16 JUNE 2026 DEARBORN COUNTY COMMISSIONERS MEETING NOTES

 

16 JUNE 2026 DEARBORN COUNTY COMMISSIONERS MEETING NOTES

 

Livestreams can be found @

https://www.youtube.com/@DearbornCountyGov-47025/streams

Present: Jim Thatcher, President, Duane Bischoff, and Kevin Turner

Also present: Connie Fromhold, Auditor, Andy Baudendistel, Attorney 

ABSENT: Sue Hayden, Administrator (vacation)

TITLE VI STATEMENT FOR COMPLIANCE was read by Baudendistel as legally required.

OLD BUSINESS

Dog Ridge Road - Proposed Ordinances- Baudendistel said they had asked for proposals from both sides. Ewbank prepared a proposed ordinance and this follows the same survey they had at the outset.

Grant Reeves (attorney for Hylands) submitted  a finding if they did not want to pass the ordinance.

Ewbank thanked them for looking at this for his clients ( Grackle Family?) If you accept this ordinance they will get it recorded. The ordinance has restrictions- It just establishes an apparent ROW. The county does not have any intentions to improve the ROW. Per Baudendistel said what is before you is the APPARENT ROW only. The restrictions would go with the property owner- so if sold it continues on to future owners. 

Reeves- said the high level point is that this is voluntary - if you decide to go forward. If it goes forward- we would like to high in on restrictions and maintenance issues. 

Thatcher asked about concerns for future development. If we do the apparent ROW WITH RESTRICTIONS- it would put the issues of future development to bed.

Nicole Daily was asked to report on 33 ft ROW issue. They need 50 ft for a subdivision. Only can be one house on a 33 ft ROW. If the neighbors don’t sell the 17 ft then no development in the future. 

Kevin Turner - Wants to be sure the county is NOT maintaining this ROW. 

The property to the south has to be considered too per Reeves. 

Baudendistel said that tonight it is just doing the apparent ROW. After that they can put restrictions on in order for Grackles to use it. Per Kevin Turner - Remove section 5 para graph 1 ( the word “present”)

With that in mind the commissioners approved the apparent ROW with the Turner’s request. 

Listerman- outlined the procedure for getting an apparent ROW driveway permit. He also said that Grafs decide how much they will maintain that road (driveway). 

Graf has someone selected to put in the  driveway- similar to the one for Denzler’s.

Nancy Denzler-once you get past Hyland’s and her property it turned into a deer trail. We do not have to maintain it the way they want. It is not THEIR driveway. People can still use it no matter who is maintaining it as it is COUNTY ROW. Commissioners said there is no gate.

Reeves asked when they would want things submitted for restrictions. Baudendistel said July 1 as he is leaving and won’t be there for the July meeting. 

Mark Hall - asked if the public ROW goes into Graf’s property and it does. So the public can walk or drive the ROW to the end of it. Yes.

 

Update - Nicole Daily, Director Planning & Zoning- Workshops scheduled and advertised for Thursday June June 18 at 6 PM to 8:30 PM on Solar, Data and BESS. She will put topics into an outline for PC meeting the following Monday evening. 

NEW BUSINESS

County Engineer, Todd Listerman: 2 federal aid projects. $2,755,000 and change- $2,117,000 for  2 bridges below. These will be bid in 2030. All of this is 80/20 reimbursed.We get 80% back. 

USI Contract for Bridge #73, St. Peters Road- $530,850 Approved

American Structure Point Contract for Bridge #218, Lower Dillsboro Road- $545,667. Approved

Appointment to Lawrenceburg Public Library for William (Bill) Harvey- Connie Fromhold presented. Approved and Connie will notify them at Library Board. 

ADMINISTRATOR- Sue Hayden is on vacation 

AUDITOR – Connie Fromhold  -Claims/Payroll and June 2nd Minutes- Approved

ATTORNEY – Andy Baudendistel- has had mail issues since Friday with Google and Microsoft.

Rep Bascom - Lance Corp Marshall Henry- US 50 by Dillsboro

Senator Maxwell - Private 1st class Anthony Seig-   Bridge on SR 46 going east. Commissioners approved both requests for renaming  these for these deceased veterans. 

