Howard Greninger, Tribune-Star
Vigo County commissioners, along with business and municipal officials, say Terre Haute's economy must stay in sync with Indianapolis after the state Legislature earlier this year adopted daylight-saving time for Indiana.
However, the debate turns to county commissioners to determine if they will petition the U.S. Department of Transportation to change a boundary between Eastern and Central times zones in Indiana.
The U.S. DOT has set Sept. 16 as a due date for those submissions.
Marion County is the only county with Unigov, where Indianapolis Mayor Bart Peterson would have authority to file for a hearing to change the time zone.
"At this point, we don't have any plans to seek a change" in time zones, said Monica Whitfield Brase, press secretary for Peterson. "We haven't heard any outcry. There hasn't been a groundswell" in Marion County for a time zone hearing.
Commissioners in two Wabash Valley counties bordering Illinois plan to vote on that issue Tuesday. Sullivan County commissioners will vote at 7 p.m. at the Sullivan County Courthouse. Sullivan County is currently on Eastern Standard Time.
"I think Central time would be the most practical for our area and that is what most people I've heard from want," said Ray McCammon, president of the Sullivan County Board of Commissioners.
"We have a lot of people who work at Toyota in Gibson County, which is already Central time. And we have people who work in Robinson, Illinois," McCammon said.
Commissioner Carter Phegley agrees. "Most people want it left alone, but that is not the choice. We are more influenced toward Illinois than Ohio," said McCammon, adding he plans to talk to as many people as possible before reaching a decision.
Vermillion County Commissioners plan to vote at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at the courthouse in Newport. Vermillion County also is on Eastern Standard Time.
"The people I represent in District 3 are wanting Central time. I understand that," said Commissioner President Tim Wilson. "I think it would cause some problems if this results in a checkerboard effect, which could happen," he said.
Federal law
While daylight-saving time has been adopted by the Legislature, under the federal time zone law, counties already were empowered to request a time zone change, said state Rep. F. Dale Grubb, D-Covington.
"One condition of U.S. DOT approval is that you be contiguous to the next time zone or be contiguous to a county that has already been permitted to go into that time zone," Grubb said. "That makes sense. I agree uniformity is good. You would never want to hopscotch counties. That would add to the confusion and we will have enough as it is."
Grubb, an opponent of daylight-saving time, thinks the General Assembly will reverse course and repeal daylight-saving time after a year.
"This points out what I have said all along. Now we have a worse mess than what we had. If we had a problem before, it has been exasperated with DST," Grubb said.
"The state's original goal of uniformity could never be accomplished. I think there will be a great public outcry after people see how dark it is if we all stay in the Eastern time zone and observe DST. I think in a year's time, a lot of people who believed they wanted this option will decide they don't want it," he said.
David Parr, president of the Clay County Board of Commissioners, said most of his constituents "don't want to change at all. There has been so much emphasis and a lot of smoke and mirrors on Eastern and Central time zones, when most people are upset over the daylight-saving time once they understand we [in Clay County] are already on Eastern Standard Time."
Parr said Clay County is not adjoining a county in the Central time zone, therefore cannot petition for a change.
George Nicholas, president of the Parke County Board of Commissioners, said commissioners discussed daylight saving and time zones last week. "It was the consensus of commissioners that as long as counties around us stay in the Eastern time zone, we will go along with that," Nicholas said.
"I can't see that we would want to isolate ourselves just to go to Central time. We do more business with Indianapolis. So, as Indianapolis goes, so will we. It just makes sense to be on the time zone where we do the most business," Nicholas said.
Vigo County leaders
In Vigo County, business and city leaders say the economy of Terre Haute is directly linked to Indianapolis. Vigo County commissioners have not scheduled a vote for a proposed hearing on time zones.
"I think we need to be on the same time as Indianapolis," said Commissioner President Paul Mason. "We are already on Eastern [Standard Time.] We plan our airline flights out of Indianapolis, there are sporting events and the state government is there. I think that is a main hub for Terre Haute. I don't think we surround ourselves around Chicago. Our main city is Indianapolis.
"I think the consensus is to just stay where we are at with the time zone," Mason said.
Commissioner Judith Anderson said the time zone "is an issue we have tried to get viewpoints from the people, but I have a big concern because of the Central time. I don't have a problem changing. Whatever the state goes with, that is fine with me, we adjust to change," she said.
