Latest news with #ValparaisoCityCouncil
Chicago Tribune
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Erika Watkins gets another term to Valparaiso School Board, this time representing the city
The Valparaiso City Council selected childcare center director Erika Watkins to have a second term appointed to the Valparaiso School Board, along with Valparaiso attorney John Peluso as the new school board appointment by the Center Township Board. Peluso, a speech and debate team coach at Valparaiso High School and his VHS English teacher wife Colleen have two children in the VCS schools. Peluso fills the four-year term vacated by Watkins, who joined the school board as the Center Township Board appointment in May 2021. Peluso's appointment was announced following the May 19 meeting of the Center Township Advisory Board. Democrat Watkins competed with finalists Brett Miller and Ron Donahue, both Republicans vying to fill the seat vacated by Robert Behrend, who did not seek another term. Behrend, a Valparaiso dentist, underwent questioning earlier this year about whether he had moved to Wisconsin and was therefore no longer eligible to serve on the school board. He had served two terms. The fourth finalist was Democrat Curtiss Strietelmeier, who was also a finalist, but unsuccessful, for an open Valparaiso School Board seat in 2023. All four faced questions from council members in the meeting chambers at Valparaiso City Hall on May 21 during the more than three-hour second-round interview session. Candidates addressed questions about effectiveness as a community liaison, sharing examples of implicating new programs, and charter schools. 'I am passionate about every child having the necessary tools to succeed,' Watkins said. 'I want to continue being a voice for students, teachers and parents. I bring dedication, experience and I have a heart of service. I believe in creating strong partnerships between the community and the school.' Peluso competed against fellow applicants Ruth Vance, Jerome 'Jerry' Ezell and Lisa Gonzales during the May 19 interviews held at the Porter County Administration Building in the commissioners' chambers. Each applicant was asked up to eight questions, most submitted by the public, and not provided to the applicants before the interviews. Following the interviews and time for public comment, board discussion preceded the vote on the appointment. Watkins, the previous appointment for the Center Township board seat, recalls the thorough interview process of Center Township Trustee Jesse Harper and his interview team. 'Attending school events and being an actively involved school board member is key,' Watkins said. 'Starting with the first week of the new school year, I'm there in person to greet teachers, staff and students to share the experience of the launch of the new academic year. All board members should be.' The rest of the Valparaiso School Board consists of Kaye Frataccia-Seibert, selected by the school board in December 2023 to complete the term of Jon Costas after he was elected mayor. Costas was appointed by the city council in 2022. Karl Cender was appointed by the city council in 2023 and Ashley Kruse was appointed by the city council in 2024. Valparaiso Community Schools is a K-12 public school district serving 6,500 students throughout Northwest Indiana and includes eight elementary schools, two middle schools, one alternative school and one high school.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Valparaiso University officials confirm art sale, ask city to serve as pass-through for $117M bond issue
Valparaiso University officials came before the Valparaiso City Council Monday to explain their bid for the city to serve as a conduit for up to $117 million in general obligation bonds for some campus renovations and to refinance university debt. What they got was a host of questions from the council on why the university sold cornerstone artwork from the Brauer Museum to fund freshman dorm renovations if they were undertaking a bond issue, whether the city would face any financial obligation, and how to explain the request to their constituents. 