Consolidation proposal could affect as many five Putnam townships

Monday, January 8, 2018

INDIANAPOLIS — Between three and five Putnam townships would be forced to merge with others under a plan proposed by House Republicans.

All townships with populations of less than 1,200 people would be consolidated into others within five years under the legislation announced Thursday, The Indianapolis Star and The (Fort Wayne) Journal Gazette reported. House Bill 1005 would affect 309 townships — nearly a third of the 1,005 in the state — mostly in rural areas.

Locally, based on 2010 Census numbers, the affected townships would be Jackson (population 854), Madison (1,028) and Russell (823). It should be noted that in Putnam County, EMS is contracted by the county and that Jackson and Clinton townships are already served by combined fire protection districts that partner with neighboring townships.

Also potentially affected based on population trends could be Clinton and Jefferson. Both had populations of approximately 1,250 in 2010, but each lost residents between 2000 and 2010.

House Speaker Brian Bosma said the move could eliminate as many as 1,200 elected officials. Townships are run on a day-to-day basis by a township trustee and governed by three-member advisory boards that set policy and tax rates, among other matters.

Every person still would be served by a trustee and a board, and township services including administering poor relief would continue, said Deborah Driskell, executive director of the Indiana Township Association. Money would be saved by reducing the number of advisory board members, who must have liability insurance and in most cases receive payment for their service, she said.

Also, residents of small townships might receive better firefighting and emergency medical services from mergers that enable them to combine their tax bases, she said.

“As it is written right now in the preliminary draft, we support it,” Driskell said

However, Gloria Gerig, trustee of Allen County’s Jackson Township, opposes the consolidation. She has served as a trustee for 12 years and earns $2,300 per year.

“I look at it as they have tried so hard to get rid of all the townships, this is one way to start it,” Gerig said. “Then they can come back in five years and get rid of the rest.”

In 2007, a commission headed by former Gov. Joe Kernan and former Indiana Supreme Court Chief Justice Randall Shepard recommended eliminating township government altogether. Lawmakers chose not to because it’s the layer of government closest to the people.

The five-year timetable would enable townships to form their merger plans and set new elections for trustees and advisory boards. Because merging townships may have different tax rates, Driskell said, the rate of the newly merged townships would be phased in.

It should be noted that in Putnam County, EMS is contracted by the county and that Jackson and Clinton townships are already served by combined fire protection districts that partner with neighboring townships.

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  • Jerry mandering....thats all I got to say

    -- Posted by mrwalleye on Mon, Jan 8, 2018, at 10:14 PM
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