ellettsville Town Council approved a motion to amend Salary Ordinance 23-18 after a debate surrounding an overtime pay clause led to the clause being struck. The clause authorized time-and-a-half overtime pay for employees working more than eight hour workdays.
Council Member William Ellis called the clause into question, noting that non-government employees don’t have the same policy. The State of Indiana only requires time-and-a-half for working more than forty hours per week.
Town Manager Mike Farmer responded that the policy was enacted around 1999 to incentivize utilities employees to come in for emergencies after hours. He suggested that it might be possible to reword the clause to focus specifically on such situations.
Council Member Scott Oldham mentioned that the current policy bars police and firefighters from receiving overtime, especially when they take personal time off work. He thinks that the policy should be made equal for all city employees.
The council ultimately decided to strike the clause from the salary ordinance amendment, instead moving it to the personnel policy.
The salary ordinance amendment passed unanimously after removal of the clause, approving a clause that ensures time-and-a-half overtime pay for work that exceeds forty hours in a week.
The Ellettsville Town Council will meet again on February 26th.
Feature Report:
Now it’s time for Dark Past, Bright Future – a segment produced by Bring It On’s Liz Mitchell featuring accounts of Black history that often go overlooked. For more, we turn to Liz Mitchell on today’s edition of the WFHB Local News.
Credits:
You’ve been listening to the WFHB Local News,
Today’s headlines were written by Elyse Perry, Kelsey Pease and Noelle Herhusky-Schneider in partnership with Cats – Community Access Television Services.
Dark Past, Bright Future is produced by Liz Mitchell
Our theme music is provided by Mark Bingham and the Social Climbers.
Engineer and Executive producer is Kade Young.
