Commissioners take Fairfield Township relief appeal under advisement after appellant cites unaccounted tax refund

The Tippecanoe County Board of Commissioners on June 1 took under advisement an appeal by Kayla Gant after Fairfield Township denied her emergency-relief request, citing an unverified portion of a tax refund.

County Attorney Matt Salsbery opened the hearing and confirmed Gant filed the appeal on time. Gant told the board she is a single mother of four who had surgery in 2025 and has had ongoing health complications that limited her ability to meet work requirements. She said she receives $151 per week in unemployment disability and $900 per month in child support, and that she had briefly worked as a caregiver before accepting a higher-paying full-time position and keeping the caregiver job on weekends.

Gant described receiving a tax refund of about $10,000 in February 2026 and said she used nearly $7,000 to pay unpaid rent at $1,750 per month and $1,275 in past-due utilities, with the remainder applied to vehicle payments, insurance and childcare. She said an automatic renewal of subscription payments left her $500 behind on rent until her landlord agreed to a payment plan. Gant said she submitted an assistance request on May 6, 2026, seeking $2,730 to cover overdue rent after making a $500 payment under that plan. "I need my phone to communicate with my children's school because they have special needs," she said, explaining why she considered cell phone and internet charges necessary.

Fairfield Township Case Manager Brandy Jones told the board that $5,025 of the tax refund had been transferred to a separate account and that township standards require lump-sum resources be verified and accounted for over a six-month period. Jones said Gant had provided receipts and a 30-day bank statement for her regular account but had not documented the separate account where the refund portion was deposited, which led to the denial of May assistance. "The standard for any lump sum must be verified and accounted for for a six-month period," Jones said.

Commissioners asked whether the $5,000 remained available and whether the denial could be reversed. Jones replied that if the separate-account documentation were supplied, the trustee could reverse the denial within 72 hours and Gant could resubmit an application by mid-June. County Attorney Salsbery reiterated that township practice factors in six months when evaluating lump-sum resources.

Commissioner David S. Byers moved to take the matter under advisement; Commissioner Thomas P. Murtaugh seconded the motion and the board carried it. The commissioners said they would review the materials presented and render a decision within five days. President Tracy A. Brown then adjourned the meeting.

The appeal hearing record shows the trustee's denial was based on an apparent lack of documentation for a portion of a February tax refund; the denial may be reversed if the appellant supplies verifiable bank records for the separate account identified by the township.