EVANSVILLE — Just in time, leaders of the current drive for Evansville-Vanderburgh County government consolidation delivered their completed proposal today to city and county officials.
Rebecca Kasha, chairwoman of the 12-member Evansville-Vanderburgh County Reorganization Committee, and committee attorney Mike Schopmeyer delivered copies of the 47-page plan to the City Council and the County Commissioners.
The reorganization committee had a one-year statutory deadline to submit its plan. That clock began ticking when the City Council approved a resolution allowing consolidation to move forward on January 11, 2010.
The City Council and the County Commissioners may take up to a year to vote on the submitted consolidation plan. They can make changes, but they must ultimately agree on the changes.
If the governing bodies vote yes, the proposal will go to a referendum, probably as part of the next election.
If they vote no, the proposal will go back to the reorganization committee for a rewrite. If they vote no again on the rewrite, it will die unless 10 percent of voters who cast a ballot in last year's secretary of state's race — about 5,000 voters — signed a petition to force it to a ballot question.
Kasha said she hopes the City Council and County Commissioners will hold a joint meeting with the reorganization committee soon to ask questions.
"We're happy with the proposal, and we look forward to having further discussions with them," she said.