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Residents press Madison County for transparency on Casanova College property purchase and ICE agreement; sheriff defends plan
Summary
Residents asked Madison County officials to pause or expand public consultation on the county's purchase of two former Casanova College buildings, and raised alarm about an ICE cooperative agreement with the sheriff's office; Sheriff Todd Hood defended the county's purchase and said his office must act on lawful warrants.
Residents of the village of Casanova and county residents urged the Madison County Board of Supervisors to pause or slow the county's purchase and planning for Reisman and Sighetty Halls on the former Casanova College campus, citing lack of transparency, local land-use questions and concern about the sheriff's existing cooperative agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The county administrator and committee chair Pete Waller told the board the county evaluated multiple options and approved a purchase agreement in May 2025 for Reisman and Sighetty Halls for "approximately $1,900,000," with execution in July 2025. Waller described the choice as a cost-saving alternative to a larger renovation elsewhere and said the buildings require only "minor renovations to prepare them for county use."
Residents sought more public process. Laura Reeder, speaking for the…
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