The Times of Northwest Indiana
The top Republican in the Indiana Senate is on record favoring a major change in the structure of county government. It is an idea that merits bipartisan support.
In fact, the idea was proposed by the bipartisan Indiana Commission on Local Government Reform led by former Gov. Joe Kernan and Indiana Chief Justice Randall Shepard.
That group's report, issued last December, recommended 27 changes to make local government more efficient and less expensive.
The change Senate President David Long, R-Fort Wayne, seeks would replace each county's three commissioners with a single, professionally qualified county executive.
In most counties, budget and policy-making duties would be transferred from the commissioners to the county council.
"I think that's doable, provided that we give each county the option to decide it themselves by referendum and we not try a cookie-cutter approach to this," Long said. "Those two have a chance to pass, as long as it's a local decision."
Long's remarks at an Indiana Chamber of Commerce legislative preview luncheon Monday offer hope for reform.
Having three county commissioners is like a city having three mayors.
The argument against replacing the three commissioners with a single county executive is that power will be consolidated in one person.
But that's an argument for a strong two-party system and for the County Council to provide checks and balances, not for three people in that position.
If the county executive is an elected official, the voters could have their say in whether that executive remains in office. And voters can demand the a strong professional criteria be met in the selection process.
This restructuring of county government offers an easy way to bring down the cost of government. Why have three people in a job that one person can do?
The General Assembly should give counties the option to make this change.
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