The role of township government in Indiana has been a hot topic ever since Governor Mitch Daniels had two political heavyweights, Former State Supreme Court Chief Justice Randall Shepherd and former Governor Joe Kernan, co-chair a 2007 commission that essentially found township governments should be abolished in Indiana.  The General Assembly didn’t go along with those findings, except to do away with most township assessors.

I do know many legislators began their political careers as township trustees or board members, so they have a soft spot in their hearts for townships.  But townships in the state continue to argue for their very existence.

There is an important local connection to this issue.  Delaware Township Trustee Debbie Driskell is also Executive Director of the Indiana Township Association (ITA).  The organization recently released  a task force study on township government.

The task force, using data gathered by the Indiana University Public Policy Institute, reached 27 findings.  Here are some of those points from the ITA:

• Encourage townships to consider interlocal arrangements to maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of local services
• Provide support to townships that wish to pursue voluntary mergers
• Allow nonvoluntary mergers of townships if certain criteria is met
• Make townships eligible for state grants and low-interest loan funding
• Strengthen board oversight of township finances
• Expand the circumstances that allow a public safety levy appeal
• Require townships with fire and EMS services to be included in public safety local income tax allocations
• Mandate annual continuing education for elected officials and critical staff
• Expand education of the public, K-12 students, and policy makers about the duties and values of township government

The two townships that serve the city of Fishers, Delaware and Fall Creek, have the duty to provide fire emergency medical services to the parts of the township not within the city limits.

I started covering Indiana local government in the early 1970s and have always believed that, if you look at the entire State of Indiana, some township governments work well and are efficient ways to deliver some services, others are not doing so well.  One mistake the Shepherd-Kernan Commission may have made was proposing that all township government functions be moved to the counties.  That made the idea easy to oppose.

I do not know the future of township government in the Hoosier State, but if a blue-ribbon commission appointed by Mitch Daniels during his time as governor could not bring about legislative action, I do not know what would.  I would hope that state lawmakers continue to keep an eye on all levels of state government and evaluate the job being done, including the townships.