[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6221238,"mediaKeyId","3614657-ae9e680ab97a4dfb1bf194d0e7049137","parentId",3614657,"title","County council votes to pause KSA pay practice amid budget uncertainty","audioSeconds",1029,"startMs",4062000,"endMs",5091000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3614657-ae9e680ab97a4dfb1bf194d0e7049137&start=4062&end=5091","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3614657-ae9e680ab97a4dfb1bf194d0e7049137/thumbnail_4062000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6221238/Monroe-County/Indiana/County-council-votes-to-pause-KSA-pay-practice-amid-budget-uncertainty","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6221238-9193f457ffe3cf03a96dbee048d1e629/orig.mp4?Expires=1771113515&Signature=Bjj2vD6BXrwtAqz~6CbOhc1pZYin1QGgfaF33yVa5V0dAkQrnOVyaNKk0DHLWZmJ3LuAsEPcOy6FkriE0y3TaGRR6NbFB5yWM41GbNIjbzBmd4IC5Qmv5eAu3PCpoBI5ttbw3LgvVb97ywY1wHug3uU3WOVQ0ufZoKK14EFJW1eOzGIsAs3tAZZuo7CRQDXX6t4XrTrOKOEQiu0epZkhLDUHeNh6Ka~t-3mSVKv-GQFWfQkW1NGICXGlo3Q~3ElPWA4x7ID2GFZ2i2CG-NfvNVy~NQDTnY-hr9gnGqpWj3roQxRPNroGQPZxKxyGZVuDeaMlg29WrLBU8v3AndpWCg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Monroe County IN","date","2025-05-28T14:37:14Z","article","The Monroe County Council voted 5–2 on Tuesday to adopt Resolution 2025-24, temporarily suspending the county’s practice of offering Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSA) pay adjustments at hire. The pause requires department hires to be offered the base salary identified in the county salary ordinance unless the council amends the resolution.

\"This resolution, ultimately, if passed, will temporarily suspend the knowledge, skills, and abilities practice or policy so that department heads may no longer submit for consideration a request to hire applicants at the 3 or 8 year level,\" County legal counsel Molly Turner King explained. The resolution will automatically expire in December unless the council acts to amend it sooner.

Supporters said the pause signals fiscal caution as the county awaits clearer revenue forecasts. Councilor Iverson said the measure \"signals to our colleagues and partners in county government, that we are facing incredibly strong fiscal headwinds and that we are taking this very seriously.\" Several councilors described the pause as temporary and subject to revision once financial forecasts are clearer.

Erica Elephant, the county prosecuting attorney, urged councilors to reconsider the pause or to allow exceptions for critical positions, saying the ability to offer higher starting pay through KSAs has helped her office hire experienced deputy prosecutors. \"This ability has allowed me to hire deputy prosecutors with experience...It\u0000takes somebody who knows something about the system and the law to really do that effectively,\" Elephant said. She told the council she had an upcoming vacancy with a deputy leaving June 13 and warned that pausing KSAs would increase supervision burdens and reduce experienced hires.

Council debate included concerns about retention and whether KSAs had become a frequent hiring tool for some departments; some members argued the policy was being used regularly to attract experienced staff and should be reviewed in the context of pay bands. Legal counsel said the resolution is temporary and may be amended or allowed to sunset if conditions change.

The motion to pause the policy passed with Councilors Iverson, Crossley, Bridal, Hawke and Henry voting yes; Councilors Deckard and Wilts voted no. The council recorded the outcome as a majority vote, 5–2. The resolution will remain in effect unless the council revisits or amends it prior to its December sunset.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Monroe County Council, May 27, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Monroe County Council passed a temporary pause on hiring at Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSA) levels, directing that new hires be placed at base salaries pending further review; the resolution passed 5–2 after prosecutors warned the pause could hinder recruitment of experienced attorneys.","taxTitle","Monroe County, Indiana","taxId",3534,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6221243,"County council adopts new procedures for Sofia Travis grant appointments after debate",867,3163000,4030000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3614657-ae9e680ab97a4dfb1bf194d0e7049137&start=3163&end=4030","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3614657-ae9e680ab97a4dfb1bf194d0e7049137/thumbnail_3163000.jpg","/articles/6221243/Monroe-County/Indiana/County-council-adopts-new-procedures-for-Sofia-Travis-grant-appointments-after-debate","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6221243-8c2071dc8f672f3945b33bf0b4b58ae8/orig.mp4?Expires=1771113515&Signature=gDxLWE3jOaj4Ct6RAQZFw5Kzp5L4D1CY3dMNczomWpPQ4bsrB1CTSfjpDcZikCXNnhg4ITgfJA~nc3mVvTCSkThBaidjusQ5PUZWm~6Vd8PWHs02kJ-eKA~FVP6dOe077rm0CkrHavuJ3LYEb8JHVkXpWSyGmZdP2F5dy3Yx2nMubaTiC5G0M-2ON5qmep~FUzD~Thk1Yqu~Y4j2J7otiiiS~nrQNZ-k52EvCGKd37MdD~i9VoZeyooWAYRaRRj-aQdgz3~vkoXMX9lZEGVm4mU~uEC2zt-dzoL2ewMQ4dWZ6k4WWdQvj98AX0Tx1wt6X6QFvmt4dDCxBTYmwfB9Aw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Monroe County Council approved ordinance 2025-14 on second reading Tuesday, readopting procedures for awarding Sofia Travis community service grants and establishing an interview process for citizen appointments.

