Residents and commissioners flag RISE board transparency and contract concerns

Several residents said they had used FOIA requests to obtain consulting contracts and correspondence related to the Vermillion RISE board. Stephanie Simpson said she obtained documents showing a consulting-services agreement for Jerry Acey and raised questions about dates and payments, saying the consultant had been paid before the contract was formally signed. "I was requesting all contracts signed with Jerry Acey... There should be one that was signed in November 2025," Simpson said, adding that she later received a public-record response that the contract was drafted earlier but signed later.