Pete Colan - Baugo Township

04/08/2026

The primary election is underway, and there are 5 people running for Baugo Township Board. I am one of them, and I would appreciate your vote of confidence. I will not disappoint.

As many of you know, I have been openly transparent over the last 4 years about what is happening in our township governance, and I have taken many challenging actions to assure township records will accurately reflect the business of the township, that the trustee properly obtains and records a bond every year, adheres to reporting guidelines required by the State Board of Accounts, provides the board with information needed to examine the business of the township in advance of public meetings, and that public meetings are indeed open to the public and adheres to strict rules of order. Compared to 4 years ago when I first came on the board and meetings were held privately in the small office of the trustee, much has changed. But there is still work to do.

The board is not just there to agree with everything the trustee puts forth in the budget, expenses, and other duties of the trustee; we are there to challenge what we do not understand or disagree with, inspect the records critically to assure accuracy and adherence to published budgets, pay attention to audit reports from the State Board of Accounts to assure errors are mitigated, assure the trustee is acting in accordance with all statutory duties, and also to be a proactive voice on the board that serves the best interest of township constituents.

There are many changes we are facing at the state level in how townships are governed; there will also be consolidations and expanded reporting requirements. These are not just the trustee's to learn about and react to, the board must also help guide the trustee through these difficult waters. Therefore, it is imperative that the township perform at an exceptional level, much higher than is reflected in the most recent audit reports from the State Board of Accounts and financial records uploaded to the state.

As a local business entrepreneur who has started and run several successful small local businesses, and in 2011 was among only 43 companies state-wide awarded "Companies to Watch" for growth in recession years, I am well equipped to continue this job on the board, representing the residents of Baugo Township.

Thank you for your trust in me.

01/07/2026

In the first board meeting of 2026, the officers elected are:
Chairman: Jeff Broadwick
Secretary: Pete Colan

Upcoming meeting dates:
Wednesday, February 11 2026: Approval of Annual Financial Report
TBD June, 2026: 2027 budget workshop
Wednesday, September 9, 2026: 2027 Budget review
Wednesday, October 7, 2026: Budget adoption

In 2026, the Baugo Fire Department will be seeking bids on a new ambulance, replacing the 2011 unit that is getting more costly to maintain.

01/02/2026

https://abc57.com/news/employees-terminated-at-concord-township-assessors-office-weeks-after-assessor-resigns

ELKHART COUNTY, Ind. -- The Concord Township Assessor's Office is now closed, after all of its county employees were terminated on Wednesday.

12/17/2025

Please welcome Jeff Broadwick as the newest Baugo Township Board member, replacing Stephen Gray who is moving out of township boundaries. We look forward to working with Jeff!

01/10/2025

House Bill 1233 was just introduced, which abolishes township governance in favor of all fire protection, emergency services, and township assistance reporting to the county. Below is the link if you want to read more.

On the surface it sound like "Great! Save money on local administrations by consolidating at the county level!"

But what we lose is a township's independent ability to structure it's fire and emergency services not only to best service the local community but to earn the best ISO rating to optimize homeowner's insurance. Your voices are heard by local township elected officials. If the county is put in charge, your votes and voice will be diluted by the rest of the county who may not have your same priorities. Frankly, I am very proud of our township and community. We have an outstanding Fire Department.

As an analogy, Jimtown schools is one of the top rated school districts in Indiana for academic achievement even though it is surrounded by lesser performing schools because it is locally governed by people in our community who strongly support your values. If Jimtown were merged with all other Elkhart county schools, you would have almost no voice in your child's education.

I strongly disagree with this Bill. If you do also, please write to Timothy Wesco and Blake Doriot. Thank you!!

Website for Indiana's General Assembly

09/22/2023

09/22/2023

The 2024 Baugo Township Budget is ready for public review and comment on Wednesday, September 27 at 5:30 in the Baugo Township Fire Station. See proposed budget attached.

09/14/2023

There was an open meeting on Wednesday, 9-13 at 5:00 pm to discuss the budget. This was much more productive than the prior meeting since the Trustee provided budget information in advance so that the Board could examine and prepare questions.

Overall, the budget for 2024 is in good shape, with a small overall increase (less than inflation). The fire department fund (the largest of the funds by far at about 75% of the total budget) increases about 5% overall simply because maintenance, fuel, and operations are more expensive as we have all personally experienced.

