Indiana's local government, libraries and schools would be drastically changed if recommendations proposed by Gov. Mitch Daniels are approved by the Indiana General Assembly.
Daniels last month recommended combining school districts, reducing the amount of elected officials in each county, creating countywide library systems and more, all based on recommendations from the Kernan-Shepard report made by the Indiana Commission on Local Government Reform.
Now, bills based on those ideas are being debated by the general assembly, and it has caused debate in Grant County and across the state on whether change is needed.
"It all comes back to taxpayer costs," said Rep. P. Eric Turner, R-Marion. "If we can be more efficient with taxpayer dollars, we should look at it."
Ideas up for debate
The governor has backed most of the recommendations in the Kernan-Shepard report, with some modifications. The report was released in late 2007 after Daniels had asked the committee to delve into ways to streamline government to save money.
"This is a set of changes that are long overdue in Indiana," Daniels said in a news release. "We are an outlier among the states. We have more of almost everything - taxing units, subdivisions and politicians - than elsewhere. More than we need, more than taxpayers can get good service for, and certainly more than we should be paying for."
At least seven bills have been filed so far regarding local government reform. Two of them would reduce the three county commissioners to one chief executive. One bill suggests consolidated countywide library systems. Another bill would reorganize school corporations, and another would eliminate township trustees and boards.
Sen. Travis Holdman, who serves on the Senate's local government committee, doesn't think any of the legislature's bills originating from Kernan-Shepard topics have the ability to pass into law as constituted.
"I don't believe any proposal has the legs," said Holdman, R-Markle. "I can guarantee none of these proposals will pass through as they've been introduced."
Holdman, whose district includes the eastern parts of Grant County, said he believes any change to local government must first involve giving people at the local level a direct voice in what change they want to see.
"Folks in the outlying areas are fearful of everything going to the big cities in the county," he said. "I think what behooves us at this level is to make sure we provide options for folks living in the county. One size does not fit all."
Rep. Joe Pearson, D-Hartford City, said people at the local level are often better-suited to shape the local government than state legislators.
"I don't believe Indianapolis ought to be telling local communities, 'This is how you will form your government,'" Pearson said, adding that he strongly favors local control for local government.
Like Holdman, he also said he wants more feedback from his constituents on their thoughts about how local government should be shaped.
He said legislators cannot ignore the opinions of the people at home, but also need to consider new ways to move forward.
"We cannot continue to do things exactly the way we've done them," he said.
Turner said he's open to hearing the pros and cons of all legislation, and hasn't necessarily made up his mind on some of the recommendations of the governor and commission.
He is, however, opposed to the consolidation of school administrations and the possibility of making high schools larger. While Daniels' first recommendation wouldn't affect schools in Grant County - it would be for districts with 1,000 students or less - Turner fears more school consolidations would come in the future.
Changes may come
Ryan Kitchell and Cris Johnston, governor's office director of management/budget and government efficiency, respectively, said proposed changes in local government come from 10 years of studies including the Kernan-Shepard report.
Last year's change to property taxes called for the elimination of township assessors in most places, and in townships where voters had a decision on whether to eliminate them, the majority did. Johnson said that's indicative of the public wanting change.
"Today's citizen is seeking accessibility, good service and transparency," he said.
The pair also said Indiana's government system was created for a much different type of society, and a Ball State University study suggests proposed change could save $400 million to $600 million throughout the state.
The Indiana Commission on Local Government Reform was asked by Daniels to consider ways to streamline local government before producing the report.
Commission member John Stafford said the governor gave the commission only one directive in compiling its report - to think boldly about local government.
The commission's recommendations were never intended to be passed into law verbatim, Stafford said.
Stafford's opinion is that the state legislature will adopt some of the proposals into law this year, but he also knows that it is unlikely they will be adopted exactly as they were proposed.
"Some will change," he said. "Broader discussion has a way of doing that."
His concern is that too many people in the state are too comfortable with the status quo of local government.
"The easiest thing to do is consider no change," Stafford said. "I'm not sure that's serving the competitiveness of the state very well."
Bills to watch:
These bills and resolutions related to the Kernan-Shepard report have been filed this year and are being discussed by the Indiana General Assembly:
•County government changes, Senate Bill 506: Eliminates the three-member board of county commissioners, creates a county executive position, and makes the county council both the legislative and fiscal body. Note: Senate Bill 379 is similar, but requires the county executive and voters to approve of changes.
•Elimination of townships, Senate Bill 512: Eliminates the township trustee and township board, and gives township duties to the county executive.
•County officer restructuring, Senate Joint Resolution 07: Removes the offices of county recorder, treasurer, coroner and surveyor from the state constitution.
•Election changes, Senate Bill 452: Local government employees cannot be elected to a board governing that municipality unless they resign from employment. Moves elections of municipal officers to even-numbered years. Allows vote centers.
•School corporation reorganization, Senate Bill 521: School corporations of less than 500 students must merge with another. For districts 499 to 1,000 students, district must show that it meets certain standards; if not, district must merge with another.
•Library changes, Senate Bill 348: Provides statewide library standards, and the consolidation of libraries.