Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Comment topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Resident at Highland board meeting challenges past turf funding claims; says he verified records
Summary
At the meeting, resident Rick Mulberry criticized a prior board remark about a public commenter and questioned claims that a private donor or company paid for synthetic turf fields in neighboring districts, saying he "spoke personally" with finance directors and that his findings were "absolute facts."
Rick Mulberry, a Highland resident, used the public‑comment period to criticize a previous board member's characterization of a commenter and to dispute claims he said were being circulated about who paid for synthetic turf fields in nearby districts.
Mulberry said he had asked at least 10 people after a previous meeting and had spoken with finance directors in Whiting and Munster about financing for synthetic turf installations. He asserted those conversations led him to conclude that private entities named in prior public statements did not pay for the fields. "These are absolute facts," Mulberry said, urging accuracy in public statements about past bond expenditures and donor activity.
No board member offered a substantive rebuttal during the public-comment period; the board did not record a formal response or follow‑up action on Mulberry's assertions. The remarks referenced historical financial records and CUSIP numbers; Mulberry said he had contacted municipal finance officials in 2015 and earlier years in making his claim.
Mulberry's statements raise a factual question that would require examination of bond records and formal finance audits to verify; the board did not indicate that such records would be reviewed as part of tonight's meeting.