Auditors and treasurers office contacted by NY Life when hospital sold there is a refund due the county from NY Life. This removes the old hospital board officials and ads the county to this. Approved.

Baudendistel has worked on an interlocal agreement to do the lighting install on the George St Bridge for the Community Bridge affair.

LATE ARRIVAL INFORMATION: Todd Listerman noted that we will get a smaller draw this month from the state as the gas tax was taken off. They will try to use other Rainy Day funds to try to make up funds for highway maintenance.

PUBLIC COMMENT: Emily Hartman- Solar- asked if Bess and Data Centers would be discussed. It will be at the workshop per Nicole Daily.

In March there was public input taken in and we know that over 40 people asked for 1500 ft setbacks. Nicole Daily said it would be at the Plan Commission. Emily wants to be sure it is not skewed.

Emily wants to know when the data will be shared with the public. It will be shared as draft to PC. She also requested that the agenda clearly list when Daily or Commisisoners are talking about solar, data, and Bess.

Joshua Holland-issue of unmaintained county ROW. He thinks people use them a lot- but it’s a well kept secret. 

Holland also asked about Freedom of Info and which branch of the courts handles requests for that info. Court info is requested from the Clerk of Courts per Andy Baudendistel. It took him 4 different steps to get his request submitted. Holland wanted to get it centralized.

Bischoff said the website will be updated.

Holland noted that the gas tax suspension was enacted aligning with the primary election.  He also was concerned about the road funding . 

COMMISSIONER COMMENTS: Kevin Turner- commented on loss of many lives the past week run traffic accidents.Be careful.

Duane Bischoff- thanked Listerman for all the grant writing paperwork he does.

ADJOURN- 7:05 PM

Christine Brauer Mueller

Lawrenceburg Township

It's OK to Like Father's Day-

reprinted with permission of IPR Indiana Policy Review

 It's OK to Like Father's Day

by Dan Eichenberger, M.D.

With Father’s Day approaching, the cultural conversation about men, fathers, and masculinity deserves more care than slogans usually allow. This is a season when many families pause to honor fathers, grandfathers, mentors and father figures whose steady presence has shaped lives in quiet but lasting ways. For that reason, the way society speaks about masculinity matters.

The term “toxic masculinity” was never intended as a broad indictment of men. It was coined in the 1980s by psychologist Shepherd Bliss within the Mythopoetic Men’s Movement: a group of men seeking to address emotional repression, authoritarian fathering and the loss of meaningful male purpose in modern life. Early usage focused on helping men become better versions of themselves through self-reflection and responsibility. It was an internal conversation among men about maturity, not an accusation against manhood itself.

That original meaning has been largely discarded. Since the mid-2010s, progressive institutions, the political “Left,”  mainstream media and Hollywood have repurposed the phrase into a powerful cultural and political tool. What began as a call for men to examine genuinely harmful behaviors was transformed into a rhetorical weapon that too often pathologizes normal and necessary masculine traits (self-control, competitiveness, physical courage, protectiveness, perseverance, responsibility and leadership) while portraying traditional manhood itself as a societal problem. These traits are not toxic when ordered toward service, discipline, family and community. In fact, they are often the very qualities that make good fathers, husbands, mentors, workers, soldiers, coaches, pastors and citizens.

The shift is striking. Before roughly 2015, the term appeared rarely in academic or feminist writing. After the rise of #MeToo and heightened cultural focus on gender, it became ubiquitous in elite media, left-leaning politics, corporate campaigns and educational settings. It was adopted as shorthand for anything associated with traditional male norms, often applied most aggressively to straight, cisgender, Western men. High-profile examples include the 2019 Gillette “The Best Men Can Be” advertisement, which framed everyday male behavior as needing correction, and the 2016 Ghostbusters remake, where male characters were reduced to buffoons or villains to elevate the female leads.

Sitcoms have long reinforced the “bumbling dad” archetype (Homer Simpson from The Simpsons, Peter Griffin from Family Guy and Phil Dunphy from Modern Family), depicting fathers as chronically incompetent. At the same time, mothers remain the competent adults who hold everything together. Advertising has followed the same pattern for decades. This is not organic cultural evolution. It reflects a deliberate narrative push within left-leaning media and institutions to frame masculinity as inherently suspect. The selective application is telling: similar patterns of dominance or emotional restraint in other demographic groups often receive contextual explanations, while the same traits in traditional Western men are labeled toxic by default. The result is a one-sided cultural conversation that rarely acknowledges the positive roles men have played as protectors, providers and stabilizers of families and societies.

