Kevin Brinegar
Indiana Chamber of Commerce
Politics over policy. It’s nothing new in debates at the local, state or federal levels of government. But that doesn’t mean we should condone it; in fact, we should fight against it.
The policy in this case is a better way to deliver poor relief and fire protection services that are currently housed at the woefully ineffective township level. The beginning of the remedy, as outlined in Senate Bill 240, eliminates little used but well compensated (in some cases) township advisory boards and gives county councils binding authority over township budgets to ensure your taxpayer dollars are being spent efficiently. SB 240 also addresses nepotism that is all too rampant in township government.
The politics is in House Bill 1181, disguised as reform in calling for 1,006 separate township by township referendum elections to determine the fate of individual townships. If enacted as is, this would simply make a bad situation worse. It would create a confusing patchwork of township and county control. Whether it passes or not, it allows House members who voted for it to say they “gave it the old Statehouse try” while campaigning for re-election this spring and fall.
We need our elected representatives to do better. We send them to Indianapolis from all corners of the state to represent us. Township offices that practice rampant nepotism, spend more in administrative costs than actual poor relief provided and even use your tax dollars to pad trustees’ own pockets are not in everyone’s best interests.
Find out where your legislators stand on local government reform. If they support SB 240, thank them. If they don’t, tell them to seriously consider SB 240 and the start of meaningful local government reform. It’s their job to represent you, not the townships.
