In the Agora: City-County Consolidation

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January 17, 2005

City-County Consolidation

Readers of past projects Josh and I have collaborated on have complained of our Evansville-centrism, but I don't care. Technically, I suppose, this post is about Muncie's possible consolidation with Delaware County, but really it's not.

The impetus for change has three origins:

* Financing for local government operations is harder to come by without raising taxes. Thus, officials realize they must streamline government, making it more efficient and less duplicative.

* Local citizens are increasingly organized and vocal in demanding greater efficiency, reduced spending and lower taxes, thus the interest in modernizing government's structure.

* One political party (the Republicans) is now in control of the administrative branches of city and county government (as well as county council). In the recent past, Democrats - traditionally stronger on patronage and weaker on consolidation than Republicans - have held the reins of commissioners and council.

Astute readers will realize one of the pivotal differences between Muncie and Evansville, and not just that a consolidated Vanderburgh County government, were it to come to pass, would have a much cooler name than Delaware County's ("Vandigov" versus "Delaware").

I also love the Star Press's endearing comment: "Frequently, the best ideas come from private sources, or from other communities that have been through the same process." Given that the other communities that have been through the process are places like Louisville and Indianapolis, I can't imagine what their recommendations would be. "First, why don't you try to become your state's leading city?"

It's also remarkable that the Star Press, like everyone else who kibitzes about this project, is willing to talk about the exciting prospect of, uh, merging the city and county's "animal control and sheltering operation," but they barely mention the prospect of merging townships and elminating some township officials. Here's a quick quiz for our Indiana readers, except in Marion County: Name your township trustee, your township assessor, and your township advisory board.

Can't do it? That's part of the quiz.

Posted by Paul Musgrave at January 17, 2005 07:42 PM

Comments

Astute readers would not read the Starpress editorials. There is no spending measure they have not supported, no tax that was high enough, no expenditure of public monies that should not be increased. Their recommendations for public office routinely vote to spend more money than they take in. Their best opinions are from a Mr. Larry Riley, who teaches journalism, and who points out inconvenient facts. His latest being that while the area's State Senator has proposed some $25,000,000 in new State spending there is no clue at all as to where that money was to come from.

Posted by: Anonymous at January 18, 2005 10:51 AM | permalink