The Evansville Common Council on June 9 adopted an amended resolution (C-2025-19) to submit an exception waiver to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development after disclosing a conflict of interest involving Councilman Zach Hieronymus and a local HUD fund recipient.

The waiver request stems from Hieronymus’s dual role as an approving member of the City Council and as executive director of Tri State Food Bank, which the council identified as a HUD fund recipient. Colby Jackson, DMD, told the council that the waiver was required and that Hieronymus must be removed from any council deliberations or decisions involving HUD funding. Jackson said, “he also may not sign any documents of any kind relative to any HUD funding.”

During the meeting Hieronymus said, “I will recuse myself out of the room just to make sure that we're above par till this is done.” The clerk then conducted a roll call of the eight council members present for the vote; the resolution passed with eight ayes and one abstention. The record shows the abstention was recorded after Hieronymus left the chamber for the discussion and vote.

By adopting the amended resolution the council directed staff to submit the exception waiver request to HUD. The resolution’s text, presented to the council as C-2025-19, states the city will notify HUD and implement the specified recusal and signature restrictions while the waiver request is pending.

The council did not receive questions from counsel or members of the public about the waiver during the discussion. The immediate procedural outcome is submission of the waiver packet to HUD; any further actions will depend on HUD’s response.