The Elkhart County Board of Commissioners on Nov. 10 unanimously approved an updated public comment policy that the board said aligns its meeting procedures with Indiana law and internal rules. Speaker 6 introduced the policy, noted copies were available at the meeting and that it would be posted on the county website, and the board approved the change by voice vote.

The policy update was presented to the board by the presiding commissioner (speaker 6), who said the changes account for Indiana law and the county’s meeting procedures and invited a registered speaker who had signed up to comment. "You have 3 minutes if you'd like to come up and give your thoughts on this," the presiding commissioner said.

During the public-comment portion of the meeting, Susan Lawson of Goshen—who had signed up to speak during consideration of the policy—told commissioners she was concerned the rules would restrict everyday expressive activity such as sidewalk chalk protests and that some community members feel intimidated by the new limits. "I thought, how is Goshen gonna restrict freedom of speech?" Lawson said, adding that people who cannot afford insurance or an organized venue are effectively shut out of public expression. She criticized elected officials by name and said she plans to run for state representative. "So I appreciate completely you letting me speak," Lawson said.

The board’s action was procedural and no changes to enforcement details were announced at the meeting beyond the statement that copies will be posted on the wall and on the county website. The policy text referenced compliance with Indiana law; the transcript does not specify sections of state code or administrative rules. The update was adopted by a unanimous voice vote.

The next procedural step is implementation of the posted policy and availability of the written policy on the county website, as noted by the presiding commissioner at the meeting.