WFHB FireHouse Broadcasting

Indiana State Excise police releases a report on arrests and citations during IU’s Welcome Week; the proposed 2011 budget for the City of Bloomington will begin its first reading and debate tomorrow; Indiana State Auditor Tim Berry will present a new website that provides information on the state’s revenues and expenditures in Bloomington tomorrow; the Monroe County Plan Commission has approved a letter to the Indiana Department of Transportation regarding the recent release of the environmental impact statement for the planned fourth section of Interstate 69; the Monroe County Community Schools board of trustees has agreed to advertise its budget in hopes of building support for a referendum.
FEATURE
One vote by one person on one board could keep thousands of Monroe County voters from casting their ballots in satellite voting locations. That’s exactly what happened last week as the fate of satellite voting centers in Monroe County rested in the hands of just one person on the county election board. The board has only three members –county clerk Jim Fielder plus one representative from both the Democrat and Republican parties. In 2008 the board voted to host satellite voting on IU's campus, at the Sherwood Oaks Church, and at the Ellettsville Fire Department. Around 4400 votes were cast at those centers, nearly seven percent of total voter turnout. But the board membership has changed, and the new Republican appointee on the election board, Judith Smith-Ille, says she doesn’t think voter turnout will merit spending the money to run the satellite centers - money that was already appropriated for that purpose by the county council. In order to move forward with satellite voting, the Election Board vote must be unanimous, so Smith-Ille’s “nay” vote in effect blocks satellite voting for this entire community. Last night the Democrat election board member Jan Ellis tried to revive the issue by calling for another vote, but her motion failed for lack of a second. We take you on-location to last night’s board meeting for public comment from campus Democrat organizer Kelly Smith and Monroe County Republican Party Chairman Gene Moncel, in a meeting chaired by Jan Ellis in this WFHB radio exclusive.
FIREHOUSE FEEDBACK
Bloomington Alternative columnist Gregory Travis discusses the financial implications of areas affected by the new I-69 construction.