Kokomo — Howard County is considering the creation of a government reform committee based on state statute.
The Howard County commissioners Monday asked county attorney Larry Murrell to prepare a recommendation and proposal on formation of a government consolidation committee using the Government Modernization Act.
A year ago the Kokomo Common Council approved a resolution that was forwarded to county officials to create such a committee.
To date the county commissioners haven’t acted on the city’s resolution. Instead they formed the 12-member Citizens Committee for Consolidation.
The CCC included four appointments from the county, Kokomo, Greentown and Russiaville. In the past year the committee has presented recommendations on the consolidation of dispatch services and purchasing, and combining four different tourism groups.
Commissioner Paul Wyman said Monday the CCC is headed toward government reform in Howard County.
“There is a state statute to be used, the Modernization Act,” he said.
The state statute provides for a committee of the effected governmental entities to develop a concept for consolidation of government and requires a referendum vote for implementation.
Wyman asked Murrell to prepare a recommendation and proposal to change the structure of the CCC to follow the state statute at the March 21 meeting.
Tyler Moore, commissioners’ president, noted the city passed a resolution a year ago, but the county has not acted on it.
“This could be a formal response to the city,” he said.
Murrell said the proposal could be a response to the resolution adopted by the Kokomo Common Council or be a new proposal from the county.
“This could be a transition of the CCC to the guidelines in the Modernization Act,” he said.
Commissioner Bill Thompson suggested the county conduct a public meeting, attended by county elected officials, to educate local residents on how government reform could impact the operation of county government.
Former Gov. Joe Kernan, one of the main authors of the Kernan-Shepard report on government reform, will address the CCC next Monday at 6 p.m. in the basement of the Howard County Administration Center.
For the past few months CCC members have been discussing the consolidation of county and Kokomo city government.
Proposals being considered include the elimination of the three county commissioners with the election of a single county executive.