Kokomo — Ten of the 11 townships in Howard County have agreed to form a study committee to look into future consolidation.
Only the Monroe Township board declined to support a resolution to move forward with a study committee. The township wants more information.
During a meeting of the Howard County Township Association on Thursday, representatives from the other townships agreed to create the Township Study Committee with an organizational meeting set for Oct. 11.
Each township will be represented on the study committee and any recommendation would have to be approved by the respective township boards.
The trustees wanted to be proactive and study how consolidation could take place in the future.
Taylor Township Trustee Dianne Kuntz said each township should come to the first meeting with a list of its consolidation concerns.
Center Township Trustee Jean Lushin said the intent is to follow legislation that allows for the consolidation of townships.
“We have discussed this for over a year,” he said. “I suggested using the school boundaries.”
Lushin said he didn’t want to see township government eliminated by the state and this was a way to prevent that from happening.
Because consolidation must take place after a general election, the earliest the consolidation could take place is Jan. 1, 2013, he said.
Lushin said the township consolidation could either go to a referendum vote or the interested townships could conduct a public hearing and move forward.
“Voters have a say either way,” he said. “The responsibilities will be the same, the township will be just bigger.”
He said potential for tax rates to change has caused concern in the past, which is why some people opposed consolidation. In response, the Legislature could approve one tax rate for the entire county when it comes to township relief.
“I don’t think tax rates will change much,” Lushin said. “The tax base will be larger and their will be a larger pool of potential candidates for office.”
Ken Grove, clerk in Liberty Township, asked how fire protection would be handled after consolidation.
Taylor Township Trustee Dianne Kuntz said the new trustee would have to sign contracts with the fire departments for service.
“It will keep the same fire protection we have now,” she said. “There is no way to eliminate volunteer fire departments, we still need to provide fire protection.”
Under Lushin’s proposal, the number of townships would be reduced from 11 to five. The number of elected officials would decline from 44 to 20.
The alignment proposed by Lushin is: Eastern School System would include Liberty, Jackson and Union townships; Western would include Honey Creek, Monroe and Harrison townships; Northwestern would consolidate Ervin, Howard and Clay townships; and Center and Taylor townships standing alone.
Township offices could be located in the Russiaville and Greentown town halls or in volunteer fire department facilities instead of private residences.
Salaries for township board members would be based on population with a maximum of $5,000 per year in townships with more than 10,000 people; $3,000 per year in townships with a population of more than 5,000, but less than 10,000; and $2,000 for townships of under 5,000 population.
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