The Marion County Board of Education voted June 16 to add a lease agreement with the Marion County Food Bank to the meeting agenda, a document board members said will be reviewed by counsel before any final signatures. The motion to add the lease was made by Nathan Billingsley and seconded by Bo Nunley and passed on a voice vote.

Board members and staff said the lease document arrived the same day and that the board attorney had suggested only minor corrections. “The changes consisted of some typographical errors and will be corrected,” said Mark Raines, the board attorney. Dr. Mark A. Griffith, secretary, said, “we did receive the document today,” and asked for the board’s permission to sign off on the lease after review.

The board discussed the proposed term of the agreement after Bo Nunley asked how long the lease would run. “The term is for 99 years and will begin July of this year (2025),” Raines said, adding that after expiration it would convert to a year‑to‑year arrangement. No formal approval of the final lease language appears in the meeting minutes; the board’s recorded action was to add the lease to the agenda for review.

The discussion occurred during the agenda‑setting portion of the meeting; board members later approved the consent agenda, which included many routine contracts and approvals. The transcript shows counsel will correct typographical items and staff will proceed with the review; it does not record a final, separate vote approving the executed lease.

Next steps: board counsel will update the lease document to reflect the typographical corrections, and Dr. Mark A. Griffith stated he would seek authority from the board to sign the document following that review.