'We have a lot of publicity regarding some art sales,' said Mark Volpatti, the university's senior vice president for finance and chief financial officer. The university has sold or is concluding the sale of the three paintings, including one by Georgia O'Keeffe, and is moving forward with its freshman village, he said, adding the renovation work was being done without taking on debt and through 'the proceeds from the artwork.' University spokesperson Michael Fenton confirmed in an email to the Post-Tribune Tuesday that O'Keeffe's 'Rust Red Hills' and 'The Silver Veil and the Golden Gate' by Childe Hassam have been sold. Because the sale was conducted through a private broker, he did not have information on the identity of the buyers. The sale of Frederic E. Church's 'Mountain Landscape' is still in process, Fenton said, 'and there is no further information at this time.' Work on the freshman village, as Volpatti called it, includes air conditioning, furniture and other upgrades. The dorms, Brandt and Wehrenberg halls, are slated to have a gallery displaying lesser-known works of art from the Sloan Trust, which directly or indirectly provided the three paintings being sold off. The work is slated to begin this summer and conclude by fall 2026. 'People will say the No. 1 reason people don't come to Valparaiso University is because of the housing,' Volpatti said. 'All the other stuff is really good for us.' As far as the bonds, Patrick Lyp, the city attorney, said the city can act as a conduit for the bond purchase and has done so for other non-profits, including a senior housing facility a few years ago. 'This is not necessarily debt issued by the city, where we're responsible,' he said. David Nie, an attorney with Ice Miller and the university's bond counsel, reiterated that the bonds do not obligate the city financially. Under the Internal Revenue Service's tax code, non-profits have to go through a government entity to secure general obligation bonds. In this case, he said, the Valparaiso Economic Development Corp. can serve that role, which also is allowed under state statute. 'Their consideration is whether the project would be of benefit to the general welfare of the city and we think we meet that threshold,' Nie said. The maximum for the bond issue is $117 million but Volpatti expects the amount to be closer to $55 million, with about $15 million for infrastructure upgrades on campus, including new roofs, information technology work, and other needs. The rest of the funds will be used to refinance existing debt. The university's goal, Volpatti said, is to have the bonds on hand by the end of June, which also is the end of the university's fiscal year. City council members had an assortment of questions about the sale of the artwork, the university's junk bond status by Moody's, and whether the university had a backup plan if the council voted against pitching in with the bond issue. Councilwoman Barb Domer, D-3rd, asked Volpatti to confirm that the freshman dorm renovations weren't included in the $117 million bond issue and that the entire cost of those renovations would come from selling the paintings, which he did. The university expects the paintings to bring in around $12 million, which is what's being invested in the dorm renovations, Volpatti said, adding the $117 million figure for the bond issue 'is if we go all in and we don't think that will happen.' 'What's the Plan B? What happens if this body says no?' asked Councilman Peter Anderson, R-5th. The university would have to figure out the funding, Volpatti said, and determine whether that's done through philanthropy or selling core assets. Nie, under questioning from Council President Ellen Kapitan, D-At-large, reiterated that the city would serve as a pass-through for the bonds. 'In no way does this ever reflect on the issuer that issued the bonds. In no way does this come back to the city,' Nie said, adding the bonds would not impact taxpayers. Councilman Robert Cotton, D-2nd, like other city officials, said he supports the university but had questions about the university's recent bond rating analysis from Moody's. 'I just feel very responsible to understand as best as possible the recent change in the bond rating' and whether that's from the university's debt or its enrollment struggles, Cotton said. Moody's Investor Services, Inc. recently downgraded Valparaiso University two notches to a junk rating, which could raise the university's borrowing costs. In an April 30 report, Moody's noted that 'the highly competitive student market poses ongoing difficulties for enrollment management. Inability to boost net tuition revenue will further limit financial reserves and the university's capacity to address operating deficits in the short term.' The negative outlook, Moody's said, 'reflects the potential for continued enrollment challenges resulting in pressure to balance operations.' The university is working to 'right-size,' Nie said, and determine where it sees growth. At one time the university hoped to have more than 6,500 students but 'that's not happening,' he said. The university had 2,598 students at the start of the 2024-2025 academic year, according to its website. The goal, Nie said, is for the university to break even for two years and generate revenue four years out. Still, Cotton wanted to know if the university would be 'pressing against a debt limit' with the general obligation bonds. Nie confirmed that the university has enough funding to support the bond payments, and added that the university will only be taking on an additional $15 million in debt for the infrastructure work since $32 million to $37 million will be used to restructure debt. This is the first time the university has asked the city to be a conduit for a bond issue. 