Assembly bill to end Townships

Rep. Ed DeLaney, D-Indianapolis, threatened local government when he proposed a bill that would abolish all 1,007 Hoosier townships.

In last year’s General Assembly session, Sen. Connie Lawson, R-Danville, proposed a similar bill that would have eliminated township boards but kept township trustees. Lawson’s bill never received a final vote.

Now, DeLaney is pushing for all township duties to be assigned to counties, starting in 2013.

The bill’s supporters claim that township governments have hoarded millions of dollars and that taxpayer dollars could be spent in better ways.

Bloomington Township Trustee Linda Sievers and Perry Township Trustee Dan Combs argue that the amount of money in township reserves is misrepresented.

Combs said townships receive their revenue on Dec. 31 and June 30. The money gathered on Dec. 31 is counted as a surplus for that year – not toward the budget for the coming year, she said.

“It is really not a fair way to figure how much money we have in the banks,” Combs said.

Sievers agreed.

“Some are going to argue and say you are just sitting on (money),” Sievers said.
Sievers said he gradually puts money into a cumulative fund so he can use it later for major projects instead of taking out a loan.

Sievers said there is currently $83,000 in Bloomington Township’s cumulative fund.
Some local officials don’t think DeLaney’s bill will be passed by the end of this year’s session, which will end on March 14.

“There’s very little support,” Rep. Matt Pierce, D-Bloomington, said. “People in rural areas still feel that townships are the most responsive government they have.”
Combs said he doesn’t think other branches of local government can respond to problems as quickly as townships.

“Townships are by far and away the closest government to the population,” Combs said.

Many believe that for township reform to be successful, it’s going to have to be done slowly.

“They need a plan,” Sievers said. “Let’s not just do sweeping legislation before we know the outcome of that legislation.”