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Dear Editor:
Once again, I have read in the two local papers how good of a job township government does providing the limited services required by statue. This article was of course written by the Hamilton County Delaware Township Trustee, who also is the Executive Director of the ITA which is a taxpayer supported lobbying arm of the current township government model. The article could not have been more cherry picked, slanted, and opinionated.
I know … opinions are like belly buttons … everyone has one!
Regardless, I have once again read all 40 pages or so and also available on Google of the Kernan Shepard bipartisan report prepared at the request of Gov. Daniels suggesting that the only state in the USA still using ineffective, outdated 1848 township-style government is Indiana and for many reasons – including overall operating taxpayer cost – should be eliminated.
I can only believe many of the 1,008 Township Trustees and their three-person paid board members have not read this suggested, bipartisan, highly recommended modernization effort. This very thorough report suggests eliminating the 100-percent, tax-supported township government model that requires statutory duties such as poor relief, fence disputes, fire services, limited EMS in some less populated areas, and other statutory mandated duties.
The suggestion was these limited duties will be transferred to and handled at the county level, which would reduce considerably the administrative cost, streamline and modernize the few remaining statutory functions of the office, and reduce considerably the annual overall taxpayer cost appropriated to deliver these statutory required services.
As a past board member of Noblesville Township, I can attest to the ridiculous salaries/remuneration paid to the elected board members as relates to services provided; the overall township cost; ineffectiveness; outdated concepts; antiquated, unaccountable turf wars regarding mowing/maintenance of abandoned cemeteries; nepotism, etc. of the township government. As relates to abandoned cemeteries, in most counties, including Hamilton, there is a County Cemetery Board that accepts and is responsible for the maintenance and mowing of the abandoned cemeteries. Not all or even a large percentage of abandoned cemeteries are maintained at the township level.
Many examples of taxpayer waste/ineffective use of taxpayer receipts are covered in detail in the Kernan Shepard report, yet never discussed by the opponents/detractors of this excellent and timely recommendation.
One such area of waste is the cost to the taxpayers per each dollar of services and the resulting administrative cost to deliver the services. One such acceptable administrative cost model is Salvation Army at 8 cents per dollar of services provided! A concern can evolve when the state has a suggested guideline of 26 to 28 cents administrative cost for nonprofits, and in many cases the cost to townships to deliver comparable services is in the neighborhood of 70 to 80 cents (and many much higher) per dollar of service delivered. This observation suggests ineffective use of tax dollars. In one office in Hendricks County, the administrative cost to deliver $1 of service was $34.18.
Another example is township government being involved in fire services with no knowledge other than funding. A Noblesville Township example of a recently reviewed newspaper article published as required by law of the cost to township taxpayers for fire services and other costs for property not in Noblesville proper but in Noblesville Township. Really! Wow! Remember all the Mutual Aid agreements with all fire services in the state? The published cost allocated for this mostly bare land on an annual basis was in excess of $1 million. One can only assume additional new equipment will be at Noblesville fire houses. This is but one example of the ineffective, antiquated use of tax dollars.
Note: No one is saying the dollars are not needed by Noblesville Fire. It just relates to the dollar pot used for funding and one can bet limited to no discussion with NFD.
As a side note, given all the great Mutual Aid agreements, it may be time to consolidate all fire services on a county wide basis/jurisdiction with one chief and support staff rather than the many Chiefs and support staffs of today. As many recall, when accidents and/or fires occur, all departments from all surrounding territories show up to extinguish! That all-out participation is commendable.
Another area of interest is the large cash balances carried by the townships! Remember these balances are your tax dollars! Why is this? Purpose? There are other uses or township commitments throughout Indiana that many would consider not necessary or inappropriate. Several come to mind right here in Noblesville and Cicero!
It now way past time for the elimination of the outdated 1848 model of township government now in use in all 1,008 Indiana townships.
Jim Williams
Cicero
So many facts, so few corrupt politicians that care enough to stop the waste.
Well written and great information for those that don’t keep up on their local government. Indiana in general is a very slow moving conservative state and after 175 years i would hope there is a lot of room for improvement.