The consequences extend far beyond semantics. Boys growing up amid constant messaging that masculinity is problematic show measurable signs of disengagement. Educational gaps between boys and girls continue to widen, with boys lagging in reading proficiency and college enrollment. Male suicide rates remain three to four times higher than female rates. Father absence (already strongly correlated with poorer outcomes in mental health, education and behavior for children) finds cultural reinforcement when popular stories treat fathers as optional or ridiculous. When media and elite voices repeatedly signal that men are the problem rather than part of the solution, the message reaches boys at the exact moment they are forming their sense of identity and purpose.

This approach also clashes with the understanding of gender and family found in Christianity and other major religious traditions. Biblical teaching presents men as called to sacrificial leadership and protection within the family, with fathers responsible for nurturing and instructing their children without exasperating them. Scripture affirms strength and courage while condemning their sinful distortions. Similar complementary male and female roles appear across Judaism, Islam and classical religious thought: men and women have distinct yet mutually dependent roles oriented toward family stability and human flourishing. The modern media pattern (in which fathers are diminished, and traditional masculine responsibility is mocked) represents a clear departure from these frameworks.

Critics of this critique sometimes argue that the term merely highlights real problems such as domestic violence, cruelty, domination, recklessness, or emotional suppression. Those problems deserve honest attention and should never be excused. The difficulty arises when the label expands to cover broad swaths of normal male behavior and is deployed primarily as a political and cultural weapon rather than a tool for genuine improvement. There is a clear difference between condemning abusive conduct and condemning masculinity itself. A man who protects his family, works hard, competes honorably, controls his emotions under pressure, takes responsibility, tells the truth, leads with humility and sacrifices for others is not displaying toxicity. He is displaying maturity. The original men’s movement sought to strengthen men. Much of its later usage has functioned to weaken cultural confidence in manhood itself.

Society needs men who are strong, responsible and emotionally grounded — not because masculinity is toxic, but because it is indispensable. Reclaiming that understanding will require pushing back against the politicized framing that has dominated recent years. Media, education and cultural institutions would serve everyone better by portraying competent, sacrificial fathers and balanced masculine virtue rather than reducing men to caricatures. Families, churches and communities that still affirm the dignity and necessity of mature manhood play a vital role in offering boys and young men a healthier alternative to the dominant narrative.

As Father’s Day draws near, this distinction becomes especially important. A healthy society should be able to thank good men without suspicion, honor fathers without mockery, and encourage boys without teaching them to apologize for becoming men. The term began as an invitation for men to grow. It has too often been turned into an accusation designed to shame them into silence. That transformation has not made society stronger. It has left too many boys and men uncertain of their worth and unsure of their place. Restoring a more balanced view of masculinity is not only fair to men; it is necessary for families, children and communities that depend on men who are courageous, faithful, responsible, protective and loving.

Dan Eichenberger, M.D., an adjunct scholar of the Indiana Policy Review Foundation, is an Indiana native with 30 years experience as a primary care physician, physician executive and healthcare consultant. He is the recipient of the Indiana University Southeast Chancellors Medallion

TOWN HALL MEETING STOP SOLAR FARMS THURSDAY 25 JUNE 2026

 

FLYER for 18 June 2026 Thursday AGENDA on Solar, BESS and Data Centers Workshop

 

DEARBORN COUNTY

PUBLIC INPUT

WORKSHOP

Date: Thursday, June 18, 2026

Time: 6:00PM-8:30PM

Location: Dearborn County Government Center,

165 Mary St, Lawrenceburg, IN

Please stop by during the designated times to

share ideas, concerns and discuss:

- Commercial solar development standards

- Setbacks and screening requirements

- Environmental and wildlife considerations

- Battery storage safety standards

- Decommissioning requirements

- Community benefits and economic impacts

Workshop Format:

- Brief presentation from planning staff

- Open-house style discussion stations

- Maps and visual displays

- Public comment opportunities

- Gathering input from the public

- Additional surveys

AGENDA- 16 June 2026 Dearborn County Commissioners Meeting

 