'If this was an option, can I ask why it wasn't used instead of selling the artwork?' asked Councilwoman Emilie Hunt, D-At-large. The artwork was sold, Nie said, because university officials 'felt like we had a very great asset but it wasn't doing the most from an operational capability for the campus to run. It was just a decision the university made.' Per the court order that allowed for modifying the trust that provided the funding for the paintings, Nie said, the funds have to be used for the dorm renovations. Any money left over also has to go toward university housing. Domer said she was still trying to figure out the sequence of events and how she was going to explain that there was more than a year of legal controversy over selling the art because those funds were necessary for dorm renovations. 'That's all happened and now there's a request for a $117 million bond issue and when I think about the sequence of events, wouldn't all of this have been known a year ago or even six months ago, on the heels of a court order saying it's OK to sell those paintings to renovate the freshmen dorms?' she said. The university chose to sell the paintings for the dorm renovations, Volpatti said, because 'we thought that was the best return on the investment.' Selling the art, he added, was the best thing for the university and, in turn, the city because the renovated dorms would bring people here. 'From our position, this is a bit of a confusing thing, right?' Anderson said. 'The city is doing something for the university, it's this very innocent pass-through thing but it's very difficult to explain that to the public. 'I would think you would do yourselves a service by letting us know exactly what the projects are going to be because that allows us to present that to our constituents.' Nie said the university could share a memo about the details with Lyp. Additionally, Lyp said the university will have to present an economic benefit statement to the VEDC, including job retention, which is at least as important, if not more so, than new hires. The university has about 600 employees, Volpatti said, with about 200 or 225 faculty members and the rest staff employees. 'For me, it's really important that we have Valparaiso University. It's a huge asset to our community,' Kapitan said.' I'm glad we're able to have this conversation to show our support but at the same time, I'm understanding what our role is in this, and we're successful when you're successful.' Mayor Jon Costas said he appreciated the conversation and understood that the city would look and feel a lot different without the university. 'Smaller, private institutions are challenged and you've got to make some difficult decisions to make sure you're succeeding,' he said, adding the city would not be taking on any risk by serving as the conduit for the bond issue. The council voted to carry the matter to its next meeting, scheduled for June 9, though it could schedule a special meeting before that to consider the proposal. In the meantime, the city's plan commission will have to give the proposal a cursory glance, which officials expect to be routine since it doesn't include anything involving city infrastructure. The Valparaiso Economic Development Corp. will hold a public hearing about the bond issue at 2 p.m. May 28 in council chambers at city hall, the only public hearing on the proposal before it goes back to the city council for a final vote. alavalley@ Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Chicago Tribune
13-05-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Valparaiso University officials confirm art sale, ask city to serve as pass-through for $117M bond issue
