INDIANAPOLIS — A bill that would eliminate advisory boards for Indiana's some 1,000 townships and move their budgetary duties to county councils cleared its first legislative hurdle Friday, when a Senate committee voted to move it to the full Senate.
Gov. Mitch Daniels has called for the complete elimination of township government, but this bill would not do that. Townships would still have elected trustees to oversee such things are relief for the poor and fire protection. The bill would eliminate township boards in 2015, and each county would have to adopt standards for granting poor relief for trustees to follow.
The bill's sponsor, Sen. Connie Lawson, R-Danville, told the Local Government Committee that township governments are inefficient — many spend more on administrative costs than poor relief — and often filled with nepotism. Township elections attract little competition or voter interest, she said.
The Senate has approved similar bills before, but they have stalled in the House. Legislators also have shown little enthusiasm for the total elimination supported by Daniels.
"We have worked very hard to keep township government in place but yet make it fiscally responsible," Lawson said. "I think it is a good compromise."
Deborah Driskell, executive director of the Indiana Township Association, said most township officials are dedicated and efficient and they provide services residents need. She argued against what she called a one-size-fits-all approach.
"If it is broke, let's fix it," Driskell said. "But I encourage you to use the knife of a surgeon, rather than an ax."
The Indianapolis Star reported in January that townships' average cash balance in 2009 was equal to 80 percent of what they spend in a year. The Star also found inconsistent standards for poor relief and determined about 92,000 fewer people received township assistance in 2009 than in 2007, despite the recession's onset.
Darren Vogt, president of the Allen County Council, told the committee that the 20 townships in his county, which includes Fort Wayne, have wide discrepancies in providing emergency aid to help residents pay rent and utilities. Two trustees in the county haven't filed required poor relief guidelines since 1997, he said.
"This system needs some oversight drastically," Vogt said. "The consistency of poor relief given out in the community is not fair. It needs to be held to a standard across the county."
The committee voted 7-1 to move the bill to the full Senate.
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