EVANSVILLE —The power a mayor would have in a combined Evansville-Vanderburgh County government was brought in to question Thursday night during a consolidation workshop attended by city and county officials.
During the workshop, which lasted about an hour and was designed as a study session where details of the consolidation proposal could be addressed, issues surrounding annexation and board appointment were addressed.
A portion of the proposal County Commission President Lloyd Winnecke read to the group stated a mayor would have power to appoint most boards. County Commissioner Marsha Abel said that would be unfair to residents.
"I am just not in favor of the mayor having control over all the boards and commissions," Abel said. "That's just way too much power."
As for annexation, the group of six council members and commissioners discussed whether the mayor could move to annex land into what could be known as the urban district of the county. The group noted that the mayor should not act alone and annexation should also be approved by the majority of the common council.
"The mayor would have to act in concert with the council," Winnecke explained after the meeting.
The group decided that the mayor's appointment of a proposed finance director should stay the same. Currently, the mayor appoints the city controller.
The issue of the relationship between the courts and the county also was addressed. Abel noted the court computer system currently is managed by the county. She suggested a separate handbook be written for court employees so the integrity of the system is protected.
"We've got court employees who can press one button and release someone from prison," she said. "This county cannot be responsible for being sued if there's a statement that they aren't bound by our policies."
The group stopped short of the law enforcement section of the proposal, so they could allow for public comment. Among the comments made from the 16 people in the audience Thursday night, Roberta Heiman, told the group the proposal did not adequately address the city's parks and recreation department.
"The proposal, it, I think, gives too brief a description to the parks," Heiman said. "They're in serious need of more attention."
Winnecke said the group will go through the entire proposal and then make suggest changes based on their comments.