Valparaiso University officials came before the Valparaiso City Council Monday to explain their bid for the city to serve as a conduit for up to $117 million in general obligation bonds for some campus renovations and to refinance university debt. What they got was a host of questions from the council on why the university sold cornerstone artwork from the Brauer Museum to fund freshman dorm renovations if they were undertaking a bond issue, whether the city would face any financial obligation, and how to explain the request to their constituents. 'We have a lot of publicity regarding some art sales,' said Mark Volpatti, the university's senior vice president for finance and chief financial officer. The university has sold or is concluding the sale of the three paintings, including one by Georgia O'Keeffe, and is moving forward with its freshman village, he said, adding the renovation work was being done without taking on debt and through 'the proceeds from the artwork.' Because the sale was conducted through a private broker, he did not have information on the identity of the buyers. The sale of Frederic E. Church's 'Mountain Landscape' is still in process, Fenton said, 'and there is no further information at this time.' Work on the freshman village, as Volpatti called it, includes air conditioning, furniture and other upgrades. The dorms, Brandt and Wehrenberg halls, are slated to have a gallery displaying lesser-known works of art from the Sloan Trust, which directly or indirectly provided the three paintings being sold off. The work is slated to begin this summer and conclude by fall 2026. 'People will say the No. 1 reason people don't come to Valparaiso University is because of the housing,' Volpatti said. 'All the other stuff is really good for us.' As far as the bonds, Patrick Lyp, the city attorney, said the city can act as a conduit for the bond purchase and has done so for other non-profits, including a senior housing facility a few years ago. 'This is not necessarily debt issued by the city, where we're responsible,' he said. David Nie, an attorney with Ice Miller and the university's bond counsel, reiterated that the bonds do not obligate the city financially. Under the Internal Revenue Service's tax code, non-profits have to go through a government entity to secure general obligation bonds. In this case, he said, the Valparaiso Economic Development Corp. can serve that role, which also is allowed under state statute. 'Their consideration is whether the project would be of benefit to the general welfare of the city and we think we meet that threshold,' Nie said. The maximum for the bond issue is $117 million but Volpatti expects the amount to be closer to $55 million, with about $15 million for infrastructure upgrades on campus, including new roofs, information technology work, and other needs. The rest of the funds will be used to refinance existing debt. The university's goal, Volpatti said, is to have the bonds on hand by the end of June, which also is the end of the university's fiscal year. City council members had an assortment of questions about the sale of the artwork, the university's junk bond status by Moody's, and whether the university had a backup plan if the council voted against pitching in with the bond issue. Councilwoman Barb Domer, D-3rd, asked Volpatti to confirm that the freshman dorm renovations weren't included in the $117 million bond issue and that the entire cost of those renovations would come from selling the paintings, which he did. The university expects the paintings to bring in around $12 million, which is what's being invested in the dorm renovations, Volpatti said, adding the $117 million figure for the bond issue 'is if we go all in and we don't think that will happen.' 'What's the Plan B? What happens if this body says no?' asked Councilman Peter Anderson, R-5th. The university would have to figure out the funding, Volpatti said, and determine whether that's done through philanthropy or selling core assets. Nie, under questioning from Council President Ellen Kapitan, D-At-large, reiterated that the city would serve as a pass-through for the bonds. 'In no way does this ever reflect on the issuer that issued the bonds. In no way does this come back to the city,' Nie said, adding the bonds would not impact taxpayers. Councilman Robert Cotton, D-2nd, like other city officials, said he supports the university but had questions about the university's recent bond rating analysis from Moody's. 'I just feel very responsible to understand as best as possible the recent change in the bond rating' and whether that's from the university's debt or its enrollment struggles, Cotton said. Moody's Investor Services, Inc. recently downgraded Valparaiso University two notches to a junk rating, which could raise the university's borrowing costs. In an April 30 report, Moody's noted that 'the highly competitive student market poses ongoing difficulties for enrollment management. Inability to boost net tuition revenue will further limit financial reserves and the university's capacity to address operating deficits in the short term.' The negative outlook, Moody's said, 'reflects the potential for continued enrollment