Monroe County commissioners adopt resolution advancing Justice Project and ask council to fund start before bonds
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Summary
The board approved Resolution 2026-09 naming North Park as a continued option for the Justice Project, directing the county council to consider using cash on hand before issuing bonds and sending a copy to the ICLU amid an April 15 deadline tied to a 2009 settlement.
Monroe County commissioners on March 26 approved a resolution that keeps North Park on the table as a potential site for the county's long-running Justice Project and urges the county council to commit cash-on-hand to begin work before seeking bond financing.
Jeff Cockrell, the county's legal/professional services representative, said the resolution sets three priorities: continue to consider North Park; reject sites that would prevent future co-location or cause unreasonable delay; and ask council to commit available cash to start the project prior to issuance of bonds. Cockrell said the county is operating under an agreed order with the Indiana Civil Liberties Union that could expire April 15 unless the parties demonstrate substantial progress.
"Our agreement expires on April 15 unless something occurs," Cockrell said, adding that the ICLU had signaled it would listen if the county made "some substantial progress." He said the resolution is intended to preserve options and demonstrate movement toward resolving jail overcrowding concerns tied to earlier litigation and settlement work dating to 2009.
Commissioner Madera said North Park remains politically contentious but noted the county already has invested significant funds and site studies there and that other sites carry unknown delays or costs. "We have not heard an answer to that question" about why North Park should be taken off the table, Madera said, urging transparency in choosing any alternative.
Commissioner Jones emphasized urgency, saying county staff and people living in the jail are affected by conditions identified as unconstitutional. "The longer we leave them sitting there ... it really seems rather cruel to unnecessarily delay this project any longer," Jones said.
The board voted 3-0 to approve Resolution 2026-09 and to send copies to the county council and the ICLU. Cockrell said he will meet with bond counsel to explore bonding timelines and options and that staff will continue to weigh co-location possibilities and funding approaches.
Next steps: the resolution will be forwarded to the county council for consideration of funding and to the ICLU as part of the county's effort to show progress on the agreed order.
