Council discusses filling Plan Commission vacancies; staff to check statute before final appointments

The Whiteland Town Council reviewed staff recommendations to fill two vacancies on the advisory Plan Commission and discussed whether the seats should be publicized to residents before appointments are finalized.

Administration recommended appointing Armando de Santiago to fill one open seat and fire marshal Jason Kephart (Chief Eric Funkhouser's vacancy) to the other, to complete terms through Dec. 31, 2026. Town staff said both recommended individuals were in attendance at the meeting.

Council members said they preferred the town publish the openings on the town website and solicit public interest before making permanent appointments. "I would like to put it out there because I know I've had some people ask about it," one council member said, urging staff to advertise the positions if possible. Other members noted that historically three Plan Commission positions were filled by town employees or appointed officials so that technical expertise (public works, fire protection) would be available during development reviews.

Legal and procedural questions: Council asked staff to check the relevant state statute provisions (cited in discussion as Ind. Code chapter 36, possibly section 7-4-900 range) to confirm whether statutory limits require certain seats to be held by town employees or appointed officials. Town staff agreed to research the statutory language and return with a recommended process at the next meeting.

Decision vs. discussion: The council did not make final appointments at the meeting. Staff will research statutory requirements and the council is open to posting the openings publicly; if no residents apply, staff indicated they would proceed with recommended employee/official appointments.

Ending: Staff will confirm any statutory constraints, post openings if appropriate, and return to the council with recommended candidates and next steps.