Indiana township merger plan could advance under compromise bill
An Indiana House committee on Tuesday endorsed a melding of differing Senate and House bills that supporters said will improve local government efficiency.
Township Government
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Sheridan aims to manage growth with reorganization, but questions remain
The town of Sheridan and Adams Township are looking to merge—a move that would give Sheridan planning and zoning control over an area that is currently unincorporated and is the jurisdiction of county planners.
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Articles
Indiana will likely finally consolidate townships. But how?
Critics say the township model is outdated and inefficient and adds an unnecessary layer of government. Legislation from both chambers of the Indiana Statehouse would pare down township government.
Legislators return to longtime debate over Indiana townships
Numerous attempts in the Legislature for major reorganization of Indiana’s 1,008 townships have failed—dating back to a 2007 report on local government reform headed by former Gov. Joe Kernan and then-Chief Justice Randall Shepard.
Report says townships fail to disperse emergency help taxpayers are funding
The January report by poverty- and homelessness-focused service providers, titled “Marion County Township Trustees: Opportunities Seized; Opportunities Missed,” is the result of a yearlong investigation.
Townships try to prove worth—and get more support—with new report
Indiana’s 1,000-plus townships have largely survived nearly three-dozen legislative attempts to reorganize or extinguish them since 2004—and they’re hoping to deter future tries with a report that attempts to substantiate their value.
Throwing stars, EMS services, food and beverage tax bills moving through Indiana legislature
Dozens of bills are already advancing through committees and legislative chambers halfway through the third week of Indiana’s 2023 session.
Three neighboring townships in central Indiana merge into one
The merged township is the first in the state, serving 29,885 residents and 12,185 households.
Indiana township merger bill fails without legislative vote
The plan would have required consolidation by townships with fewer than 1,200 residents.
Push for merging small Indiana townships nears House vote
Hundreds of Indiana’s least-populated townships face forced mergers with their neighbors in what would be the most significant overhaul of the local governments since a gubernatorial commission called for their elimination a decade ago.
County gets $59M as part of local road-funding package
The distribution is part of $505 million that county auditors have distributed to local government units statewide, $435 million of which can be used for transportation funding.
Eight cities, towns back Whitestown in legal fight with Zionsville
The communities have urged the state Supreme Court to hear Whitestown’s appeal of a controversial merger between Zionsville and Perry Township.
Appeals court: Whitestown can annex 620 acres of Perry Township
The hotly disputed annexation can go ahead, unless residents want to take the case to the Indiana Supreme Court. The acreage is a small portion of the township land that Zionsville is in the process of taking over.
Whitestown demands Zionsville ‘cease and desist’ over merger
The battle between the two towns over Perry Township has heated up, with Whitestown demanding that Zionsville roll back moves it made in response to an Indiana Court of Appeals decision this week.
Former Center Township CFO gets 18 months for theft
U.S. District Judge Sarah Evans Baker has sentenced former Center Township CFO Alan Mizen to 18 months in prison for stealing more than $340,000 in public funds.
State seeks greater damages from township embezzler
The former Center Township accountant who pleaded guilty to embezzling more than $340,000 also should pay the cost of investigating his wrongdoing, the Indiana State Board of Accounts says.
Center Township trustee used invalid police license plate
Center Township registered a police plate to a 2011 Dodge Charger driven by Trustee Eugene Akers, then used the plate for three years after the BMV declared it invalid.
Ex-Center Township Trustee official faces charges
U.S. Attorney Joe Hogsett has scheduled a Tuesday afternoon press conference to announce the arrest of a former public official from the Center Township Trustee’s Office.
City inviting proposals for new courts-jail complex
Marion County criminal-justice complex project could rival Indianapolis airport terminal in cost, entail public-private financing deal.
Indiana’s long fight for less government has politicians protecting own
Economists and politicians on both sides of the aisle have argued for years that streamlining government in Indiana could save millions of dollars, but vested interests and fear of change have stymied real reform.
Indy council Democrats pitch budget alternative
City-County Council Democrats are pitching a 2014 budget alternative that would close an $8-million gap left by the majority party's refusal to go along with Mayor Greg Ballard on eliminating the homestead tax credit.