Community Petition and Vote of No Confidence Calling for Voluntary Resignations and New Leadership in Shelbyville and Shelby County

We, the People, demand transparency, accountability, open government, and leadership worthy of public trust.

We, the undersigned residents, renters, taxpayers, property owners, business owners, workers, community stakeholders, organizations, and individuals affected by the actions and decisions of the City of Shelbyville, Shelby County, Indiana, and related governmental, quasi-governmental, redevelopment, economic development, and political organizations, hereby submit this community petition as a formal vote of no confidence and a lawful demand for accountability, transparency, open government, and restored public trust.

This petition represents the collective opinion of the undersigned. It does not allege criminal wrongdoing, legal liability, ethics violations, or violations of law by any specific individual. Rather, it is an exercise of the people’s constitutional right to petition government, express grievances, demand accountability, and call for leadership that reflects the trust, confidence, and best interests of the community.

Public office is a position of public trust. Those entrusted with public authority have a duty to serve openly, responsibly, professionally, ethically, and in a manner that encourages public confidence. When public trust is lost, the people have the right to say so clearly.

We the People therefore demand better from our local government.

For purposes of this petition, “local governmental institutions” includes the City of Shelbyville, Shelby County, Indiana, and all municipal, county, intergovernmental, redevelopment, economic development, public corporation, quasi-governmental, political, advisory, and decision-making bodies or individuals exercising authority or influence over public funds, public assets, public land, public infrastructure, public safety, land use, planning, zoning, utilities, redevelopment, tax abatements, taxation, regulation, public policy, or governmental decision-making within Shelbyville, Shelby County, or communities affected by those decisions.

This petition applies to elected officials, appointed officials, board and commission members, department leaders, attorneys, consultants, contractors, political leaders, and any other individuals or entities serving in positions of public trust whose leadership, governance, transparency, accountability, public oversight, silence, inaction, communications, conduct, or decision-making has, in the judgment of the undersigned, contributed to a loss of public confidence in local governmental institutions.

The inclusion of an office, position, board, commission, authority, organization, or category in this petition does not, by itself, allege wrongdoing by every individual serving in that role. It identifies the scope of public offices, public bodies, and positions of trust to which this vote of no confidence and demand for accountability may apply.

As a result of these concerns, we express a formal vote of no confidence in the leadership, governance, oversight, communications, conduct, and decision-making practices of the offices, positions, boards, commissions, authorities, organizations, and individuals identified herein.

We demand that those who, in the judgment of the undersigned, no longer possess the trust and confidence of the people affected by their decisions voluntarily resign from their positions and allow new leadership to begin the work of restoring public trust.

For those who choose not to resign, we call upon the appropriate appointing authorities, governing bodies, political organizations, and voters to take all lawful and appropriate action available to ensure accountability, restore transparency, and rebuild public confidence.

This petition applies to, and includes but is not limited to, the following offices, positions, boards, commissions, and governmental bodies:

• Mayor
• Clerk-Treasurer
• Members of the City Council
• County Commissioners
• Members of the County Council
• Sheriff
• County Surveyor
• Deputy Mayor
• Deputy Clerk-Treasurer
• City Attorney and Special Counsel
• County Attorney and County Legal Counsel
• Chief of Police
• Deputy Chiefs and Command Staff
• Fire Chief
• Assistant Chiefs and Command Staff
• Department Heads
• Executive Directors of governmental and quasi-governmental entities
• Economic Development Corporation Leadership
• Building Commissioners and Inspectors
• Planning Director
• Deputy Planning Director
• Code Enforcement Officials
• Contracted professionals, consultants, and advisors serving governmental entities
• City Redevelopment Commission, including Tax Increment Financing districts and allocations
• County Redevelopment Commission, including Tax Increment Financing districts and allocations
• Tax Abatement Committees, Boards, and Review Bodies
• City Plan Commission
• County Plan Commission
• Board of Zoning Appeals
• Board of Public Works and Safety
• Utility Boards
• Park Boards
• Economic Development Boards and Commissions
• Airport Authority Boards
• Solid Waste Management District Boards
• Drainage Boards
• Election Boards
• Redevelopment Authorities
• Advisory Boards, Committees, Authorities, Task Forces, and Similar Governmental Bodies

This petition further applies to any elected official, appointed official, board member, commission member, department head, executive director, employee, contractor, consultant, attorney, advisor, authority member, committee member, or individual serving in a governmental or quasi-governmental decision-making capacity within the City of Shelbyville, Shelby County, Indiana, or any affiliated governmental, economic development, redevelopment, or political organization.

We recognize that political parties and political organizations play a significant role in recruiting, endorsing, supporting, and promoting candidates for public office, as well as influencing public policy and governmental leadership within our community.

For that reason, this petition also applies to county political party chairs, vice chairs, officers, precinct committeemen, vice precinct committeemen, executive committee members, affiliated political leaders, and political organizations operating within Shelby County, Indiana, whose actions, inaction, silence, lack of meaningful oversight, failure to respond to public concerns, or failure to exercise independent judgment have, in the judgment of the undersigned, contributed to a loss of public confidence.

We demand that political officers, party chairs, party leaders, committee members, and affiliated political leaders who, in the judgment of the undersigned, have lost the confidence of the members, voters, residents, stakeholders, organizations, or communities they represent publicly address these concerns, demonstrate a renewed commitment to transparency, accountability, ethical leadership, and public trust, or voluntarily resign and allow new leadership to emerge.

