After lengthy discussion Tuesday, the Indiana House Local Government Committee will hear a Senate bill that aims to merge the state’s townships another time before its final approval.
State Sen. Rick Niemeyer, R-Lowell, authored Senate Bill 270, which would require the Indiana Department of Local Government Finance to compile data on each township, except those in Marion County, by Dec. 31.
According to the bill, the department will assign points to each township, and one with at least four points would merge with one that has fewer than four points. The department will assign points for various reasons, including if a township did not provide assistance in 2023 or 2024, if it didn’t manage fire protection or emergency medical services on Jan. 1, 2025, or if it didn’t file an annual finance report to the State Board of Accounts in 2023 or 2024.
Niemeyer spoke on the bill before it was discussed and testimonies were heard. Townships that merge would work together to figure out leadership.
Townships can appeal to the Department of Local Government Finance on any points received, and the department has 30 days to act on the appeal.
“This is the dialogue that I’ve had in the last four or five years on this issue: you can’t survive with 999 trustees,” Niemeyer said. “You’ve got to look at merging, and this bill does this. It’s going to take out a lot of the small ones.”
With the legislation’s setup, Niemeyer estimates that between 310 and 325 townships will merge.
“It’s a bill that really (prioritizes) efficiency in government,” he said. “It leaves townships as a form of government that’s there for your assistance, your fire protection, your cemetery care, your referrals to every agency that’s out there when you have a recipient come in and needs to figure out what they’re going to do.”
The committee wants to make amendments to the bill before it moves to the House floor, said Committee Chair and state Rep. Chris May, R-Bedford. May did not say what the amendments might be, but they will “help clean up the bill.”
Some state representatives — including state Rep. Vernon Smith, D-Gary — said the bill is similar to House Bill 1315, authored by state Rep. Alaina Shonkwiler, R-Noblesville, which would dissolve certain townships statewide by Jan. 1, 2028, and transfer powers, duties, offices and properties to a municipality or county.
Shonkwiler’s bill passed the House in a 55-44 vote on Feb. 2 and is in the Senate Local Government Committee. Shonkwiler testified on the bill Tuesday, saying that it’s important not to pit the two bills against each other, and their work can be complementary.
“We’ve had conversations even as recently as yesterday with the Senate Local Government Committee on what that could potentially look like going forward,” Shonkwiler said Tuesday. “I commend both chambers of the House and Senate for moving thoughtful reform of township government forward. … Whether we want (House Bill) 1315, or whether we want (Senate Bill) 270, or some happy marriage of the two, we can discuss that in the future.”
Before the committee agreed to hear the bill again, six people testified on behalf of the bill Tuesday, all in support of the legislation’s intended actions.
Larry Curl, vice president of the Indiana Volunteer Firefighters Association, said Senate Bill 270 addresses concerns the organization has with township governments. He believes that it will help provide quality service in a more efficient manner statewide.
“We have taken oaths to serve and provide for our communities,” Curl said. “And we believe that Senate Bill 270 will provide much-needed oversight to assure that those who live in the townships receive the best care possible. We believe Senate Bill 270 will be a fair and balanced approach to such service, holding us all accountable to the (community) we have been sworn to protect.”
Lydia Wales, trustee for Franklin Union Needham Township, also testified in support of the bill. Wales has been trustee for three terms, and the township is a merger of Franklin, Union and Needham townships, which occurred on Jan. 1, 2022.
“In many ways, we followed the same process outlined in this bill,” Wales said. “We evaluated ourselves, identified what served our residents best and made a local decision on how we should merge.”
Through the merger, the townships eliminated duplicate services and created a system that works best for area residents. The merger has been successful thus far, Wales said, and Senate Bill 270 would allow the same kind of success statewide.
During the 2025 legislative session, state Rep. Karen Engleman, R-Georgetown, authored House Bill 1233, which aimed to dissolve township government and give an elected county trustee powers and duties regarding township trustees, fire protection and emergency services, according to Post-Tribune archives. The bill also said that on Jan. 1, 2027, all fire protection districts and territories would dissolve, and fire services would be provided in accordance with a county plan.
The bill was sent to the House Local Government Committee but was never heard further.
In 2011, former Gov. Mitch Daniels and the Kernan-Shepherd report called for the complete elimination of township government, spotlighting ways to make government more cost-effective and efficient, according to Post-Tribune archives. The proposal was never passed by the legislature.
mwilkins@chicagotribune.com
