Transcript — Vigo County Oversight Board, 2026-01-05

Machine transcription of the recording of the Vigo County Oversight Board meeting on 2026-01-05, aligned to the video timeline. This is not the official record — the clerk's minutes are, and this is unreviewed automatic speech recognition that mis-hears names and numbers. Check anything that matters against the recording.

Each line is stamped with its position in the recording, both as a clock time and as [t=SECONDS]. Those are the same seconds the archive's source links use: open the recording and add &t=<seconds> to jump to any line.

Speakers were separated automatically and named from the meeting's speaker roster where the evidence supported it; an unnamed voice is shown as Speaker <n>, which is a machine label and not a person's name.

Transcript

0:00:00 [t=0] Speaker 0: of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, liberty, and justice for all.
0:00:16 [t=16] Speaker 4 (chair): All right. Welcome to the first meeting here in 2026 of the Viggo County Oversight Board. First item on the agenda, we have the minutes that were emailed out to the board on December 16th.
0:00:28 [t=28] Speaker 5 (chair): there's no discussion on those I'd entertain a motion to approve I'll make
0:00:34 [t=34] Speaker 7: a motion to approve a second all those in favor I minutes approved all right
0:00:44 [t=44] Speaker 4 (chair): next item on the agenda we just have some open discussion here amongst the board mr. Matheny I think you wanted to open things up here thanks mark it gets
0:00:54 [t=54] Mark Matheny (oversight board member): Just as our first formal meeting after kind of initially organizing, just wanted to encourage just all the board members, this is somewhat new for a lot of us, and I just want to challenge each of us as we go through this. We are an oversight committee, an investigative committee of sorts. Speak up, ask questions, challenge assumptions, challenge each other. I think that's healthy. That's what we are kind of entrusted to do. No bad ideas. Explore every option. And so with that, yeah, I think that was kind of the main thing. So with that, let's get started.
0:01:39 [t=99] Speaker 4 (chair): Great. Thanks, Mark. I'll open things up here. The House Bill 1515, when you read that in the legislature, It required us to elect a president and a treasurer. We have elected a president and a secretary, so I think it's prudent for us to elect a treasurer as well. Obviously, the county council approved $100,000 for this board to spend up to and hopefully under. I would think the treasurer's responsibilities would be working with the school corporation. I believe a fund has been established, we need to put a couple signers on that checking account,
0:02:23 [t=143] Speaker 4 (chair): as well as maybe a monthly kind of finance report, what our engagements are, what we've signed,
0:02:33 [t=153] Speaker 5 (chair): which we haven't signed anything to date, how much we've spent, kind of those sorts of things. So if you all are in agreement with that, I'll take a nomination for a treasurer.
0:02:49 [t=169] Speaker 19 (oversight board member): I can nominate Heather Pickens as our treasurer for the Sobigo County Oversight Board.
0:02:56 [t=176] Speaker 20: Heather, assuming you're willing here?
0:02:59 [t=179] Heather LaBella (treasurer): Absolutely.
0:03:00 [t=180] All right.
0:03:01 [t=181] Heather LaBella (treasurer): I'll second it.
0:03:04 [t=184] All right.
0:03:05 [t=185] Speaker 5 (chair): Thank you, Jim, for the second. Any discussion? All those in favor say aye.
0:03:11 [t=191] Speaker 4 (chair): Aye. All right. Jim, would you like to give us an update on your search for a financial consultant to engage with the board?
0:03:23 [t=203] Speaker 28: I requested quotes from Co. Horwath and Policy Analytics.
0:03:33 [t=213] Speaker 33 (oversight board member): Both indicated, you know, because of the holidays, they are a little behind. And Jason O'Neill from Policy Analytics said that he wanted to send us a list of questions, I guess to kind of guide them, tell them what we were after. And I recently got a text from Tim Berry this morning that said they have a draft engagement letter for us, but that it's still in their legal review process. That's where we're at with that.
0:04:18 [t=258] Speaker 4 (chair): Yeah, great. Kind of segueing into the next topic here on legal counsel, we've talked with a number of firms in town and in Indianapolis. Barnes and Thornburg is very interested in an engagement to represent our committee. The holiday is a terrible time to try and get engagement letters pushed through and approved. But I checked in with Jake German, the partner we'd be potentially engaging with from Barnes and Thornburg this morning. We cleared conflict of interest check with them. They're very interested. He's well versed in municipal law, specifically in municipal finance as well.
0:04:59 [t=299] Speaker 4 (chair): and so expect he said to expect an engagement later later today so I assume tomorrow hopefully
0:05:07 [t=307] Speaker 30 (oversight board member): we'll have something to review and discuss the next meeting on Thursday
0:05:11 [t=311] Speaker 19 (oversight board member): Jim may I ask Tim Berry is he with Crow or is he from policy analytics he's with Crow thank you
0:05:29 [t=329] Speaker 9 (oversight board member): Any other discussion amongst the board?
