Editorial published in the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette on January 7, 2010
A year is a terrible thing to waste, particularly
when it pushes more effective and cost-efficient local government down
the road. That’s the stand supporters of property tax caps have adopted;
it’s the one they should extend to the elimination of township
government.
Rep. Ed DeLaney isn’t waiting until the Indiana General Assembly’s long session. He plans to file a bill that would eliminate township government, effective Jan. 1, 2013. It has a provision for an elected “advocate for the poor” at the county level to pick up the poor relief administration duties township trustees now handle.
The hundreds of thousands in tax dollars now held in reserve by township units could be redistributed by county councils or some other fiscal unit, DeLaney said, with a portion going for property tax relief, some to help the poor and some to address the roots of poverty.
The Indianapolis Democrat said the debate over township government is an issue of fiscal responsibility, not of reform. Eliminating thousands of township posts and consolidating services will not only eliminate the unnecessary reserves built up by some townships, but it will also allow counties to redirect tax dollars to support police and fire departments, some of which are facing harmful cuts as the property tax caps are phased into effect.
“This is a vehicle to get money back into services,” DeLaney said.
Sen. Connie Lawson also will file a township government bill. The Danville Republican is taking a more limited approach in calling for the elimination of township advisory boards and placing county councils in charge of the existing township services.
DeLaney’s bill is unique in its poor-relief provision. The recommendation from the 2007 report of the Kernan-Shepard commission called for a countywide poor-relief levy, with a single elected county executive responsible for its oversight. Critics suggested that the poor-relief duties would be lost among a county executive’s many other responsibilities.
DeLaney said he envisions the “advocate for the poor” as more of a coordinator than an administrator, helping to ensure that scarce resources are used most effectively by determining, for example, whether some services are duplicated or need to be established. His suggestion to dedicate some township dollars now held in reserve to eliminating poverty is a proactive approach to saving tax dollars.
Lawson and DeLaney deserve credit for advancing the Kernan-Shepard aim of cutting government down to size.
It’s easy to endorse a property tax cap and hope that squeezing local governments of revenue will ultimately force them to reorganize.
It’s much tougher to endorse a more cost-effective system, particularly when it results in the loss of almost 4,000 elected officials – often key players in a legislator’s political organization.
If Indiana taxpayers don’t have time to wait and see the effects of property tax caps, they certainly don’t have time to wait for the elimination of township government. Lawmakers can deliver real relief by supporting the legislation proposed by Lawson and DeLaney.