Kokomo — During his State of the State address, Gov. Mitch Daniels renewed his call for local government reform in his State of the State address Tuesday.
Daniels voiced support for the elimination of township government and moving toward a single county executive instead of three commissioners.
The Citizen’s Committee for Consolidation, formed in 2010, has started discussing how to reform Howard County, Kokomo, Russiaville and Greentown government operations.
Isabella Chism, chairwoman of the CCC, said Wednesday it doesn’t matter what is being considered outside of Howard County. She said the committee is trying to determine what is best for local residents.
“I think we keep moving forward,” she said. “We had some discussions after the November election and decided to continue with the purpose the committee was asked to perform.”
Tyler Moore, the Republican president of the Howard County Board of County Commissioners, said everyone expected Daniels to renew the call for government reform.
“It’s the hot topic of the day,” he said. “We’re moving toward that with the CCC.
“It will work in some counties and not in others,” Moore said of going to a single county executive. “We need to find out if it works for Howard County.”
Moore said the commissioners will discuss a resolution passed last year by the Kokomo Common Council to form a committee based on the state’s Government Modernization Act.
He said CCC members could make up the core group of any committee formed under state law.
“The CCC should continue its work,” Moore said. “They were successful in the merger of the dispatch centers and have made recommendations on purchasing. The discussions on government reform should continue.”
Republican Commissioner Paul Wyman has been an advocate for local government reform since first being elected to the Howard County Council in 2006. He was elected a commissioner in November.
“It’s something that has to be looked at,” he said of reducing the number of commissioners from three to one. “There are pros and cons to each side. There is probably a better argument for one over three.”
Wyman said he looks forward to the discussion that will take place during this session of the Legislature.
“Having been a commissioner for 12 days, I see some merit to having one,” he said, “but there are some instances where three makes sense.”
Wyman said if one county executive is the way to make government more effective and efficient, he would not object to losing his elected position.
The CCC should continue discussions on local government reform and not wait for a decision at the state level, he said.
“We should continue to set the pace and lead rather than wait,” Wyman said.
Wyman said it may be time for local governments to follow the state guidelines on consolidation and have the CCC meld into that format.
Commissioner Bill Thompson, a Democrat, said he supports government consolidation but wants to see municipal offices included in the discussion.
Thompson said he would like to see three commissioners with equal voting rights, but one as a full-time position, eliminating the Kokomo mayor’s position.
An expanded Howard County Council would oversee all budgets, he said, eliminating the need for city and town councils.
The CCC should continue its research and discussions on local government reform, Thompson said.