Vigo County debate grows heated over $100,000 riverboat funds and whether to require forensic accounting first

A commissioners’ request to allocate $100,000 from riverboat/casino wagering funds to create a school oversight board set off a contentious debate at the Vigo County Council meeting on Nov. 10.

Councilwoman Brenda Wilson moved to approve the commissioners’ request with added provisions intended to limit county liability and require ongoing reporting; she read language that would limit the county’s initial financial responsibility to $100,000 and require the oversight board to report at monthly council meetings on contracts and finances.

Public comment immediately preceding the council’s debate featured dozens of speakers — students, educators, small‑business owners and parents — urging a vote in favor of the oversight board. “This is my city,” senior Lucy Ellis told the council, saying she would not return after college unless the schools improve. Ben Katic, a student organizer with Students for Change, said, “We have been we have formed…