Blackford County holds closed joint session to discuss local economic development

Blackford County Commissioners and the Blackford County Council met in a joint executive session at 6:00 p.m. on Oct. 16, 2024, in the Commissioners/Council Room of the Blackford County Courthouse in Hartford City. The published minutes state the meeting's "sole purpose" was "to discuss local economic development opportunities as authorized under I.C. 5-14-1.5-6.1(b)(4)."

Commissioner Vice President Dan Borgenheimer called the Commissioners to order and Ashley Felver called the roll. The minutes record Commissioners Dan Borgenheimer and Laura Coons as present; Commissioner John Lancaster was noted as absent. The record also lists Warren Brown and "Greg from Bakertilly" as present. On the Council side, Council President Jack Beckley called the meeting to order; Council members Jack Beckley, Ryan Goodspeed, Kyle Lechien and Jim Weiseman were recorded as present, with Karen Mealy, Patrick Cale and Fred Tobey absent. Auditor Lisa Simmons is named in the minutes as attesting to the record.

The available minutes do not include substantive details of discussion topics, proposals, or agreements reached during the executive session. The entry records only the authorized statutory basis for holding the closed session (I.C. 5-14-1.5-6.1(b)(4)) and procedural actions surrounding the meeting. Under that statute, certain local economic development discussions may be held in executive session; the minutes do not specify what proposals or parties (if any) were discussed in that closed portion of the meeting.

The joint session adjourned at 7:40 p.m., and the minutes include approval/attestation blocks for both the Commissioners' and Council's minutes. No motions to adopt policy, awards, contracts, or fiscal commitments are recorded in the provided minutes.