The Truth
The Kernan-Shepard Commission and its subsequent report on local government reform has gotten a bad rap, especially from township government officials.
That's understandable, because under the reforms proposed by the commission, township officials would lose their jobs in the name of greater government efficiency. Most elected township assessors already have been axed -- those duties transferred to the county assessor. In Elkhart County, many of those formerly elected assessors have been hired by the county assessor to help.
Let's put the report in perspective, though, and take politics out of the equation. The Indiana Constitution is antiquated. Hoosiers need to take a look at how we do things governmentally and be given a chance to see if there's a better, more efficient and cost-effective way to do it.
If we keep an open mind, there may be. We don't have to do things the way they've always been done. The Kernan-Shepard report was one set of recommendations. There may be others that might be better.
In Elkhart County, we've almost always had elected officials who have tried to look out for our bests interests. It hasn't worked that way in all counties.
The Marion County/Indianapolis experience with Unigov has worked for them. That may not work here and so far no one has suggested it statewide.
But we do need to look for efficiencies. Streamlining government may not save money right away, but it could make things work better or operate in a way that makes more sense.
Indiana government is riddled by duplication. Administration of parks, libraries, schools, fire departments, building departments and 911 centers are some examples.
That doesn't mean the services aren't needed or valued in each area of the county. But administrative costs are expensive. Equipment costs also are duplicated in some cases.
Why not look into whether it's feasible to pull together all of the building departments, for example? What about a countywide parks system? Why not consider consolidating 911 services? Is there a way that town libraries can keep their identities while coming under one umbrella with other libraries in a countywide system?
These are complex questions that may require different solutions in each county. The state should allow flexibility on the local level, within reasonable guidelines.
A knee-jerk reaction by the Legislature during this session won't do anyone any good. But with the Indiana General Assembly, you can count on almost anything happening until the last gavel.
In order to consider these changes, it's necessary to keep an open mind. That's our hope as the state moves forward.