Howard County officials discussed their proposal to consolidate townships along school boundaries as they move toward making a recommendation.
Township officials discussed the responsibilities of the office and the ongoing consolidation talks during a forum Wednesday sponsored by the Citizens Committee for Consolidation on the Indiana University Kokomo campus.
Nine of the 11 townships have been working since last October on a proposal to consolidate down to five trustee offices along the boundaries of the school systems in the county.
Township trustees provide one-on-one service with members of the public when it comes to assistance for shelter, utilities, clothing, food and medical costs said Lin Ortman, a member of the Ervin Township Advisory Board.
Ortman said township officials are looking at a pilot program that would combine Howard, Clay and Ervin Townships.
He said those three townships were selected because they didn’t have issues in terms of delivering services, such as fire protection.
“We met several times with [Howard County Assessor] Jamie Shepherd and worked up a budget,” Ortman said. “We are not ready to release those figures.”
Ortman said the proposed budget came in under what the budget is currently for the three townships.
“There are some efficiencies,” he said. “Two townships would see a slight decrease in the tax rate and one would see a slight increase.”
Dave Boyce, Clay Township Trustee, said the budget is currently based on fire contracts and estimates of costs to operate the office and township assistance.
“There is a number of people that look at our budgets,” he said. “The state can make changes and the county council makes a non-binding recommendation of approval or disapproval.”
Mike Lantz, a member of the Howard Township Advisory Board, there will be a single tax rate for the three townships.
As proposed, there would be a single trustee and a three member advisory board, each elected from one township. The consolidation would eliminate eight elected officials.
The Northwestern School Corp., which encompasses the three townships, has offered space for an office location, said Lantz said.
“This is a feasible plan,” Ortman said. “This is strictly a prototype.”
Lantz said the trustee would need to hire a part-time assistant, but two secretaries and two trustee positions would be eliminated.
He said local residents would have to approve the proposal in a referendum vote and it wouldn’t become effective until Jan. 1, 2014.
Ortman said the Howard County townships are trying to be proactive before state government mandates elimination of township government.
John Roberts, a member of the Howard County Council, asked about potential issues with transparency in township government and nepotism.
Liberty Township Trustee Linda Grove said transparency comes in the form of an annual report.
Linda Kuntz, a member of the Center Township Advisory Board, said the trustee is paying someone a low salary for assistance. She said many spouses are hired to help at a low salary and it’s recorded on the township books.