SOUTH BEND -- Steve Ross called it a divorce.
Mike Yoder called it a counseling session.
After a 75-minute search for consensus on the proper time zone for the region Friday, public officials from Kosciusko, Marshall, St. Joseph and Elkhart counties reached no agreement.
The group gathered at the invitation of St. Joseph County commissioners after a judge in this divorce -- the U.S. Department of Transportation -- tentatively granted the split by drawing the time line between Elkhart and St. Joseph counties.
Commissioners from Elkhart, St. Joseph and Marshall counties present at the meeting recognize the need for the region to be on the same time.
"Maybe one year down the road one or the other will petition for change," said Ross, St. Joseph County commissioner, who has voted to switch time zones.
There are no reasons why Central time would be more beneficial for the Elkhart county economic development, said Yoder, Elkhart County commissioner. If Elkhart County switches to the Central time zone, it will be surrounded by counties on Eastern time, he said. Perhaps the time division is an opportunity for further economic growth for Elkhart County, he added.
Sitting at the tables arranged in a horseshoe at the St. Joseph County commissioners offices, one by one commissioners, mayors and members of city councils expressed their support for one time zone over the other.
Ross will have a hard time convincing the Department of Transportation to move St. Joseph County to Central time, said Elkhart County Commissioner Terry Rodino following the meeting.
The discussion became a friendly exchange of personal opinions, statistics and public opinion surveys, yet it seemed to matter little.
"We felt that our petition is a valid petition," said St. Joseph County Commissioner, Cindy Bodle, who was thought of as the swing vote in St. Joe's decision.
As a concession, Yoder proposed the region remain on Eastern time with daylight-saving time for one year. It would give the commissioners time to analyze scientific data of economic benefits for Central time. Depending on the outcome, the region as a whole could petition for a time zone change.
Ross proposed not to switch to daylight-saving time for one year and remain on Eastern Standard Time year round.
That proposal prompted a protest from John Zentz, Marshall County commissioner.
"We've gone through four months of hell," he said. "I'm not interested in going through this thing again."
Marshall County, which petitioned the federal agency for a time zone switch, was not granted its request, pending the public hearing this month.
The federal agency has not yet announced dates and precise locations of the four upcoming public hearings in Indiana.
Time zone resolutions
Now the St. Joseph County Council and the Elkhart City Council are considering adopting resolutions that say it's in the best interest of residents of Elkhart and St. Joseph counties to remain on the same time.
Elkhart City Councilman Arvis Dawson has asked his colleagues to support the resolution Monday. The resolution, which does not indicate a time zone preference, would be submitted to the Department of Transportation.
Dawson said putting the counties on different time would hurt residents' recreational, educational, religious and social activities. He said a split also would hurt the regional economy in sectors such as manufacturing, retail, agriculture, broadcasting and transportation.
If one of the city councils in St. Joseph County had agreed to change its position, Bodle said following the meeting, it would have persuaded her to reconsider her decision.
The South Bend and Mishawaka city councils both passed resolutions calling for Central time in St. Joseph County.