ELKHART -- Elkhart County commissioners will wait for a federal decision on St. Joseph County's request for a time zone change.
If the change is granted, Elkhart County may reconsider its preference to remain in the Eastern time zone, according to one of the county commissioners.
St. Joseph County commissioners voted 2-1 Tuesday to petition the U.S. Department of Transportation for a change from the Eastern to the Central time zone.
The Elkhart County commissioners decided to remain in the Eastern zone, but said they will watch closely the federal decision on St. Joe's petition, according to Mike Yoder, Elkhart County commissioner.
"We'll continue to study the issue," he said.
Yoder and St. Joseph County commissioner Cindy Bodle seem to agree on one thing: Neither wants to split the counties between time zones.
"I anticipate expressing that in the petition that we stay on the same time," Bodle said. The federal agency will have to determine in which time zone St. Joe County belongs.
Although the DOT set a Friday deadline for Indiana counties to file a request, any county may make a request to change a time zone after the deadline. But it would not receive an expedited hearing.
Government leaders in four counties -- Marshall, St. Joseph, Elkhart and Kosciusko -- expressed a desire to remain in the same time zone; however, now it will be up to federal officials.
Marshall and now St. Joseph counties will file for a change to Central, while Elkhart and Kosciusko do not plan to seek a switch.
Based on a recent survey of 30 businesses, Michiana Area Council of Governments recommended that St. Joseph County remain in the Eastern zone.
Regardless of the survey, Yoder said he thinks it's better for the region to remain on one time zone -- whether it's Central or Eastern.
His own preference would be for entire state to be on Central time, he said.
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