Township reorganization bills meet resistance-WEB ONLY

Several local government reorganization proposals floundered at the Indiana Statehouse yesterday, as lawmakers resisted some of the vast changes proposed by Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels.

The Senate Local Government Committee gutted a bill to eliminate township governments, instead voting 9-2 for a more modest measure that would leave townships intact but add a review of their budgets and require policies against nepotism.

The committee also defeated a proposal that could have been a first step toward making some county offices appointed rather than elected positions. The committee voted 6-5 against the measure, with Republican Sens. Jim Buck of Kokomo and Sue Landske of Cedar Lake joining Democrats in opposition.

Local government restructuring has come under fire from both Republicans and Democrats in the Senate. But Daniels criticized his fellow GOP members for voting against the county offices proposal.

“I’ll make no comment about Democrats all voting against reform, but when it comes to two members of my party, I’m disappointed in them and embarrassed for them,” Daniels said in a statement. “We’ll try again next year.”

Meanwhile, the Senate Education Committee derailed a bill to consolidate some small school districts. Lawmakers chose not to vote on it yesterday, meaning the bill will likely miss a key deadline for legislative action.

Sen. Connie Lawson (R-Danville) and other reorganization supporters say streamlining local government would make it more efficient and responsive. But Lawson, who chairs the Local Government Committee, said the proposals were hard for some lawmakers to swallow.

“There’s only so much political will a legislator’s willing to expend,” Lawson said. “It’s difficult to change because we know the people who are operating our township governments. They were here telling us, at least, that they had their constituents’ best interests at heart.”

Lawson’s committee meeting room was packed yesterday, with some people standing against the room’s walls and others sitting on the floor. Some township officials wore neon green T-shirts with the message “protect and save your township government.”

Opponents of the restructuring proposals don’t see the need for the proposed changes, and say consolidation would take local government farther away from the people it serves. Marilyn Walker, the Center Township trustee in Delaware County, was happy to see senators amend the bill to keep township government alive.

“I think it’s a benefit for the people in our community,” she said. “We need our township trustees.”

Although some restructuring bills have been stripped or stuck in committee, other proposals are still moving forward – at least for now. The GOP-controlled Senate advanced a bill Tuesday that would have county commissioners choose one of two revamped forms of county government or send the issue to a public referendum.

“Whatever progress we can make is a step in the right direction,” Lawson said.

But any restructuring bills that make their way to the House may find an even tougher audience there. Democrats who control the chamber have not been eager to consider the proposals, saying lawmakers should focus on more pressing priorities like the budget.

Daniels has been working with an advocacy group called mysmartgov.org to draw more public support for the proposals, in part by holding regional meetings pushing restructuring. Although yesterday was a setback to some measures, there are ways that legislation could be revived later in the session.

“It’s early,” said Daniels spokeswoman Jane Jankowski.

The proposals stem from a 2007 report by the Indiana Commission on Local Government Reform, which was headed by former Democratic Gov. Joe Kernan and state Supreme Court Chief Justice Randall Shepard.