challenges resulting in pressure to balance operations.' The university is working to 'right-size,' Nie said, and determine where it sees growth. At one time the university hoped to have more than 6,500 students but 'that's not happening,' he said. The university had 2,598 students at the start of the 2024-2025 academic year, according to its website. The goal, Nie said, is for the university to break even for two years and generate revenue four years out. Still, Cotton wanted to know if the university would be 'pressing against a debt limit' with the general obligation bonds. Nie confirmed that the university has enough funding to support the bond payments, and added that the university will only be taking on an additional $15 million in debt for the infrastructure work since $32 million to $37 million will be used to restructure debt. This is the first time the university has asked the city to be a conduit for a bond issue. 'If this was an option, can I ask why it wasn't used instead of selling the artwork?' asked Councilwoman Emilie Hunt, D-At-large. The artwork was sold, Nie said, because university officials 'felt like we had a very great asset but it wasn't doing the most from an operational capability for the campus to run. It was just a decision the university made.' Per the court order that allowed for modifying the trust that provided the funding for the paintings, Nie said, the funds have to be used for the dorm renovations. Any money left over also has to go toward university housing. Domer said she was still trying to figure out the sequence of events and how she was going to explain that there was more than a year of legal controversy over selling the art because those funds were necessary for dorm renovations. 'That's all happened and now there's a request for a $117 million bond issue and when I think about the sequence of events, wouldn't all of this have been known a year ago or even six months ago, on the heels of a court order saying it's OK to sell those paintings to renovate the freshmen dorms?' she said. The university chose to sell the paintings for the dorm renovations, Volpatti said, because 'we thought that was the best return on the investment.' Selling the art, he added, was the best thing for the university and, in turn, the city because the renovated dorms would bring people here. 'From our position, this is a bit of a confusing thing, right?' Anderson said. 'The city is doing something for the university, it's this very innocent pass-through thing but it's very difficult to explain that to the public. 'I would think you would do yourselves a service by letting us know exactly what the projects are going to be because that allows us to present that to our constituents.' Nie said the university could share a memo about the details with Lyp. Additionally, Lyp said the university will have to present an economic benefit statement to the VEDC, including job retention, which is at least as important, if not more so, than new hires. The university has about 600 employees, Volpatti said, with about 200 or 225 faculty members and the rest staff employees. 'For me, it's really important that we have Valparaiso University. It's a huge asset to our community,' Kapitan said.' I'm glad we're able to have this conversation to show our support but at the same time, I'm understanding what our role is in this, and we're successful when you're successful.' Mayor Jon Costas said he appreciated the conversation and understood that the city would look and feel a lot different without the university. 'Smaller, private institutions are challenged and you've got to make some difficult decisions to make sure you're succeeding,' he said, adding the city would not be taking on any risk by serving as the conduit for the bond issue. The council voted to carry the matter to its next meeting, scheduled for June 9, though it could schedule a special meeting before that to consider the proposal. In the meantime, the city's plan commission will have to give the proposal a cursory glance, which officials expect to be routine since it doesn't include anything involving city infrastructure. The Valparaiso Economic Development Corp. will hold a public hearing about the bond issue at 2 p.m. May 28 in council chambers at city hall, the only public hearing on the proposal before it goes back to the city council for a final vote.
Chicago Tribune
04-05-2025
- General
- Chicago Tribune
Valparaiso leaders pledge to clergy and community to take steps toward more affordable housing
