Middlebury library petitions and treasurer-bond concern raised during Elkhart County meeting

Speakers during the audience comment portion of the Elkhart County Council meeting presented petition signatures and raised concerns about the Middlebury Public Library’s collection and governance.

Dora Miller said she submitted 524 signed petitions from community members asking the library board to keep sexually explicit or graphic materials in a section accessible only to adults or to minors accompanied by a parent or guardian. The submission, she said, does not request outright removal of titles but seeks restricted access to certain materials: “This is about making the Millbury Library safe for children,” she said while presenting the petition copies.

Cindy Hajicek, a Goshen resident, told the council that a resolution asking the Middlebury Library Board of Trustees to adopt a policy restricting minor access to materials with explicit sexual content had been presented to the board at its prior meeting and was on that board’s agenda for a roll-call vote the same evening. Hajicek described the resolution as modeled on other library policies and said it would not remove materials from the collection but would require parent- or guardian-accompaniment for minors accessing categories of material described in the petition.

Pam Kaiser (Middlebury) raised a separate governance concern and asked the council to confirm whether the Middlebury library treasurer had a continuous official bond for the period July 2023 through December 2024. Kaiser said the recorder’s office files she reviewed show a bond dated June 2022–June 2023 and a subsequent bond filed December 2024–December 2025 but that she could not find a bond covering the 18 months in between; she cited Indiana statutory language about the requirement that an officer give an official bond before commencing the officer’s term and asked the council to investigate whether the law had been violated. Kaiser said that if the bond lapsed and board members were aware, it could jeopardize public confidence and might require removal of appointees.

County attorney Steve Olson told the council that matters involving an appointed library board’s internal governance and whether a particular officer obtained a required bond fall under the State Board of Accounts’ oversight and suggested that members of the public contact that state agency for an official review. He also said members of the public may address questions directly to their appointed library trustees.

Council response and next steps Council members acknowledged receipt of the petition and the treasurer-bond concern. Several members said the appropriate next step for a legal review of bonding or potential statutory violations is the State Board of Accounts; the county attorney offered the same guidance in his remarks. The council’s staff said they would make a reasonable effort to connect petitioners with the appropriate state agency and to check public records as feasible.

Ending Public comment closed after several additional speakers; the council proceeded to the remainder of the agenda and adjourned after final votes.