0:05:36 [t=336] Speaker 44: What kind of time frame do we have a goal set for kind of time frame to have these locked down?
0:05:43 [t=343] Speaker 46: I can get back with them and see if they give me any idea how long their processes take.
0:05:55 [t=355] Speaker 50: your experience I mean is this a couple week thing or is this a I think in in my
0:06:05 [t=365] Speaker 33 (oversight board member): experience it trying to get financial advisors in county government it's a couple weeks together and then you know it's all negotiable if you don't if proposal isn't exactly what you know we can deal with it, edit it, tell them what we change it this way or that way.
0:06:40 [t=400] Speaker 30 (oversight board member): You said policy analytics was going to send over a list of questions. They haven't done that yet? No. The last I talked to them was Friday.
0:06:49 [t=409] Speaker 5 (chair): I would say, Mark, based on my experience, if Crow has an engagement letter in legal review, we'll probably get it in the next few days. That's typically pretty quick. Once it's to that point, policy analytics hasn't even asked their questions to kind of understand the engagement, then we might be a week or two on that one. But I think we've structured things probably appropriately. the school board or the school corporation's going to be the most prepared to present immediately and you know for that reason we put them first and hopefully we can get the finance side working
0:07:30 [t=450] Speaker 5 (chair): in the background while we navigate through the school corporation's facility study and stuff
0:07:35 [t=455] Speaker 59: Any other comments here?
0:07:47 [t=467] Speaker 61: Thank you, Jim, for reaching out and for Mark for contacting and working on the attorney part. Sure. I appreciate that.
0:07:57 [t=477] Speaker 4 (chair): So I guess next item on the agenda, we did want to provide an opportunity for comments
0:08:05 [t=485] Speaker 5 (chair): from elected officials or from the employees of let's say local government or the school corporation so if there's something to discuss sure well I was
0:08:19 [t=499] Speaker 21 (school corporation representative): just I was just gonna say I had shared in an email just kind of I know Heather had mentioned it a draft of maybe potential meeting topics and how that could look and like you and I have talked already that to front load with the school corporation being most prepared but just for clarification it is just something to look over it is not a set in stone anything just maybe some guidance looking looking forward with how the school corporation received information from Gibraltar and I did include links for some things on there
0:08:50 [t=530] Speaker 21 (school corporation representative): but of course if you have any questions or any more resources happy to gain that for any of you here and I know dr. him so would do the same so sure yeah I
0:08:59 [t=539] Speaker 4 (chair): I think maybe early on in one of those presentations, it would be nice to hear how the listening sessions went,
0:09:08 [t=548] Speaker 5 (chair): how the survey, how many respondents they got, responses to the survey they had, kind of all the data that was initially acquired and digested as they moved forward with the study. So a high-level overview of that process would be great as well.
0:09:26 [t=566] Speaker 9 (oversight board member): I believe I saw on their website that there are like 1,300 responses to the survey, which is a pretty impressive amount.
0:09:35 [t=575] Speaker 73: I would imagine they're going to kind of step you through the same way they step the school board through.
0:09:39 [t=579] Mark Matheny (oversight board member): Great. Yeah. I think, too, it's good just for everybody just publicly to know. So the next two meetings, so this Thursday the 8th, next Monday the 12th, so Dr. Hemsall and Gibraltar will be presenting the facilities plan. So just for anybody that has not seen that and really wants to see the most current, most up-to-date, have an opportunity to maybe get some of the things that are lingering in their minds, that's going to be a great opportunity to hear that plan directly from Dr. Hemsall. And I want to thank Dr. Hemsall as well just for making himself available.
0:10:18 [t=618] Mark Matheny (oversight board member): my phone calls and every every question and just making himself available to to our board as we've had questions
0:10:31 [t=631] Speaker 4 (chair): I'll get there I move on sorry no you're good all right do we have any comments from elected officials or school corporate officials anything to mr.
0:10:44 [t=644] Speaker 5 (chair): Clinkenbeard have anything for us?
0:10:47 [t=647] Mark Clinkenbeard (county commissioner): I don't really have anything. Just thank you again, guys, for stepping up. And I'm just impressed by how quick you guys are getting off and running. I know I've talked to a lot of you over the last couple weeks and really impressed and looking forward to continuing this process down the road. And this will probably be your quickest meeting, I would say. You've got a lot of work ahead of you. But thank you again. Yeah, thank you.
0:11:12 [t=672] Speaker 30 (oversight board member): we're expecting this to maybe be the only quick one so um next up on the agenda um mark we do have
0:11:22 [t=682] Speaker 4 (chair): i know there's been some debate whether or not we're how how this board's supposed to operate
