Monroe County jail site fight intensifies as April 7 deadline nears

Staff report

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — April 4, 2026

A Monroe County resident living near the proposed North Park jail site is raising concerns as county officials head toward an April 7 deadline in the long-running effort to build a new jail.

“…my neighborhood is next to the north park site and we are strongly against having the jail in that area. It’s $50 million more expensive than the Thomas PUD site, has rocky ground (which will likely cause more delays and expense), and has no access to public transportation or service for the 9.2 inmates who are released daily from the jail. The county counsel rejected the site after hearing public opinion, but the commissioners overrode public opinion and put the north park site back onto the table. They have their final meeting to choose a location this Tuesday, April 7 because they must meet the ACLU deadline. Our neighborhood is terrified but we are unsure what to do. It is such a small amount of time,” the resident told The Bloomingtonian.

This comes as Monroe County remains under pressure to replace its current jail, which has been the subject of ACLU litigation over unconstitutional conditions. A settlement agreement tied to that litigation is set to expire April 15, raising the possibility of renewed court action if county officials do not show enough progress toward a replacement facility.

Monroe County Councilmember Marty Hawk, who represents District 3, questioned why North Park remains under consideration after the council voted against it.

“The Monroe County Council already said a big NO to North Park, why do the Monroe County Commissioner’s think they can force the council to do otherwise? The Monroe County Council has been actively looking at other locations and gathering information!!! That shows movement toward a solution which should be enough to satisfy the ACLU.!!!,” said Hawk.

In a resolution adopted Feb. 24, the Monroe County Council said it no longer wanted to consider the North Park property for the new jail and justice facility. Council members said they wanted to focus, if possible, on a site closer to existing justice facilities and service providers. That same resolution said the council would work toward identifying a funding source and executing a purchase agreement for property by April 7.

But on March 26, the Monroe County commissioners voted to put North Park back on the table. Reporting on the commissioners’ resolution said the move re-established the site on Bloomington’s northwest edge as an option for the new jail, despite the council’s opposition.

The current standoff leaves Monroe County’s two governing bodies at odds as the deadline approaches. WFIU reported March 27 that commissioners and council members were at an impasse over where the new jail should go. The B Square also reported that the county was treating the Thomson PUD site as its current focus earlier in March, even as questions remained about financing and feasibility.

North Park has drawn criticism for its location. Previous reporting has noted that the site, near the northwest edge of Bloomington at I-69 and State Road 46, is not currently served by public transit. Another report noted that Bloomington Transit’s Route 13 reaches an area about a mile south of the proposed jail site, but said it was unclear whether transit service would extend to the jail itself.

That transit question has become part of the public opposition to North Park, especially for people concerned about how family members, attorneys, service providers and people released from jail would get to and from the site. But several other claims circulating in opposition to North Park — including specific site-to-site cost comparisons and exact daily release numbers — were not independently verified in the public records and reporting reviewed for this story.

For now, the key facts are clear: the council formally rejected North Park in February, the commissioners revived it in March, and county officials face an April 7 benchmark as the April 15 ACLU deadline gets closer.

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