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Public commenters urge accounting of protest costs; council member questions county legal payouts
Summary
During public comment, resident Frank Hannon presented itemized protest-related costs to the county and urged budgeting for those expenses; County Council member John Basham said the county paid about $323,000 to defend a lost lawsuit and urged review of who bears legal-defense costs.
Several members of the public used the council's public-comment period to press the county on expense transparency.
Frank Hannon of West Lafayette and Wabash Township thanked law-enforcement and urged the council to track both direct and indirect costs of protests, providing itemized figures: he said the direct cost of a protest on April 14 last year was $781.19; the total direct cost for 2025 was $10,150.13; and the 2026-to-date direct cost was $9,399.09, including $8,615.66 for a March 28 protest. "If, like last year, we have 3 more major protests, direct cost to the taxpayers just in 2026 could be 30 to $40,000," he said, and urged the council to budget accordingly for 2027.
Another public commenter urged that protesters should pay costs or secure private funding, questioned whether permits were required and asked which county fund pays for response costs.
John Basham, who identified himself as a county council member and a private citizen, criticized county legal expenditures for defending litigation, saying the county paid more than $323,000 to defend a suit that was lost and is now on appeal. "If you're gonna sue somebody, then you need to foot the bill, not the county or the taxpayer," he said.
The transcript records these comments but contains no formal county action or response committing to changes in budgeting or policy; council members acknowledged the remarks during the meeting's public-comment period.
