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Spencer County Council adopts ordinance to continue Mid-States Corridor RDA participation on first reading amid public opposition
Summary
On first reading the council voted 6-1 to adopt Ordinance 2026-02 to continue Spencer County’s participation in the Mid-States Corridor Regional Development Authority after public commenters urged withdrawal and raised conflict concerns.
The Spencer County Council voted 6-1 on the first reading March 17 to adopt Ordinance 2026-02, authorizing the county to continue its participation in the Mid-States Corridor Regional Development Authority (RDA), after a brief public debate and presentations by RDA officials.
President Aaron Benton opened discussion by citing the county’s prior involvement under Ordinance 2017-05 and then invited Ken Mulzer Jr., RDA vice chairman, and Bill Kaiser, RDA legal counsel, to present the RDA’s request that Spencer County renew and continue its membership. Mulzer summarized the project’s history since 2017 and, referencing work completed in other jurisdictions, said the time had come to finish the effort: "Now it's time to finish this project," he stated.
Public opposition was voiced at the meeting. Brad Hochgesang, a candidate for State Senate in District 48, urged the council to withdraw from the RDA and provided a proposed withdrawal ordinance citing Indiana Code Sec 36-7.6-2-5. Jason McCoy also spoke against continued participation and presented an "MSC Intelligence Dossier" alleging financial conflicts and concerns about private funding and a purported "Done Deal" campaign.
Kaiser and Mulzer urged renewal rather than withdrawal. President Benton offered council members three options — table the matter, approve the renewal ordinance, or adopt an ordinance to withdraw — and the council voted to adopt Ordinance 2026-02 on first reading. The vote was recorded in the minutes as 6-1, with Councilmember David Fromme recorded in opposition. The ordinance will return for a second reading at the next meeting.
No additional procedural steps or roll-call vote details for all members were included in the transcript beyond the 6-1 outcome. The council adjourned at approximately 6:34 p.m.
