Monroe County Council fails to approve North Park purchase on first reading; second reading set for May 26

Monroe County Council on Tuesday declined to approve a county ordinance authorizing the purchase of the North Park property for a proposed jail and justice center, setting a second reading and vote for May 26.

The ordinance (2026-17) would have authorized a purchase agreement described in the meeting packet and cited state law requiring council approval for county land purchases. Commissioners and legal counsel said a purchase was needed quickly to keep a private settlement extension with the ACLU from lapsing and to allow the county to start a bond process advised to begin by July 2026.

County counsel and the commissioners pointed to a 2021 facility report that identified major space and safety deficiencies at the existing jail — from a lack of adequate medical and counseling rooms to insufficient segregation and suicide-safe cells — and estimated multimillion-dollar costs to remediate the current facility. Counsel warned that missing the settlement deadline could open the county to court remedies that would carry significant costs and operational disruption.

Sheriff Marte, who testified at length, described daily operational failures and health-and-safety risks inside the current jail and urged action. “This is urgent,” he said, describing mold, elevator failures and limited medical space that he said left staff and inmates at risk.

Commissioners and bond advisers presented the North Park option as "shovel ready," arguing it would allow the county to proceed with bonding and construction sooner than other sites. “Read my lips. No new taxes,” one commissioner said, urging the council to approve a purchase and move toward bonding that, proponents said, could be structured without raising the property tax rate.

Council members pressed the commissioners and counsel on multiple technical issues: How recent are the appraisals, and do they reflect the land’s market value given PUD (planned unit development) changes? How would changing the site from commercial/mixed use to government use affect valuation? What exactly would be included in the bonded project (jail only, or jail plus sheriff’s administration and courtrooms) and how would those choices change costs and timing?

Residents, nonprofit staff and service providers packed the room and spoke during a long public-comment period. Many opposed the North Park location on grounds that it would isolate people from services and transit, reduce the site’s future economic potential, and harm nearby neighborhoods and parkland. Others urged urgency and humane conditions for people held in the jail. Several speakers cited a per-acre purchase price near $219,000 as a matter that needs further scrutiny.

After extended debate the council took a procedural vote on whether to approve the ordinance on first reading. Because Indiana law requires unanimous council approval to adopt an ordinance on the day of its introduction, the motion needed unanimity; the motion to approve failed (reported 1 yes, 4 no, others absent or passed), and the ordinance will return for a formal second reading and vote on May 26.

What’s next: The council’s May 26 meeting will include the required second reading and a simple-majority vote on the purchase ordinance; if approved then, the county would move to finalize appraisals, environmental rechecks and begin work toward bonding. If the council again rejects a purchase, commissioners said they would continue site evaluation and planning work.

Speakers quoted in this story spoke during the May 12 council meeting and are included in the council’s public transcript. “This is urgent,” Sheriff Marte said during his testimony. Resident Joe Davis, during public comment, urged the council not to proceed with the North Park purchase, saying, “please do not move forward on this purchase.”