By GAYLE R. ROBBINS, Vincennes Sun-Commercial associate news editor
The county commissioners plan to petition the U.S. Department of Transportation to move the county into the Central time zone next year.
If approved, the county would then be on the same time with Evansville and Lawrence County, Ill., year round.
The petition, explaining why the county would benefit from the move, has to be filed with the federal department by Friday.
Even though the commissioners want to move to the Central time zone, meaning there would be an hour's difference in the time between here and Indianapolis, there's no guarantee the DOT will approve the switch. Certain criteria have to be met, mainly to show how such a move would benefit the local economy.
State Rep. Troy Woodruff, R-Vincennes, whose 11th-hour vote in the General Assembly this year started the clock ticking toward Indiana's changing time, attended Monday morning's commission meeting and spoke in favor of applying to be moved to the Central time zone.
Woodruff said the move would align the county with the growing economy of the Evansville area. It would also put the county on the same time all year with Gibson County, home of the Toyota manufacturing plant.
Local manufacturing facilities such as Futaba Indiana of America and Excell USA, both in the U.S. 41 Industrial Park, make parts used on vehicles built at the Toyota plant.
Daviess and Sullivan counties also plan to petition to be moved into the Central time zone.
Commissioner Jim Bobe said results of the surveys sent out to members of the Knox County Chamber of Commerce showed a roughly 60/40 percent split in favor of moving to the other time zone.
Commission President Jerry Brocksmith said most of the comments he's received about the issue indicate public support for switching, a view with which Commissioner Jimmy Parish concurred.
Woodruff apologized to the commissioners for their having to take up the issue. He explained that the original legislation which he supported called for the governor's office to make a decision, not the county commissioners.
Woodruff had stated right up until the last minute that he wouldn't support legislation on changing Indiana's time zone unless it called for putting all the state's 92 counties on the same time.
But as the clock wound down on the legislative session he switched his position, voting in favor of the bill which would call for some counties, including Knox, to begin observing Eastern Daylight Time next year.
Woodruff told the commissioners that both the governor's office and the Indiana Chamber of Commerce could provide information needed to prepare the county's application to switch to the Central time zone.
The transportation department will review the application and, if officials there believe it has merit, agree to hold public hearings in the county to solicit additional comments on the county's switching time zones.