In a sanctuary full of supporters Saturday afternoon, a consortium of faith leaders secured public promises from city and government officials from Valparaiso to take concrete steps to solve the city's affordable housing problem. The Porter County Chapter of We Make Indiana nearly filled the pews at Christ Lutheran Church. Attendees listened to local statistics and testimonials and then heard from Valparaiso City Administrator Bill Oeding, as well as remarks from Valparaiso City Council President Ellen Kapitan, D-At-large, and Council Members Robert Cotton, D-2nd, and Emilie Hunt, D-At-large. It was the second public event held by We Make Indiana, which aims to bring people of faith and conscience together with public officials to make communities safe, healthy, and whole. A variety of pastors set the tone with opening remarks and Greg Arthur of Duneland Community Church in Chesterton did so with excerpts from Jeremiah 29 which tells the faithful to 'build houses and settle down.' With historically low housing inventory, high interest rates and skyrocketing inflation, that's no easy order at any economic strata but the shelter landscape for the working class is particularly hostile in Valparaiso, participants reported. Sonia Fabbri, of Duneland Community Church, said the average two-bedroom apartment rents for $1200 per month in the state of Indiana. To afford that within standard budgeting guidelines she said a person would need to earn $22 per hour, but the average Indiana renter earns $18 per hour. 'Quite a gap,' she said, before adding that the average renter in Valparaiso pays up to $900 more per month than that state average. Social worker Serena Fugate shared her own housing struggles as an example. The single mother said she's lived in Valparaiso for 30 years, some of which were spent homeless when her son was a toddler. 'Yes, we had a place to sleep, but it varied by the day,' she said. 'I carried so much shame around with me.' She said they lived in hotels for years while she struggled to save enough for the first and last months' rent plus a security deposit. When she finally got them into housing she struggled to keep them there and often went to bed hungry. 'Throughout my son's life I always worked two jobs, but I still could not provide for our needs,' Fugate said. She said a 700-square-foot apartment that was $635 in the 2010s now rents for $1100 per month. 'I still struggle,' she said of her current rent of $1400 per month. 'I did everything that I was told would get me out of poverty – went to school, worked two jobs always, got a master's – and still can't afford housing in Valpo.' Grandmother Mary Michna, a 78-year-old member of Christ Lutheran Church, said that come August, she'll have been on a waiting list for affordable senior housing for three years. 'Aging in place is a great thing if you can afford it,' she said, 'but some will need to downsize.' She spoke of a fellow senior who sleeps in the living room of his two-story home because he can't get to the second-level bedrooms and can't afford to move. Their stories are all too familiar to Center Township Trustee Jesse Harper who said, 'Above and beyond, more of what we provide is assistance with housing.' On Wednesday he said he had a chronically unhoused person in one room of his office and a couple being evicted after a conglomerate bought out their apartment complex and raised the rents in another. 'Oftentimes, we will see 10 people in our office in a day, 15 people in our office in a day, and we might make one win,' Harper said, stressing that if the systemic problem isn't fixed trustees like him will just 'continue triaging.' To that end, 'Things are starting to change,' said Valparaiso City Administrator Bill Oeding, who said he himself struggled to get a mortgage when he moved here in 1980. 'I can tell you, dollar for dollar, what it costs to build a house and it's not cheap. Some of it is government-related.' Several speakers mentioned House Bill 1005 which can provide municipalities funding to support housing infrastructure, such as utility extensions. Municipalities can fast-track their place in the application process when adopting certain zoning requirements. Valparaiso City Council Vice President Emilie Hunt read a statement from Council President Ellen Kapitan in which she invited the public to the Your Home, Your City Symposium at City Hall from 5 to 8 p.m. on May 29. For her own part, like Oeding, Hunt pledged to take actionable steps to solve the housing affordability issue in Valparaiso and meet with We Make Indiana within the next 30 days to help 'those who can't afford a $400,000 starter home. I'm grateful to be on a council that takes actionable steps.' Councilman Robert Cotton also made the pledge. 'If we allow the market to take care of housing we are on the trajectory to become a gated community without the need for gates,' he said.