"But if we have to make a choice, we need to be with our capital in Indianapolis and our state, not Illinois. I live right on the state line, but prefer to live with my state capital, not the capital of Illinois. Everything is based out of our own state and that is where we need to be looking," Anderson said.
Commission Bill Bryan said the commissioners' office has been tracking telephone calls. Several people want to stay on Eastern time, while "25 to 26 calls want Central time," Bryan said.
"I am in favor in staying in the same time we have and not in favor of changing time in the spring and in the fall," Bryan said. "I would like to leave it the way it is 365 days a year."
Terre Haute Mayor Kevin Burke supports staying in the Eastern Standard Time zone and being on daylight-saving time as long as it is the same as Indianapolis.
"I believe the City of Terre Haute and Vigo County have spent decades trying to convince Indianapolis that Vigo County is not in Illinois," Burke said.
"I think it does not serve our purposes in any fashion for us to be on a different time than Indianapolis," Burke said. "Indianapolis is our state capital, a lot of our industry, a lot of businesses are connected to Indianapolis and many of us fly out of Indianapolis. I think it is inherently in our best interest to be on whatever time Indianapolis is," Burke said.
In addition, Burke said Terre Haute has a large number of restaurants, retail establishments as well as entertainment facilities, all of which draw people from Illinois.
"From an economic standpoint, this basically doubles their ability to serve the public. You have a group of people who could go to dinner at 6 p.m. in Indiana. An hour later a group of people from Illinois could go to dinner at 6 p.m.," Burke said.
Steve Witt, executive director of the Terre Haute Economic Development Corp., agrees.
"Our economic development efforts work directly with the state government. It would be a detriment to our efforts if we were not on the same time as the state capital," Witt said.
Rod Henry, president of the Terre Haute Chamber of Commerce, which represents 800 members, said a spring survey of its members show 77 percent favor adopting daylight-saving time.
Also, 71 percent indicated Central Daylight Saving Time as their first choice. However, a "majority believe priority should be given to being on the same time as Indianapolis," Henry said.
"We don't want to be an island away from state government, the entertainment center of the state, the transportation center and from its specialized health care," Henry said.
State business group
The Indiana Chamber of Commerce last month sent letters urging 81 counties now on Eastern time to continue to observe Eastern time. It has established a Web site at www.indianachamber.com/dst.asp to show its reasons in support of that.
Eastern daylight-saving time provides opportunity for business gains, increased safety, energy savings and an enhanced quality of life, the Chamber said. Moving to Central time zone eliminates those benefits and runs the risk of additional traffic fatalities, crimes and energy usage, according to the Chamber.
The U.S. Department of Transportation will largely look at "the convenience of commerce" to make its decision. Part of that is what time zone people from a specific county work in or travel to work.
Of the 14 counties in the Terre Haute/Evansville regions, including Fountain and Warren counties, currently on Eastern Standard Time, none has 25 percent or more inbound and outbound commuting workers with the Central Daylight Saving Time area, according to the Chamber.
Only Knox and Perry counties have 20 percent or more for both inbound and outbound community workers.
Vigo County has 17.3 percent of its workers inbound from Central Daylight Saving Time and 15 percent outbound commuters to CDST, according to the Chamber.
Indiana companies do more business with states to the east than in any other time zone, with more than $197 million in tangible business in 2002, the Chamber states. Indiana does 52.3 percent of its import business with Eastern time zone and 39 percent of its export business with Eastern DST.
A U.S. DOT study in 1985 showed daylight-saving time or additional sunlight reduces traffic fatalities by 7 percent annually (that's 58 Indiana lives) and reduces crime by 10 percent annually - almost 21,000 fewer personal and property related crimes. Central daylight-saving time takes away hours of evening sunlight.
An energy savings by the California Energy Department found DST provides a 3-percent to 4-percent reduction in energy costs, that is annual savings of $617 million in Indiana, and would save the equivalent of 10,000 barrels of oil a day, according to the Chamber
In addition, more evening sunlight equals more family time and healthier living through outdoor activities. That's not the case under Central Daylight Saving Time, where the sun would set before 5 p.m. every day from late October through late January, according to the Chamber.
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