The Indiana Publisher

The following questions were submitted by the Boonville Standard, South Bend Tribune, The Lebanon Reporter: The Boonville council first met in a special meeting and approved a resolu- tion to express interest in purchasing a privately-owned golf course. The council said this would allow the mayor to enter into negotiations. During the meeting and in follow up questioning, the council said it would take a final vote on the purchase. In August, they passed the ordinance to issue bonds to purchase the property. A lot of people showed up to that meeting irritated that the city signed a nondisclosure agree- ment about the financials surrounding the golf course. The council told those resi- dents who had anxiety about the deal, they would still have to bring the issue up for a final vote. I didn't hear anything about it until September's regular meeting. There had been a couple of executive session meeting notices in July. In their regular meeting last week, the mayor mentioned that the acquisition was made final earlier in the week. He made himself unavailable for comment after the meeting and never showed up to his office on Friday. So I haven't been able to ask any further questions. Could they have given the go ahead to allow the acquisition without a final vote? Based on the information you've provided, I haven't seen any evidence that the council gave the mayor the authority to close the deal without their vote. They might have, in an executive session, given the mayor the upper price they were willing to ap- prove with the hope he could close a deal for a lesser price, but it appears they gave the public every representation that the deal still required their vote to finalize it. Obviously, the council and/ or mayor should answer as to how that situation changed from the meeting where citi- zens were told there would be a public vote. We have a St. Joseph County vet- erinarian who's the subject of a com- plaint by the Attorney General before the licensing board, alleging almost 100 counts of animal cruelty. That hearing isn't until October, but that's not my more urgent question right now. We've been told that complaints were filed with our local Humane Society about the veterinarian's abusive behavior as early as 2009, but the Humane Society rebuffed their complaints. The Humane Society is obviously a private, non-profit organization. My question is whether the fact they are partially funded by taxpayer dollars to carry out an executive function for the county (handling animal control problems) would make their board meetings open to the public? Further, I wonder if any records they have of complaints filed by employ- ees or clients would be public documents? My guess is the Humane Society's handling of animal control problems would be through a contract, not a subsidy. If that's the case, then just because they are responsible for animal control, they don't become a public agency by defi- nition and don't become subject to the state's Open Door Law and Access to Public Records Act. You could get a copy of the contract with the county – it might specify what records or reports, if any, the Humane Society is required to make for the county. I'm doubting person- nel complaints will be included. Unless the county commissioners act on the contract in an open meeting, I don't think you'll see anything hit the light of day until the veterinarian's board acts. The Boone County Commissioners held a meeting at 9 a.m. Tues- day after Labor Day, but did not send an agenda until 8:25 a.m. It's probable the meeting was held that day because their regu- lar meetings are the first and third Monday of each month. We're wondering if this meeting is illegal because we weren't provided an agenda well in advance There is no require- ment for a public agen- cy to share an agenda with news media ahead of the meeting. Only requirement is to post the agenda at the door of the meeting room prior to start of the meeting. But they are required to give you 48 hours advance notice of a meeting, so if the agenda your re- ceived this morning 35 minutes in advance was the only notice your received then the Commissioners did violate the Open Door Law. I suspect you're correct about the date change and somebody didn't think about the notice requirement, so the violation wasn't malicious but it opens the door if there was anything controversial for someone to challenge an action taken and ask the court to declare it null and void for failure to give proper notice of the meeting. If there was a violation, at the least if you think it was acciden- tal, I'd bring it to their attention so they make a note to be sure it doesn't happen again. If you think it was deliberate you may want to take stronger action. Send your questions to Steve Key, HSPA executive director and general counsel, skey@hspa.com or call (317) 624-4427. September 2017 Page 3 HSPA Legal Hotline Email: info@newspaperconsultants.com | Phone: 910-323-0349 | www.newspaperconsultants.com Boost your annual advertising revenue with a new or existing TV magazine! ANC currently serves over 25 daily newspapers in Indiana and would love to partner with YOUR newspaper! Contact us at 910-323-0349 for more informa�on on this money-making sales program! Email: info@newspaperconsultants.com | Phone: 910-323-0349 | www.newspaperconsultants.com business. Selling more means being told no more often, and thus the need for our sales team to be more persistent. I saw a post on LinkedIN recently with some not so recent stats on sales. From the National Sales Executive Association, the following sales stats should remind us to be persistent in our quest to find new business: While I don't think there is scientific data backing up those stats, I do think the lessons those numbers are trying to make are very much on point. Being persistent in the face of being told no time and time again is not easy. In a world of immediate gratification, having to wait until the fifth sales call or later to make the sale is not easy. Your sales team needs to understand the importance of allotting time for prospecting each week. If you let a sales rep prospect only when they have time, chances are they will never have time. They will successfully fill their schedule with other things to avoid being told no countless times. Consider doing a time study to see just how little time your sales team is spending looking for new business. There is a good chance you won't like the results. They are spending too much time doing servicing on existing accounts, selling existing accounts and doing drop ins instead of set appointments with accounts. Those are all comfortable things to do, and all of which we need to do. But the results are limited and usually will not help grow your business. Develop your sales team to be hunters, spending a significant amount of time developing new business. Develop your sales team to have thick skin so they can be persistent in their pursuit despite being told no so often. That motivational quote regarding Lincoln sums up the sales philosophy needed to find new business: "The difference between history's boldest accomplishments and its most staggering failures is often, simply, the diligent will to persevere." · 48% of sales people never follow up with a prospect · 25% of sales people make a second contact and stop · 12% of sales people only make three contacts and stop · Only 10% of sales people make more than three contacts · 2% of sales are made on the first contact · 3% of sales are made on the second contact · 5% of sales are made on the third contact Persistence Continued from Page 1 · 10% of sales are made on the fourth contact · 80% of sales are made on the fifth to twelfth contact A A A Council should explain how land acquisition was approved without public vote Q Q Vet animal cruelty complaints filed with Humane Shelter not subject to Open Door Law Public agencies must give 48 hours advance notice of a meeting Q

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