Cole County commissioners voted Tuesday to direct county staff and the county counselor to explore options for revisiting the disposition of land held in the Lawrence Wren Jr. charitable trust after more than an hour of public comment from friends and neighbors urging a pause.

The action follows repeated pleas from residents and family friends who said the donor intended the 175-acre parcel to become a public park and that trustees and the bank managing the trust have not been forthcoming about available funds. "Our plea and cry and beg is that you guys would reach out to Judge Green and file an injunction to stop the scheduled sale of the Wren property so that we can have more time to take serious the Wren family's wishes," a Wren family friend told the commission during the public comment period.

Why it matters: Speakers said the auction, scheduled for Feb. 7, would be irreversible and urged the commission and the trustee to exhaust cooperative options before land is sold. Multiple commenters said they had gathered more than 1,000 petition signatures asking the county and trustee to reengage, and one speaker asserted documentary evidence that the donor held millions in investment accounts. "In 1 month, this land will be auctioned off. Once that happens, there is no second chance," neighborhood resident Tony Brennecke said. "That lack of information should prompt further inquiry and renewed dialogue, not the liquidation of the land."

What commissioners said: County officials told the public they are limited by the trust structure and recent court rulings. Commissioners repeatedly said that, under the consent judgment and current trust interpretation, the county is not a beneficiary and would not receive ownership — the instrument under discussion was described to the meeting as a lease rather than a conveyance. One commissioner summarized the county's position: "We were told there was 15 to $20,000 in the trust that could be used for development and maintenance," language county staff said was provided by the trust department; commissioners acknowledged they had relied on that information when earlier decisions were made.

Disputed facts: Commenters and family members disputed the bank’s account of available funds. A speaker said beneficiaries had observed an Edward Jones account balance of about $3.2 million and additional money in a Hawthorne Bank money market; bank representatives and the trust department, by contrast, have told the county the amount available to develop a park was in the low tens of thousands. Commissioners said the trust and trustee retain discretion over expenditures and that the county’s options may be limited unless the trustee consents.

Vote and next steps: The commission approved, by voice vote, a motion directing county counsel to research whether the commission can return to court by mutual consent to reopen the issue and to report options before the auction. Commissioners also asked staff to request more complete trust records and to consider whether a voluntary 30–60 day pause could be sought from the trustee or selling agents while documents are compiled and an advisory implementation path is evaluated.

What’s next: County staff were directed to report back and to attempt to open dialogue with the trustee and Hawthorne Bank. The auction date stated in public comments is Feb. 7; the commission’s motion sets that deadline as an operating timeline for any mutual-consent effort. The motion passed by voice vote.