Livestreams can be found @

https://www.youtube.com/@DearbornCountyGov-47025/streams 

AGENDA 

DEARBORN COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS MEETING 

June 16, 2026

6:00 p.m. Henry Dearborn Room 

Dearborn County Government Center 

165 Mary Street, Lawrenceburg, Indiana

1. CALL TO ORDER 

 

1. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE 

 

1. TITLE VI STATEMENT FOR COMPLIANCE

1. OLD BUSINESS

• Dog Ridge Road - Proposed Ordinances
• Update - Nicole Daily, Director Planning & Zoning

1. NEW BUSINESS

• County Engineer, Todd Listerman

• USI Contract for Bridge #73, St. Peters Road
• American Structure Point Contract for Bridge #218, Lower Dillsboro Road

• Appointment to Lawrenceburg Public Library for William (Bill) Harvey

VII. ADMINISTRATOR – Sue Hayden

VIII. AUDITOR – Connie Fromhold 

• Claims/Payroll/Minutes

IX. ATTORNEY – Andy Baudendistel 

X. LATE ARRIVAL INFORMATION 

XI. PUBLIC COMMENT

XII. COMMISSIONER COMMENTS  

XIII. ADJOURN

8 June 2026 Dearborn County Redevelopment Meeting Notes

 8 June 2026 Dearborn County Redevelopment Meeting Notes

Meeting started at 5:30 PM as the executive session ran over time. 

Present: Jim Deaton, Chairman, Dennis Kraus,Jr.,Tom Tepe, Trevor Bischoff, Jim Mansfield,Doug Baker, 

ABSENT: Jordan Hoffman

Also present: Sue Hayden, county administrator and minute taker, Anthony Smart, attorney, Connie Fromhold, Auditor and DCRC treasurer.

Title VI statement read as legally required

EXECUTIVE SESSION 4:30 p.m.

• IC § 5-14-1.5-6.1(b)(2)(D): For a discussion of strategy with respect to a real property transaction including: a purchase; a lease as lessor; a lease as lessee; a transfer; an exchange; or a sale; by the governing body up to the time a contract or option is executed by the parties. 

• IC § 5-14-1.5-6.1(b)(4) Interviews and negotiations with industrial or commercial prospects or agents of industrial or commercial prospects by: a governing body of a political subdivision. 

• IC § 5-14-1.5-6.1(b)(19): To have communications with an attorney that are subject to the attorney client privilege.

Certification of Executive Session- DCRC board verified that they only discussed what was advertised. 

Action from Executive Session- No action from executive session.

Housekeeping

Approval of Minutes:  May 11, 2026 Meeting and May 27, 2026 Special Meeting- Approved

Claims:  Drake Lawncare $750 for mowing W. Aurora 4 times and W. Harrison property & ditch 3 times; Seig Surveying $500 for Property Location Report on Randall Ave. property; Baker Tilly $5215 for Project Compass analysis, calls and discussion; Smart Law $7995.50 for legal services April 8 thru June 2, 2026      TOTAL $14,460.50-  Approved

Financials - Have the first disbursement of the Bright TIF money. The form passed out had it as $29,949.27

Annual Presentation to Taxing Units - One Dearborn- Mike Perleberg presented the summary of the report. Last year they went from 5 to 7 members. The taxing units got mail or email of this. First Bright TIF money came in. By parcel count West Harrison might be the largest followed by Bright. Bright TIF stablished in 2024. There 

Old Business

TWG Development Project Update - One Dearborn- Perleberg reported-Due diligence finishing up and applying for permitting with Lawrenceburg.

Project Compass update - One Dearborn- Perleberg said  they are continuing to work with them. 

Purchase Offer for US 50 Business Park 1.0 Acre Site on Randall Ave. & US 50 - Jim Deaton-$53.000.

Purchase Agreement and Economic Development Agreement- 

Resolution-003 for Sale of Property on US 50 and Randall Avenue. There will be a sales agreement with a new expiration date. Give Deaton the approval to sign it when it comes in. Approved.

New Business

2027 Budget Request to Council - Jim Deaton- Some conversation about he attorney fees ar 8-9000 per month so they need to appropriate more as the $20,000 will be gone soon. This was tabled to discuss further before going to Council. 

