Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Cole County commissioners vote to revisit Wren trust disposition after hours of public appeals
Summary
After dozens of residents urged Hawthorne Bank and the county to halt the planned auction of land from the Lawrence Wren Jr. trust, commissioners voted to direct county counsel to explore returning the matter to court by mutual consent and to seek clarity about available trust funds before the Feb. 7 sale.
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,…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