Chicago Tribune
03-05-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Valparaiso School Board candidates narrowed to five, first interviews Monday
The Valparaiso City Council will interview four candidates at 6 p.m. Monday at Valparaiso City Hall for the first round of questions in the process of appointing a new member to the Valparaiso School Board. 'We met in executive session on Thursday, April 24, to narrow down the number of applicants for the council's appointed school board position,' said Valparaiso City Council Member Emilie Hunt, D-At-large, who serves as the council liaison for Valparaiso schools. 'There is also one candidate during the 2025 school board appointment process for the board member appointed by the Center Township Trustee. The trustee (Jesse Harper) will do his interview with questions also accepted by the public at the township trustee office on May 19.' Hunt said the name of the lone candidate for the Center Township school board seat has not been revealed, but the four contenders for the Valpo City Council appointed seat have been announced and posted with their fully scanned applications at Current school board member Erika Watkins, a Democrat appointed by Center Township in May 2021, has applied to continue with the board, competing with finalists Brett Miller and Ron Donahue, both Republicans who were finalists for the city-appointed seat a year ago. The two were unsuccessful in their bid to fill the seat vacated by Jon Costas when he left the board to begin another term as mayor. The fourth finalist is Democrat Curtiss Strietelmeier, a finalist for an open Valparaiso School Board seat in 2023 but was not selected. Strietelmeier previously held the position of school superintendent for New Durham Township for six years from 2012 to 2018. 'My deep commitment to the success of Valparaiso Community Schools is both professional and personal, fueled by my extensive experience in education and my investment as a parent with two children currently enrolled in the district, one in middle school and one in high school,' Strietelmeier said in his application. 'Having served as an elementary teacher, I understand the foundational needs of our youngest learners and the dedication required from our educators. My experience as a Director of Technology provided me with insights into leveraging innovative tools to enhance learning outcomes and operational efficiency across the district. Furthermore, my tenure as a school district superintendent has equipped me with a comprehensive understanding of district-wide leadership, policy development, and responsible fiscal management.' Watkins explained her educational philosophy in her application. 'I'm rooted in the belief that home and school should not exist separately but in a strong partnership of each other,' she explained. 'When families and educators connect and work together, a unified support system is created that nurtures the whole child.' Donahue said both his work career and volunteer experiences make him a strong candidate to serve as a school board member. 'I have never been on the School Board, but I have experience overseeing committees in previous roles of leadership while working in mental health for the past 13 years,' Donahue wrote in his application. 'As the risk manager and performance improvement director, I ensured monthly meetings occurred with senior leadership and that the minutes were submitted within the appropriate time frame and parameters to my Corporate reports. In my current role with UHS Corporate I have been a part of the Acute Care Safety Committee.' Miller's application emphasized his involvement in the school lives of his three children, all enrolled in Valparaiso Schools. 'My wife and I have seen firsthand what an outstanding group of educators we are blessed with here in Valparaiso,' Miller said. 'A strong foundation is a must for any community to thrive. During these formative years, it is important for kids to not only learn facts and dates, but also have the opportunity to grow mentally, emotionally and socially.' Applicants for Valparaiso School Board must be at least 21 years old and live within Valparaiso city limits, with state statute requiring that the Valparaiso School Board have at least one member from each political party. 'Party affiliation' is determined by the last primary in which the applicant voted. The term of appointment for the new member is four years. All finalists have been given their May 5 Round 1 interview times, and public-generated questions have been selected and sent to applicants and all city council members before the Monday interviews at city hall. For the Round 2 interviews at 6 p.m. May 21 at city hall, all applicants will also receive questions in advance and all questions are the same for each applicant. Each of the interviews will be 25 minutes, with council members also allowed to ask one follow-up question if time permits, with the council president and vice president having the first opportunity. After a 10-minute recess following the second round of interviews, council members will reconvene to appoint a school board member with each council member voting for one name for consideration on a ballot. After City Attorney Patrick Lyp counts the ballots, if there is a majority vote for one candidate, the name of the candidate is nominated and seconded, with discussion following about the merits of the candidate. Following discussion, a vote will be taken and the selection made. If there is no majority vote for the candidate, according to the guiding procedure, a council member can then make a motion to consider two candidates. After discussion, a motion to select one candidate will be made and seconded with additional discussion followed by a final vote. The Center Township Board will convene at 6 p.m. Monday, May 19, in the Porter County Commissioners' Chambers at the Porter County Administration Center to do a final interview of the candidate and decide appointment. Trustee Harper is still accepting questions from the public to ask the candidate. Questions can be emailed to him at jesse@ 'Once these candidates are selected and appointed, they are then part of the school board and really their own entity at that point, as stipulated in our resolution about the appointment process created in 1957,' Hunt reminded. 'We are in a peculiar situation in that we are in a city, one of the three or perhaps five left around the state, that still has the city council appoint school board members. And once we do that, other than our council's approval of the school system's budget, we don't have involvement.'
