Former Gov. Joe Kernan said the aim of local government reform was to make the delivery of services more efficient and to add accountability in making decisions.
Kernan, one of the chairman of a blue ribbon commission established by Gov. Mitch Daniels to look at local government reform, addressed the Citizens Committee for Consolidation before a large gathering of local elected officials and residents Monday.
“This report has stirred up some controversy,” the former governor said. “We hoped it would stimulate discussion on the best way to deliver services in a cost-effective way.”
Kernan said all levels of government are experiencing financial shortfalls, and local government has not been spared.
“Decisions will be made at the local level on how to deal with the challenges,” he said. “We looked for ways to change how local government works. It was never meant to criticize those who serve.”
Kernan said the commission wanted to make local government simpler to understand and easier to find who is responsible for decisions.
He commended Howard County for the appointment of the CCC to begin discussions on consolidation of government services.
“The best way to do it [consolidation] is through the community, like this committee,” Kernan said. “It won’t be easy; there is turf to be protected and people will lose jobs. The communities that come out ahead are the ones out front like in Howard County.”
The idea of the commission was for people who make public policy and levy taxes to be elected, and those who administer public policy to be appointed, Kernan said.
“We knew there would be differing opinions,” he said. “Since 1860 there have been six or seven attempts to make significant changes in local government, the last coming in 1935 and it didn’t go anywhere.
“If we were only going to do this every 150 years we had to go big or stay home,” he said of the recommendations.
Kernan said the commission voted unanimously to reduce the number of units of government from 3,200 to 1,900, and the number of elected officials from more than 10,000 to 5,000.
“Many of the recommendations focused on township government,” he said. “Many people noted it’s the closest form of government to the people. We recognized that, but efficiencies could be achieved by having fewer township elected officials.”
Kernan said the recommendation was for a single county executive instead of three commissioners to eliminate confusion and make it easier for people to know who is responsible.
He said all other positions would be appointed by the county executive with the involvement of the county council. Kernan said it’s difficult to implement public policy when there are a number of elected officials involved, unlike the appointment of department heads by a mayor.
“That’s a barrier,” Kernan said of the constitutional requirement for elective county offices. “We knew there would have to be changes to the constitution.”
He said officials can be elected to office and have no knowledge or experience required to provide the services. Kernan said standards should be established recognizing training, education and experience.
Kernan said the state’s Modernization Act, which spells out the process local government is to use for consolidation, is difficult to achieve.
“Communities have to look in a structural way to combine services,” he said. “There is nothing that prohibits communities to combine services or to buy equipment together.
“Local government at this time is in crisis,” Kernan continued. “There has to be collaboration or it runs the risk of having services diminished.”
Asked about the inequality in payment of services by rural and urban areas, Kernan said city residents pay county taxes.
“Inequity is built into the system,” Kernan, a former South Bend mayor, said. “People are using services they are not supporting. There should be a way to make the tax structure more fair.”
Kernan said township assistance should be consolidated on a countywide basis, where everyone has some responsibility for at-risk people in a community. He said administration of the system and funding should be on a countywide basis.
“You have to look at the big picture,” he said, “something that can gather community support. There is a shrinking of government and communities run the risk of being left behind.”
Concerning the consolidation of city and county government, Kernan said they can be combined and there needs to be a priority for the delivery of essential services.
He said the consolidation of central dispatch is a huge step forward and congratulated Kokomo and Howard County for achieving that goal before the state deadline of 2014.
When asked about reforming state government, Kernan said that was not the charge given to the commission by Gov. Daniels.
“We knew the recommendations would not be adopted as written,” he said. “We knew their would be changes and not all would be enacted. We wanted to stimulate discussion and change. Some communities are adopting and doing what is best for their community.”