Molly Turner King, the council attorney, described the ordinance as setting how appointments and interview volunteers would be selected. \"If the ordinance passes, it calls for 3 volunteers to conduct the interviews,\" Turner King told the council.

Council debate focused on how many applicants should be interviewed and whether the council could or should add explicit diversity criteria to the appointment process. Councilor Wilts asked whether all applicants would be guaranteed an interview; Turner King said the ordinance requires interviews but does not specify whether every applicant must be interviewed unless the council amends the language.

Councilor Hawke criticized what she described as a more complex process than prior practice, saying the prior commissioner-led appointments were faster and that the new procedures may add staff time. In response, council members on the Sofia Travis committee defended the changes as efforts to increase transparency and to ensure a durable process for evaluating applicants.

Councilors Iverson, Henry, Crossley, Deckard and Bridal voted to approve the ordinance; Councilors Hawke and Wilts voted no. The motion passed 5–2.

A separate procedural step described in the ordinance calls for the council president to appoint three volunteers to conduct interviews for the current applicant pool; several council members volunteered for that role during the meeting. The council did not add binding diversity quotas; Turner King said counsel had legal concerns about prescribing specific protected-characteristic thresholds but that language encouraging consideration of diversity could be added in a legally permissible form if the council chose to request it in a subsequent amendment.

Council members said the committee will proceed with interviews under the new procedures and return with recommendations for appointments.","Monroe County Council voted 5–2 to adopt ordinance 2025-14, setting procedures for citizen appointment interviews and selection for the Sofia Travis community-service grant program after members debated interview scope and diversity language.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6221247,"South-side motel owners, residents seek county help after tornado damage",375,282000,657000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3614657-ae9e680ab97a4dfb1bf194d0e7049137&start=282&end=657","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3614657-ae9e680ab97a4dfb1bf194d0e7049137/thumbnail_282000.jpg","/articles/6221247/Monroe-County/Indiana/South-side-motel-owners-residents-seek-county-help-after-tornado-damage","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6221247-b4cacef50c1ec6011ae4e5ec122cc983/orig.mp4?Expires=1771113515&Signature=ZV6-4w9-aEnElfBdc4-NpfoI3Ma-W0PU4ahHtesLBsrQvSRwJ7FQudcuKUUCC0sQmYqMbNGdbcHtq2hZ7efzmCw96u5zK2N61LfpXMVOIPpkdQZ4QthNtMX6gpmli~AQjURozGjtHuDBpAxvcEhzmqOaAtb~HeSyFXbOKpWs1HAda9plgu1O26KPe54tK6tkQMyzyWdSLhvCbLWanA0pBYqZ4lTkY6IVOdL-iUQvAAM0dLzLyfL5jXQv-mlttRpo5hEQfLozH19cX6-R9jpQ3kItxpY2lmkfgi3MGBGAN4c~qZw8CKkgfmdneQhqk5O7iu4Rdguk7gCekJBusAXDJQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Jay Patel, owner of the Economy Inn on Bloomington’s south side, told the Monroe County Council on Tuesday that a May 16 tornado destroyed much of his property and displaced more than 20 residents.

“We are doing our best to recover, but cannot do it alone,” Patel said during the council’s public comment period. He asked the council for help to “quickly reappoint part reopen parts of the motel” and for “assistance through grants and loans” to repair damaged buildings so displaced residents can return to housing.

Patel’s daughter, Daveen Patel, also spoke, telling the council the family has provided housing in Bloomington for decades and appealed for county support to “open the motel, and continue serving the community.”

Tammy Bridal Cassidy, who leases the damaged Clear Creek-area post office building, told the council that rebuilding will require hiring engineers and architects and will create additional recovery costs for property owners in the storm’s path.

Council members acknowledged the public comments and expressed appreciation for emergency and township response. Council President (Councilor) said staff and departments — including highway and emergency management — have been heavily engaged in cleanup work and will continue to coordinate recovery efforts.

No formal county appropriation or recovery program was approved during Tuesday’s meeting in direct response to these public comments. Council members and staff directed residents to coordinate with township trustees, the county’s emergency management office and the auditor’s office for information about available assistance and to follow up on potential grant or loan avenues.

The council’s packet for the May 27 meeting also noted changes in agenda items after auditors requested additional reconciliation for a separate health-department appropriation; that budget item was tabled so auditors and department staff could resolve grant accounting questions before returning to the council.","Owners of the Economy Inn and several residents described storm damage that displaced more than 20 people and asked Monroe County officials for help reopening units and accessing grants or loans to repair property.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

County council votes to pause KSA pay practice amid budget uncertainty

County council adopts new procedures for Sofia Travis grant appointments after debate

South-side motel owners, residents seek county help after tornado damage