The Vermillion County Board of Commissioners voted to repeal county resolution 2023-5 on Jan. 2, returning economic development authority to the three‑member Vermillion County Economic Development Commission.

The repeal motion, offered by a commissioner during a special meeting called to discuss several organizational items, followed extended debate about the coalition structure the county created in 2023 and about turnover and program performance since that change. The board approved the motion by voice vote; the transcript records the motion as carried but does not record a roll-call tally.

The board majority said the coalition model has not produced the results commissioners expected, citing the loss of three economic development staff and a pause in the small‑business loan program that county leaders said had previously helped local startups. “We have no vision for economic development… We are micromanaging a department,” one commissioner said while urging authority be returned to the three‑member commission. Another commissioner argued the coalition had been intended to free a director from micromanagement and that any change should be measured by results.

County legal staff and participants cautioned the board about the council's funding and the mechanics of repeal. The county council funds part of economic development via the EDIT (Economic Development Income Tax), and legal counsel noted that repealing the joint resolution could affect the administration of those funds. The resolution being repealed is titled “Joint resolution creating the Vermillion County Economic Development Coalition” (county resolution 2023-5), which the minutes show was enacted in 2023.

The board directed county staff to proceed with the repeal (the clerk/auditor will publish whatever notices and procedural steps the repeal requires). Commissioners said the effect will be to delegate hiring and operational authority back to the three‑member Economic Development Commission, which several speakers recommended should hire a director, secretary and staff and resume direct oversight of programs including small‑business lending and local infrastructure support.

Supporters of the repeal pointed to a December contract the county signed “not to exceed” roughly $22,000 for outside services and questioned whether that contract should continue under the new governance arrangement. The transcript also contains discussion that repealing the resolution would revert authority to a commission historically composed of appointments from the commission, a city, and the county council.

Opponents urged a results‑based approach and suggested a probationary or evaluation period for the current coalition rather than an immediate repeal. Commissioners also discussed the legal and procedural steps needed to change the county's governance of economic development and noted the county council would have a role in funding decisions going forward.

The board made no immediate, detailed staffing decisions at the meeting; commissioners said the Economic Development Commission would be asked to take up hiring and to advertise openings for director and support staff.

The repeal will require coordination with the county council on funding and any transition of contracts. Commissioners said they would provide details to the council and to the public as staff prepare the formal repeal documents.