Evansville and Vanderburgh County officials appear poised to work together on the just-completed proposal to consolidate their governments. The Evansville-Vanderburgh County Reorganization Committee, a citizens group charged with drafting a merger plan, has now submitted its proposal to the City Council and the County Commissioners, who each have up to a year to study it, approve it or deny it, or to make any recommendations for changes. But for the proposal to move ahead to a referendum of city and county residents, each board must approve an identical plan.
For that reason, it seems a sensible idea that the two boards work together — sensible and welcome, given that the commissioners has a Republican majority and the City Council has a Democratic majority.
Republican Commission President Lloyd Winnecke, who supports the concept of consolidation, said last week that he hopes to hold a joint meeting with City Council members to work out any differences the two bodies have and to receive public input.
Democratic City Council President B.J. Watts said he liked the idea, adding that he thought that would be the only way for the two boards to approach the issue.
We would expect there would be some significant differences in how the two boards view the consolidation issue, perhaps on law enforcement and the size and makeup of the proposed Common Council.
If so, then the best way to confront those issues is in the same room, at the same time, face to face.