0:11:27 [t=687] Speaker 5 (chair): and i think we're prepared to to open you know i think we committed to in the last meeting to cooperating with open door law those sorts of things and And I think as part of that, it's important to have a public comment policy and allow for public comment at each of our meetings. So, Mark, if you want to step us through what you've prepared there.
0:11:49 [t=709] Mark Matheny (oversight board member): Yeah, absolutely. I think the goal is of having, you know, a public comment policy, right, is we want to walk this line of we want public input. We want to know what you're thinking. But just for time's sake, we have to do it in a very efficient manner. And so we will have attached to each agenda for each meeting on the back page. We will have the public comment policy. I've sent it to the board, each board member about a week ago. So I would look for a motion to adopt that, approve that. And then I'll just have it attached to each.
0:12:28 [t=748] Mark Matheny (oversight board member): That way as comments do come in, you know, there's an orderly approach that we can take to hearing from the public.
0:12:36 [t=756] Speaker 7: Is there a motion to, I don't know, Mark, do you have to call that? Do you have to call, ask for a motion? Sure.
0:12:44 [t=764] Speaker 4 (chair): I guess I'll call for a motion here on Mark's proposed public comment policy.
0:12:49 [t=769] Speaker 92: I move to accept it.
0:12:52 [t=772] Speaker 93: I'll second it.
0:12:53 [t=773] Speaker 4 (chair): Second by Heather.
0:12:54 [t=774] Speaker 9 (oversight board member): Any discussion? Looks great, Mark. Thank you for putting it together. All those in favor?
0:13:01 [t=781] Speaker 95: Aye. Aye.
0:13:03 [t=783] Speaker 97: You want it red for public record?
0:13:06 [t=786] Mark Matheny (oversight board member): Sure. Why not? I'll just go ahead and read it. That way we have it on record here. Indiana's Open Door Law 514.1.5 ensures public access to government meetings requiring notice and open sessions, but it does not guarantee a right for citizens to speak. Rather, it allows observation with specific rules for public comments set forth by the local board who can limit duration and manage any disruptions to maintain order focusing on transparency while preventing meeting chaos the Beagle County Oversight Board has adopted the following policy that will apply to all
0:13:48 [t=828] Mark Matheny (oversight board member): public meetings held by the Oversight Board so meetings of a governing body must be open for the public to observe and record with at least 48 hours public notice. That is, and again, by definition, a majority of our group. So if more than two of us, we are required to have it posted 48 hours in advance with an agenda, meeting in a public space, and available for public attendance. Public access, but speaking is not guaranteed. Citizens have the right to attend and record, but the law doesn't inherently grant a right to speak, though the oversight board may allow.
0:14:30 [t=870] Mark Matheny (oversight board member): We will have a section for each meeting or ideally for each meeting for public comment. Rules are as follows. So citizens must be recognized by the presiding officer to speak. Citizen may be granted up to three minutes per meeting. Oversight board reserves the right to decline comment if time does not allow. Comments and questions should be relevant to the agenda item being discussed. and disruptive or disrespectful behavior, yelling, interruption, etc. will lead to a warning first and then potential removal from the meeting to ensure order. Executive sessions. So some meetings
0:15:09 [t=909] Mark Matheny (oversight board member): can be closed for personnel, litigation, security matters, but still must follow the notice rules and cannot take any final action in those meetings or make any decisions. And transparency. The goal of our public comment policy is to ensure accountability and that citizens know what's happening with our board at all times.
0:15:34 [t=934] Speaker 4 (chair): Very good. Thank you for that, Mark. It was on the agenda, assuming that we would adopt that policy. So I guess at this time we'd entertain any comments from the public.
0:15:43 [t=943] Speaker 9 (oversight board member): Hearing and seeing none. Our next meeting is Thursday in this room, 1030 AM.
0:15:58 [t=958] Speaker 21 (school corporation representative): Do you accept comments from the board at this time? Sure. I just want to echo Commissioner Clinkham-Baird's comments that I appreciate all of you stepping forward to be a partner with the school corporation and also personally to have partnered with me so far and to initiate work behind the scenes that some aren't seeing this is very important and I feel like we are listening to our community by being partners and to remain continuity and to move forward with what we need to do for what's best for our students and community so all those who
0:16:31 [t=991] Speaker 21 (school corporation representative): have worked so hard to get us to this point thank you and to everyone up here here thank you for what you're willing to do and take the time to help push forward thank you so much thanks Stacy
0:16:44 [t=1004] Speaker 67: any other business good motion to adjourn I'll make a motion to adjourn second motion in the
0:16:53 [t=1013] Speaker 9 (oversight board member): second all those in favor say aye thank you everybody
0:17:05 [t=1025] Thank you.