Businesses with more than 100 employees will soon be mandated to have all employees vaccinated or be tested weekly for COVID-19. Businesses that don’t comply could face fines of up to $14,000 per violation.

The mandate is part of President Joe Biden's six-part "Path Out of the Pandemic" that was announced on Sept. 9.  The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is expected to issue an emergency temporary standard soon with details of the plan.

On Sept. 16, attorneys general from 24 states, including Indiana, sent a letter to President Biden opposing the private sector mandate. Read their letter here.

At its Sept. 15 meeting, the Monroe County Public Library Board unanimously approved a contract with Strauser Construction to build a new southwest branch. Strauser's was the lowest of three bids, coming in at $10.6 million – about $1.2 million over the library's original estimate. MCPL director Marilyn Wood said that the library would still be able to pay for the branch and retain about $3 million in reserves. 

MCPL plans to build the new 21,000-square-foot branch on land adjacent to Batchelor Middle School at 890 W. Gordon Pike. Earlier this year the Monroe County Council approved issuance of a $6 million bond for the project.

Watch the board's Sept. 15 meeting on CATS here. Read materials related to this issue from the board's Sept. 15 meeting packet here.

Michelle Gilchrist has been named as the new president and chief executive officer for the Bloomington Health Foundation.

For the past five years, she served as CEO for the National Foundation for Transplants, which generates fundraising support for people in need of organ transplants. Prior to that she served as major gifts officer and then senior director of major gifts at the University of Tennessee Science Center. She has also served in leadership roles at Community Health Charities in North Central Texas and United Way of the Mid-South in Memphis.

Read more about Michelle Gilchrist here. We welcome her to the Bloomington/Monroe County community!

A public workshop to explore the future of Ellettsville is planned for Wednesday, Sept. 15 from 6-8 p.m. at the Ellettsville Town Hall, 1150 W. Guy McCown Drive.

Called Envision Ellettsville, the project aims to create a clear identity and long-term vision for the Ellettsville community. The hope is to provide a framework for future planning.

​Learn more on the Envision Ellettsville website.

​Whitney Koelling has joined the Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce from IU’s O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs (SPEA) Masters of Public Affairs (MPA) program. She is a Paul D. Coverdell Fellow who is using her experience from her Peace Corps service in the remote Pacific islands of Samoa to work as part of the Chamber's Advocacy Team as Public Policy Specialist for the next two years.

After having spent an extended period of time overseas, she is happy to call Bloomington her new home. Outside of work she loves to kayak on Lake Monroe, eat at many of Bloomington’s delicious local restaurants, and take her Rottweiler puppy to Switchyard Dog Park.

At their Sept. 8 special meeting, the Bloomington Council passed a resolution urging the administration to increase the annual salary for Bloomington police officers by $5,000. The resolution passed 7-1-1, with Matt Flaherty voting against it and Kate Rosenbarger abstaining.

The resolution is non-binding, which means it doesn't force the administration to act. The administration opposed the resolution, saying it would interfere with the city's collective bargaining​ efforts with the police union. The current contract runs through 2022, but could be re-opened if both parties agree.

BPD has struggled to recruit and retain officers. The department is authorized to hire 105 officers, but currently has only 93 on staff. Of those, only 76 are available for duty, as others are on sick leave, military duty, or are being trained. The city is currently developing its 2022 budget. BPD has requested a $20 million budget, with $16.65 million for personnel.

Watch the council deliberations on CATS here. Read the resolution here.

Holly Warren has been named the City of Bloomington's Assistant Director for the Arts, a position within the Economic & Sustainability Development Department.

​The position represents the city to other organizations in issues related to arts and culture, oversees and coordinates public art projects, cultural activities and community events, and supports community artists and cultural organizations.  

Warren began on Sept. 7 and replaces Sean Starowitz, who served in this role from 2016 until 2021.  Her  annual salary is $56,746.

Monroe County and the City of Bloomington are accepting applications for their respective advisory committees related to upcoming redistricting.

Monroe County will be redrawing precinct boundaries for the county, and possibly district boundaries for the Monroe County Board of Commissioners and Monroe County Council. Redistricting occurs every 10 years, following the U.S. Census results. Results of the 2020 U.S. Census were released in mid-August. To apply for the Monroe County redistricting advisory committee, click here.

Bloomington Council will be redrawing its six districts. More information about the council's Citizens' Redistricting Advisory Commission, including an application, is here.

Local redistricting work can’t be finished until the state-level districts are drawn. If an existing precinct is split by a state legislative or congressional district, it has to be redrawn so that it is not split. Indiana’s state legislators are expected to complete that work in mid-to-late September.