By Dan Carden, Times of Northwest Indiana
dan.carden@nwi.com
INDIANAPOLIS | Indiana voters may get to decide in November whether they want to eliminate township government.
A House committee Monday approved House Bill 1181, which would place on the November ballot a separate referendum for each township.
If a majority of voters in a township say they don't want to keep their township officials, the powers and duties of the township trustee and board would be transferred to county government.
"It's about weeding out the inefficiencies in township government," said state Rep. Mara Candelaria Reardon, D-Munster. "Those that are inefficient and don't deliver services of value will be weeded out statewide."
In committee, Candelaria Reardon voted in favor of holding the referendum but said she plans to vote to retain North Township if the question makes it on the ballot.
"There has been no evidence that I've seen that says this is going to save us money," Candelaria Reardon said. "When they talk about a more efficient delivery system, I think we have an excellent and efficient delivery system currently."
North Township Trustee Frank J. Mrvan said abolishing townships and placing their current responsibilities for poor relief in the hands of county commissioners could prove disastrous for people truly in need of immediate assistance with everything from utility bills to burial expenses.
"My concern is you're taking a fundamental service like poor relief, where I'm responsible for 180,000 people and can quickly respond, and giving that to the county, which has 600,000 people and no infrastructure to take care of it," Mrvan said. "You show us that you meet our eligibility requirements, we're able to help you right now."
Mrvan said he's willing to work with the other trustees in Lake County to come up with measures that could provide better efficiency. He said one idea is imposing uniform eligibility standards for clients applying for temporary financial assistance, also known as poor relief. Regardless, Mrvan said he believes pawning off responsibilities on the county isn't the answer.
"People are going to fall through the cracks of an experimental system," Mrvan said. "You need quick, flexible decisions to be made at the local level."
The township referendum legislation now moves to the full House for further consideration.
Times staff writer Jeff Burton contributed to this story.