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Council elects Jennifer Hoskeder president, Sherry Ritchie vice president; approves legal retainer renewal and slate of appointments
Summary
Boone County Council elected Jennifer Hoskeder as council president and Sherry Ritchie as vice president, approved an annual engagement agreement (legal retainer) and confirmed a slate of board and commission appointments including Dustin Plunkett to the Alcoholic Beverage Board and Discover Boone representation; motions carried.
The Boone County Council held nominations and votes for 2025 leadership and approved several routine items and appointments.
Leadership elections: Councilmember Jennifer Hoskeder was nominated and elected council president for 2025. Councilmember Sherry Ritchie was nominated and approved as vice president. The nominations were seconded on the floor; the roll call for the presidency recorded affirmative votes from multiple named councilmembers and one recorded no vote. The vice president nomination was approved by voice vote.
Legal retainer: The council reviewed an annual engagement agreement for legal services (retainer). The firm delivering the presentation said the retainer covers major matters and that any work outside the retainer would come with a separate engagement letter and hourly rates. The council voted to renew the engagement agreement; the motion passed.
Appointments: The council moved and approved a slate of appointments to local boards and commissions. Notable items on the slate included naming Dustin Plunkett to serve on the Alcoholic Beverage Board (per new Indiana law requiring a council member on that board) and confirming members and officers for multiple public boards: Lebanon Public Library Board (including Lori Mann, Karen Galvin, Sarah Jones), Thorntown Public Library Board (Barb Hilger), the Boone County Convention & Visitor Bureau (now Discover Boone), Boone County Redevelopment Commission (Ben Lawson, John Reiner), the Solid Waste District Management Board (Sherry Ritchie), and others. The council also clarified that the council president is an invitee to quarterly elected-official meetings related to the Boone County Economic Development Corporation rather than a voting board seat.
Why it matters: the leadership elections set the council’s presiding officers for the year; the legal retainer renewal ensures continuity of legal representation; and appointments place county officials and representatives on boards that affect local economic development, tourism and county services.
Votes at a glance: - Approval of 12/10/2024 minutes: voice vote approved. - Election — Council president (nomination: Jennifer Hoskeder): roll-call vote; outcome: approved (majority yes, one no recorded). - Election — Vice president (nomination: Sherry Ritchie): voice vote approved. - Annual engagement agreement renewal (legal retainer): motion approved. - Slate of appointments (multiple boards including Alcoholic Beverage Board appointment of Dustin Plunkett): motion approved.
The council adjourned after routine closing actions.
