Years ago, at the very start of discussions by pro-consolidation folks, there was some consensus that if Evansville and Vanderburgh County could merge, it would create a more efficient local government. With one chief executive, instead of four, and one council instead of two, the combined City Council would be better structured to address community issues, for example, economic development.
No longer would potential new businesses scratch their heads and wonder if they should talk to the mayor or to one of the county commissioners. No longer would the city and county — funded by many of the same taxpayers — compete for the same new business.
And because residents of our community are by nature conservative advocates for smaller government, it seemed only natural that they would support eliminating the unnecessary overlap that comes from having separate city and county governments.
Far down that list good reasons for consolidation, way down below efficiency, focused leadership and economic development came "saving money."
Cutting costs were never really the No. 1 reason for proposing consolidated government. But if you fast forward now to the present and the campaigns for and against consolidation, you will find that the opponents have smartly made cost savings their issue.
Supporters of consolidation may have wanted to talk about leadership or economic development, but the opponents are talking about cost saving. When given the opportunity, they ask: "Where are the cost savings?"
Perhaps the opponents of consolidation should have stopped right there.
That's because on August 19, a Courier & Press report demonstrated the obvious: a consolidated government with one executive, one council, and more departments consolidated will cost less. The story offered multiple examples of likely savings. The Indianapolis based public accounting and consulting firm Crowe Horwath said the savings would be $781,579. The largest of those savings, $442,693, would come from eliminating the full-time city clerk position and replacing the seven county council members, nine city council members and three county commissioners with the 15-member common council.
Another savings that is noteworthy is that with no city offices to fill in off-year elections, there would be no reason to hold such an election, saving $240,000.
But as we said, there are better reasons than these and other savings to support consolidation in the referendum on Nov. 6. The savings will be the icing on the cake.