Lawmakers Take Another Crack at Township Merger Bill

Indiana’s House Local Government Committee just tweaked a Senate bill that aims to merge some of the state’s townships. The bill, authored by State Sen. Rick Niemeyer, would require the Indiana Department of Local Government Finance to gather data on each township by December 31.

The Bill’s Criteria

Here’s how it works: the department assigns points to each township based on things like whether it provided assistance in 2023 or 2024, or if it manages fire protection and emergency medical services. Townships with at least four points would merge with ones that have fewer points.

But some lawmakers think this bill is a bit of a mess. State Rep. Chris May said they’re trying to ‘clean it up’. And State Rep. Vernon Smith pointed out that it’s similar to another bill that would dissolve certain townships altogether.

A Compromise of Sorts

State Rep. Karen Engleman proposed an amendment that passed with an 11-2 vote. Her amendment says townships with more than four points that share a lot of their borders and population with a municipality will reorganize instead of merging with another township. It’s a compromise between the House and Senate’s approaches to township consolidation.

Engleman’s amendment also extends the merger timeline, requires townships to provide more info on their local coverage, and allows them to appeal their point totals in case of disasters. It’s a start, but it’s still a complicated bill.

It’s not the first time Indiana’s tried to tackle township government. Back in 2011, former Gov. Mitch Daniels and the Kernan-Shepherd report suggested eliminating township government altogether to make government more cost-effective. But that proposal went nowhere.