Pete Colan - Baugo Township

07/14/2026

I support Meg Kauffman for Baugo Township trustee. She is a refreshing change as someone who actually reaches out and listens to constituents and bold enough to propose solutions to what people of the township want. The office of the trustee is not a partisan office; accounting and reporting requirements are strictly guided by statute and these are not to be taken lightly. Unfortunately I have not seen the same passion for listening and serving the township from the other candidate. Nor have I seen any interest in strict compliance with state laws and the challenges facing township governance that Indiana state will impose in the coming years from the other candidate.

06/17/2026

In spite of the ruling against the trustee's actions regarding the release of township records to me, the trustee continues to encumber my efforts to get access to township financial records that are uploaded monthly to Indiana. She insists that I must make an appointment to visit her office only during regular business hours only to "view" the records. I did not agree to that. I specifically asked for hard copies.

The Public Access Counselor made it very clear: “Respondent violated APRA by failing to PROVIDE the records AS REQUESTED.”

Allow me to summarize the salient points of the ruling AGAINST the trustee and in FAVOR of my complaint:

The Public Access Counselor clearly differentiates the process, priority, and responsibilities of the general public versus the governing body (aka the Board) to be able to easily and quickly access township records for the purpose of examination in order to fulfill their statutory duties.

With regard to the general public, Indiana Code states: “Any person may inspect and copy the public records of any public agency during the regular business hours of the agency. IC 5-14-3-3(a).”

However, with regard to the legislative body (the board) the Public Access Counselor cited other statutory references in her conclusions. The first being: “The legislative body may SEND FOR persons, books, and papers necessary in the examination of the report. IC 36-6-6-9(b).” (emphasis added)

“Send for” does not mean a member of the legislative body must appear in person (as she insists) at the trustee’s office during regular business hours but rather, at the member’s discretion may request copies of records and reports and designate anyone he/she chooses to retrieve them. It must be noted that when Acts 1980, P.L.212, SEC.5 entered this provision into Indiana law, access of information thru the internet was not contemplated since it did not exist at the time, which also means it is not to be excluded from consideration as it applies today.

PAC Advisory Opinion 24-FC-62 states as follows:

“Therefore, there can be no question that the financial, business, and operational records of the township’s administrative duties should be open to anyone who cares to inspect them.

THIS IS ESPECIALLY TRUE WHEN AN ADVISORY BOARD MEMBER SEEKS TO INSPECT THESE RECORDS. THE BOARD HAS A STATUTORY INTEREST IN THESE RECORDS AND SHOULD BE FREELY AVAILABLE TO THEM, WITHOUT THE NEED TO SEND A PUBLIC RECORDS REQUEST” (emphasis added)

“Freely available” does not mean that the board member must be inconvenienced by having to schedule an appointment with the trustee during the trustee’s hours when that board member may not available due to work obligations or other commitments… “freely available” means the board member may be able to use any means to freely and quickly access information the board member is entitled to.

Opinion 20-FC-133 says:

“Insofar as information sharing between public officials is concerned, a township trustee is not the exclusive record holder for the township. THE ADVISORY BOARD IS ALSO DESIGNATED AS A STATUTORY RECORD HOLDER AND IS PRIVY TO ALL THE INFORMATION A TRUSTEE HAS IN THEIR POSSESSION... See Ind. Code § 36-6-6-9. (emphasis added)

As a “statutory record holder” a board member has identical privileges to access all township financial information in the same manner as the trustee, which includes direct access to reports that the trustee uploads to the State of Indiana.

Yet the trustee falsely claims: “In regard to Gateway access, no board member is given access to Gateway.” There is exactly zero statutory, APRA, Advisory Opinion, precedent, or any other support for such a false assertion.

This continued obfuscation can no longer be tolerated.

06/12/2026

Attached to this post is the response of the township attorney to my legitimate complaint (as confirmed by the Indiana Public Access Counselor, or PAC) that was filed with the PAC last year.

Note that he says “I represent the Baugo Township Trustee” in the opening sentence. Note also that his signature says “Baugo Township Attorney”.

You can’t have it both ways.

A township attorney provides legal guidance to the township, and also represents the township as well as the governing body, including the Board in legal matters. It is a conflict for the township attorney to represent one member of the governing body in a matter brought forth by another member of the governing body in a question that pertains simply to equal rights to access the same information that one member possesses yet consistently ignores and denies that information to another member of the governing body. Those facts are indisputable.

Mr Trippel writes this letter as if I am a member of the public, not a member of the governing body, where there is no such urgency to respond. Mr Trippel fails to appreciate the seriousness of a member of the township governing body that seeks information in a timely manner and in a format prescribed by that member so that the governing body can perform its statutory duty.

It seems the PAC disagrees entirely with the premise put forth by Mr Trippel and agrees entirely with my complaint, implying also that Mr Trippel does not understand the laws that govern the conduct of the trustee and the legislative body and is unsuited to perform any duty as a township attorney.

For these reasons I will present a motion to the board that Mr Trippel be removed from his employment as township attorney and we will seek someone else better suited to the job.

06/10/2026

I filed a complaint to Indiana Public Access Counselor against the Baugo Township Trustee in October 2025 because financial information that I had repeatedly requested during weeks of preparations for the 2026 annual budget was repeatedly ignored, delayed, or denied (according to IN Code § 5-14-3-9(c) a denial is implied if 7 days have elapsed without reply).

It is not up to the trustee to deny any township financial information or reports to a board member because it is a violation of Indiana's Access to Public Records Act (APRA) as well as Indiana Code § 36-6-6-9(b) which states: "The legislative body may send for persons, books, and papers necessary in the examination of the report."

The final opinion of the Public Access Counselor was "This office finds that Respondent violated APRA by failing to provide the records as requested."

The complete Opinion of the Public Access Counselor is attached.

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!