But the good news is a dramatic drop in insurance cost by about $76,000 thanks to changing carriers. Other small unnecessary expenses are also being dropped.

Much discussion centered on the Township Assistance fund where the proposed budget for 2024 was $111,823 yet in 2022 the total expenditures was only $65,440. Basically it boiled down to a multitude of clerical errors as the budget was entered into the DLGF files. Those are being "repaired" and we should see final budget numbers before the Public Meeting for the budget on Wednesday, September 27. When the final budget details are available I will post them here for your review so you can bring your questions. They will also be available in the Trustee's office on request 48 hours before the Public Meeting.

09/07/2023

I am a member of the Baugo Township Board of Advisors, and have opened this page to offer information about the workings of the government entity of Baugo Township. I know most of you cannot attend regular meetings, so I hope to keep you informed of developments through this page. Stay tuned!

09/07/2023

A budget meeting was called by the Baugo Township Trustee for September 6, 2023 at 5:00 pm in the Baugo Fire Station. Initially called as a “private” meeting, the Trustee changed it to a “public” meeting (as required by Open Door Law) before posting notice of the meeting on the door of the Trustee’s office.

There are seven (7) distinct funds that are managed by the Trustee:

• Township Fund (funding the general business of the Township),
• Recreation Fund (meant to be used for purchasing and maintaining public parks)
• Fire Fighting Fund (all the ongoing expenses associated with our fire department and medical services)
• Cumulative FD Building & Equipment Fund
• Rainy Day Fund
• Township Assistance (assistance for people in need in our community)
• Payroll Deduction Fund (payroll taxes and withholding)

For reference, Baugo spends approximately $2 million annually for all Township services, including approximately $1.5 million for fire and medical.

The meeting was called to order but the only fund prepared for review was the Fire Fighting Fund, presented by Baugo Fire Chief Jon Gonzales. The Trustee left the room for a period of time to obtain copies of proposed budgets for the Township and Recreation. Information for the other funds was not offered with no explanation why. I requested a full summary of the total Township Budget just as it is reported in the Annual Report.

As a freshman board member, a month ago in a private meeting where the budget was discussed, I had asked for an itemized list of disbursements for at least 6 months of 2023 so I could appreciate where the money goes. I made it clear I cannot look at large budget numbers without understanding how it is spent. To date that information has not been provided by the Trustee.

Two weeks ago I requested a reconciliation as to why the beginning fund balances (for three consecutive prior fiscal years) didn’t match the prior year’s ending balance as reported through the State Board of Accounts. They should match, so this appears to be a huge problem. Between 2019 and 2020 the mismatch was (negative) $70,398; 2020 to 2021 was (positive) $372,858; 2021 to 2022 was (negative) 683,930 for a total cumulative mismatch of (negative) $381,470. I could find no other Township in Elkhart reporting any mismatch during these years, nor any prior year in Baugo Township that reported a mismatch back to 2013 which is as far back as the public information goes. To date I have received no information from the Trustee. Jon Gonzales, however, explained it had to do with an accounting software issue that failed to properly account for transfers between bank accounts. I was assured we know how much money is in the accounts even though it is not clear at all from the official records provided to the State.

I stated at this time I cannot constructively participate in a budget meeting without a properly presented budget nor the information I have been seeking for several weeks, none of which was declared unreasonable. I motioned to adjourn the meeting, but an attorney representing the Trustee declared that the board is powerless to adjourn a meeting called by the Trustee. In fact, the Board was advised that we were powerless to make any demands on the day-to-day business of the Township or the Trustee because we only serve an “advisory” capacity. While that is true, the Board is responsible for setting salaries, approving the annual report for the prior fiscal year, authorize temporary loans, and other non-routine financial business of the Township.

Jon Gonzales promised to have all of the information I have requested to me by Friday, September 8. On a personal note, Jon is a great guy and we are lucky to have him as our Fire Chief, but the Township pays both the Trustee and an assistant to take care of the business of accounting for the Township, yet Jon is the only one (to date) who has stepped up to answer the more difficult questions on the accounts.

Another public meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, September 13 at 5:00 pm in the Baugo Fire Station.