4 vote in favor of Central time

The commissioners of two western Indiana counties and two in northern Indiana have voted to ask the U.S. Department of Transportation to move them into the Central time zone.\nThe votes Tuesday in Sullivan and Vermillion counties on the Indiana-Illinois state line and in Cass and Carroll counties, both northeast of Lafayette, mean that at least nine Indiana counties hope to switch from Eastern time following the legislature's decision to adopt statewide daylight-saving time next year.\nThe latest votes in favor of Central time followed discussions among residents who said the switch would help businesses and children who wait for school buses in the morning.\n"The sun rises a lot different in Sullivan County than it does in New York or Ohio," said Scott Brown of Sullivan, who works at the Toyota plant in Gibson County, which is in the Central time zone.\nThe Vermillion County commissioners' president, Tim Wilson, said no one at Tuesday's meeting wanted to stay in the Eastern time zone and observe daylight time next year.\n"We had several letters, all in favor of Central time," Wilson said.\nIndiana counties have until Sept. 16 to request a time zone change. The federal agency will review the petitions and decide whether to conduct public hearings on the requests.\nSullivan and Vermillion counties both border Vigo County, which includes Terre Haute, but the county commissioners there have said they want it to remain on Eastern time with Indianapolis.\nCass County Commissioners President Dick Rusk said the vast majority of those attending a public hearing last week favored Central time for the county.\nCommissioners in Tippecanoe County, which includes Lafayette, have decided against seeking a time zone switch.\nMeanwhile, Steuben County commissioners voted Tuesday to send a letter to federal officials saying they want the far northeastern Indiana county to remain in the Eastern zone -- a stance shared by officials in nearby Allen County, which includes Fort Wayne.\nSteuben County Commissioner Ron Smith, who as a farmer comes from one of the more vocal groups against daylight-saving time, said remaining on Eastern time made sense for the area.\n"I polled the cows and they don't care," Smith joked.\nOther counties that have voted to seek a move to Central time are Fulton, Pulaski, Marshall and Starke in the South Bend area and Daviess County near Evansville.\nThe state has asked the federal government to keep the five counties in southwestern Indiana and five in northwestern Indiana that currently observe Central time in that zone. It also seeks no change for the five counties near Cincinnati and Louisville, Ky., that are in the Eastern zone and currently observe daylight time.\nIt did not state a preference for the remaining 77 counties now in the Eastern zone.