YORKTOWN – One of the biggest concerns raised during the Mounds Lakepublic forum on Feb. 26 might be coming to a vote sooner than originally thought. The passage of the commission could prove to be another uphill battle for those backing the project.
The Mounds Lake Commission an entity comprising of representatives from six regional government bodies including the Madison and Delaware County Commissioners and Councils, as well as Anderson, Chesterfield, Daleville and Yorktown that are dedicated to overseeing the project's next steps.
Rob Sparks, the head of Anderson's Corporation for Economic Development (CED), the current driving force behind the project, said that his group will be bringing the commission formation proposal to the governments to vote on in the next two weeks.
This could mean some bodies will vote on the proposal during April meetings, though council representatives with both Daleville and Yorktown have said that May would be a more likely voting timeline.
That doesn't leave opponents of the project any less concerned.
During the February public forum hosted by the League of Women Voters and the Heart of the River, Jeff Stant with the Indiana Forrest Alliance speculated that if the Mounds Lake commission were formed, the project would have enough momentum to be built.
"If you read the resolution, it says we want one formed to build the reservoir; it isn't about looking at the options," said Stant in a earlier article by The Star Press.
"This commission would then become a local government juggernaut and would have actual legal weight. If you want to beat this project you have to stop the commission from being formed."