This petition applies equally to all political parties and political organizations and is not directed at any single party, candidate, officer, or organization.

This petition reflects concerns expressed by many members of the community regarding:

• Government transparency
• Public participation in governmental decision-making
• Accountability of elected and appointed officials
• Timely and meaningful public notice of governmental actions
• Stewardship of public funds and public assets
• Actual or perceived conflicts of interest
• Silence, inaction, or lack of meaningful oversight by those serving in positions of public trust
• Failure to respond to public concerns or exercise independent judgment
• Respectful treatment of the public
• Public communications and responsiveness
• Land use, planning, zoning, redevelopment, Tax Increment Financing, and economic development decisions
• Tax abatements and other public incentive programs
• Public-private partnerships and development negotiations
• Utility commitments, wastewater capacity, water usage, infrastructure burden, and long-term public costs
• Public trust and confidence in governmental institutions
• The future of Shelbyville, Shelby County, and the generations who will inherit the consequences of today’s decisions

The undersigned recognize that Indiana law permits executive sessions in limited circumstances. However, legal permission does not require local officials to conduct matters of public importance behind closed doors whenever an open discussion is legally possible.

We demand that all elected and appointed bodies within Shelbyville and Shelby County stop using closed-door executive sessions as a routine practice and voluntarily conduct public business in open meetings to the fullest extent permitted by law.

Matters involving public trust, elected or appointed officials, leadership accountability, public policy, public funds, public land, public infrastructure, public resources, redevelopment, tax abatements, TIF districts, utilities, zoning, annexation, major development, public-private partnerships, or decisions affecting the community should be discussed openly and in public view whenever legally possible.

When a closed executive session is legally used, the public body should clearly identify the statutory basis for the session, limit discussion strictly to the legally permitted purpose, avoid using executive sessions to shape public decisions in private, and provide the greatest possible transparency before and after the session.

We demand a higher standard than the bare minimum required by law: open meetings, meaningful public access, public observation, public recording where permitted, clear public explanations, and full accountability.

Public business belongs in public view.

Demand for Meaningful Public Notice, Public Participation, Public Access, and an End to Secrecy Agreements
We demand meaningful public notice, meaningful public participation, and meaningful public access before decisions are made — not after.

The community must receive timely notice, clear agendas, accessible meeting locations, complete public information, disclosure of involved parties, and a real opportunity to review, question, comment, object, support, and participate before any decision is made involving public land, public funds, infrastructure, tax abatements, TIF districts, redevelopment, zoning, utilities, wastewater capacity, water usage, environmental impact, public-private partnerships, or major development affecting Shelbyville or Shelby County.

We further demand that no elected official, appointed official, employee, board member, commission member, consultant, attorney, contractor, department head, redevelopment authority, redevelopment commission, public body, or quasi-public entity sign, approve, enforce, rely upon, or participate in any non-disclosure agreement, confidentiality agreement, secrecy agreement, or private agreement that conceals public business, public resources, public commitments, or matters of public concern from the people.

No more secrecy over public business.

Public officials and public bodies should not sign away the public’s right to know. Any agreement, communication, negotiation, incentive discussion, development discussion, infrastructure commitment, tax abatement discussion, TIF matter, redevelopment matter, land-use matter, or public-resource decision involving Shelbyville, Shelby County, or any public or quasi-public entity must remain open, accessible, and subject to public review to the fullest extent permitted by law.

We demand that transparency come before secrecy, public participation come before private negotiation, and the people’s right to know come before any developer, corporation, consultant, investor, or private interest.

We demand that no data centers be approved, constructed, developed, incentivized, subsidized, rezoned for, annexed for, connected to public utilities for, or otherwise advanced in Shelbyville or Shelby County.

No data centers. Period.

The people of this community have raised serious concerns about the impact of data centers on water usage, wastewater capacity, electric demand, infrastructure, public safety, noise, environmental impact, land use, tax abatements, TIF districts, utility commitments, long-term public costs, and the character and future of Shelbyville and Shelby County.

We further demand that all industrial growth, major development, rezoning, annexation, infrastructure expansion, utility commitment, tax abatement, TIF allocation, redevelopment action, public-private partnership, land acquisition, land transfer, or incentive package be brought before the public through open government before any decision is made, agreement is signed, incentive is offered, vote is taken, or public commitment is given.

No industrial project should be negotiated in private, hidden behind non-disclosure agreements, shaped in closed-door meetings, or presented to the public only after the direction has already been decided.

The public must receive timely notice, clear agendas, complete information, accessible meetings, disclosure of involved parties, and a meaningful opportunity to review, question, object, support, and participate before any industrial growth or major development project moves forward.

We demand that community impact come before corporate interest, transparency come before private negotiation, and the public’s right to know come before any developer, investor, consultant, utility, corporation, or private entity seeking to shape the future of Shelbyville or Shelby County.

By signing, I affirm that I support this petition, the vote of no confidence expressed herein, the demand for lawful accountability, the demand for open government, the demand for meaningful public participation, the demand for an end to secrecy over public business, and the request that those who, in the judgment of the undersigned, no longer possess the trust and confidence of the people affected by their decisions voluntarily step aside so new leadership may work to restore faith in local government.

We the People demand transparency.
We the People demand accountability.
We the People demand open government.
We the People demand leadership worthy of public trust.