Fort Wayne-Allen County merger talks spur rural panel

By Benjamin Lanka, The Journal Gazette

When the Fort Wayne City Council and Allen County commissioners conducted their first joint meeting to discuss the possibility of government consolidation, rural residents were quick to act.

Less than a week after the City Council introduced a resolution to begin the official consolidation process, a group of officials from rural cities, towns and townships formed a coalition of their own. The purpose of the group varies, depending on who is asked, but most agree that by creating a unified front, they will be difficult to ignore.