Some members of the Evansville City Council and Vanderburgh County Commission who have been reviewing a city/county consolidation proposal are offering encouraging words that the plan may make it to a voter referendum, perhaps in 2012.
Under the process set by the Indiana Legislature, these two elected boards must agree on an identical plan for it to pass on to the voters. It appears now that may happen, as it should.
It would be a crying shame if a small number of officials managed now to torpedo the plan, which has been revised — and we believe improved — by the two government boards.
The original plan drafted by a citizens committee would create a single countywide government with the mayor as the chief executive. The city and county councils would be combined into one common council. That plan was forwarded to the commissioners and the council, who increased the size of the council from 11 to 15 members, and who decided to keep the city police department and county sheriff's department separate for now. Under the original plan, the elected sheriff would have headed up both departments, but that would have likely been a deal breaker with many voters.
Throughout the review process by the two boards, some officials have expressed reservations about various aspects of the proposal. However, in a news story Sunday by Courier & Press staff writer Richard Gootee, he said some of them appear ready now to hand the question over to voters.
Republican County Commissioner Marsha Abell said her biggest objective is to get together a plan that can be considered by city and county residents.
"I think we've pretty much got it to that point," she said.
And City Councilman Dan McGinn, R-1st Ward, said he would even change his vote if it was needed to get the proposal to a referendum, saying he wants the issue to "go to the people."
We applaud their attitudes, but not that of Democratic County Commissioner Steve Melcher. He continues to call for a voter threshold, meaning city residents and county residents living outside the city would take separate votes. Each group would have to vote in favor for consolidation to be approved. Of course, such a requirement would deny representation to all those Evansville residents who also live in and pay taxes in Vanderburgh County.
City and non-city residents alike will not vote for the eventual plan if they find it not to their liking. Remember Vandigov? No gimmick like a voter threshold is needed to distort the final count.