East Chicago trustees approve one appointment to building corporation to move bond plans forward
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Summary
The board approved a resolution to appoint Robert Garcia to the district building corporation so financing discussions can proceed; two other nominees withdrew and trustees said the remaining appointments will return to a future meeting.
The School City of East Chicago Board of Trustees voted Jan. 13 to approve a resolution that reconstitutes the district’s building corporation with one member who accepted the appointment, Robert Garcia.
Dr. Bourne advised the board that two of the three proposed nominees had withdrawn that day and recommended pausing the full slate; Attorney Harris explained the district must reconstitute the building corporation to proceed with planned financing, including potential bond issuances. Trustee Rodriguez moved to approve the resolution with the one candidate who accepted; Trustee Smith said she preferred tabling the item until the board could consider the full slate.
The motion carried on a roll call with three trustees voting in favor and two opposed. The board directed staff to return with the remaining nominees at a future meeting so the building corporation can be fully constituted.
Attorney Harris noted that building corporations are a common vehicle school districts use for bond financing and that the district needs active members to complete ongoing transactions. No dollar amounts for the anticipated financing were presented during the discussion; trustees said they expect additional details before final bond approvals.
Next steps: staff will seek two additional appointees and place them on a subsequent agenda for approval so the district can complete its financing work.