One Dearborn Report- READI 2.0 Grant Update- Moore Drive is coming in the next few weeks- one or two draw requests. 

Bayer Becker Report

West Harrison I-74 EB Ramp

West Harrison Moore Drive and Railroad Crossing- Mark Rosenberger- had meeting and want the track finished before they do our end. Duke Energy moving posts. O’Mara said 6 weeks to get their part done. They have to keep the road open to the Fireworks company. O’Mara has to get insurance to be on the RR property. Also keep it open for working at Kopp’s too.

Downtown Bright Infrastructure- Trevor and he met with Drew at Merrilees. Dilemma is that the road buts up against the church property. This would cut into Merilee’s usage. Trying to propose to go to 30 ft. Kraus said they have to do 40 ft per state code though. Surrey work was tabled at last meeting. Trying to resolve the survey problem. $8,000 seemed high for the small area per Kraus. Discussion ended with letting it go to keep the project going- BUT there was a question of considering getting multiple bids on these projects. 

ATTORNEY’S REPORT- none

OTHER BUSINESS- none

PUBLIC COMMENT-asked where the money for Fund 4931 came from- some from previous EDI and other farming rents etc. 

ADJOURNED- 6:10 PM 

Christine Brauer Mueller

Lawrenceburg Township

AGENDA 8 June 2026 Dearborn County Redevelopment Commission

   AGENDA

DEARBORN COUNTY REDEVELOPMENT COMMISSIONS MEETING

June 8, 2026

5:00 p.m. 

Dearborn County Government Center

165 Mary Street, Lawrenceburg, Indiana

EXECUTIVE SESSION 4:30 p.m.

• IC § 5-14-1.5-6.1(b)(2)(D): For a discussion of strategy with respect to a real property transaction including: a purchase; a lease as lessor; a lease as lessee; a transfer; an exchange; or a sale; by the governing body up to the time a contract or option is executed by the parties. 

• IC § 5-14-1.5-6.1(b)(4) Interviews and negotiations with industrial or commercial prospects or agents of industrial or commercial prospects by: a governing body of a political subdivision. 

• IC § 5-14-1.5-6.1(b)(19): To have communications with an attorney that are subject to the attorney client privilege.

1.        Call to order

1. Pledge of Allegiance

1. Roll Call

NAME	POSITION	APPOINTING AUTHORITY	TERM EXPIRATION
Jim Deaton	President	Commissioners	12/31/2026
Trevor Bischoff	Vice President	Commissioners	12/31/2026
Dennis Kraus, Jr.	Secretary	Council	12/31/2026
Tom Tepe	Member	Commissioners	12/31/2026
Jim Mansfield	Member	Commissioners	12/31/2026
Jordan Hoffman	Member	Council	12/31/2026
Doug Baker	Member	Council	12/31/2026
open	Non-Voting School Board Member	Commissioners	12/31/2026

1. Title VI Statement for Compliance

1. Certification of Executive Session

1. Action from Executive Session

1. Housekeeping

• Approval of Minutes:  May 11, 2026 Meeting and May 27, 2026 Special Meeting
• Claims:  Drake Lawncare $750 for mowing W. Aurora 4 times and W. Harrison property & ditch 3 times; Seig Surveying $500 for Property Location Report on Randall Ave. property; Baker Tilly $5215 for Project Compass analysis, calls and discussion; Smart Law $7995.50 for legal services April 8 thru June 2, 2026      TOTAL $14,460.50
• Financials Review

1. Annual Presentation to Taxing Units - One Dearborn

1. Old Business

• TWG Development Project Update - One Dearborn
• Project Compass update - One Dearborn
• Purchase Offer for US 50 Business Park 1.0 Acre Site on Randall Ave. & US 50 - Jim Deaton

• Purchase Agreement and Economic Development Agreement
• Resolution for Sale of Property

1. New Business

• 2027 Budget Request to Council - Jim Deaton

1. One Dearborn Report

• READI 2.0 Grant Update

1. Bayer Becker Report

• West Harrison I-74 EB Ramp
• West Harrison Moore Drive and Railroad Crossing
• Downtown Bright Infrastructure

1. Attorney's Report

1. Other Business

1. Public Comment

1. Adjournment