During the 2007 session of the Indiana General Assembly, legislation was approved that created a new Capital Review Board in each county. This new layer of government is unnecessary and creates 184 new elected county officials. Why create another layer of local government and 184 more elected officials when an existing county elected fiscal body (county council) could perform this function? If the General Assembly and the Governor want a local body to approve rates and capital projects, it should abolish the Capital Review Board and simply allow the county council to act as the body that approves the overall levy increases. While everyone on the Capital Review Board will be elected, taxpayers may find themselves not being able to vote for a majority of the members on the Board. The Board will be appointed by various fiscal bodies in the county except for three guaranteed county wide elected people, specifically, the county auditor and the two new county elected officials.<br>
County councils in 89 of the 92 counties are already set up so that everyone votes for a majority of the members on the county council, three at large members and one district member.
The county councils in Marion, St. Joseph and Lake Counties are different and their circumstances will need to be addressed but the same principle should apply. <br>
Under current law, the appointments on the Capital Review Board change every year between school corporations, cities and towns.
Six of the nine members are appointed by elected bodies. Not everyone in the county can vote for members in every city, town or school corporation. No matter what city, town, school corporation, township or library district a person resides in, they can always vote for a majority of people on the county council.<br>
Taxpayers are seeking fundamental changes on local government with increased transparency and accountability. County Councils are willing to increase their leadership role in the community.
County councils and commissioners are set up to make decisions based on a countywide basis. They are the appropriate bodies that should review long-term goals of the community, develop a plan that will keep tax increases to a minimum and answer to every voter in the county.<br>
The Association of Indiana Counties, Inc. is a nonprofit organization that was established in 1957 for the betterment of county government. The various functions of the AIC include lobbying the Indiana General Assembly on behalf of counties, serving as liaison among counties, state and federal agencies as well as providing technical assistance and training to county officials and employees.<br>
For more information, contact Karen Avery at 317-829-3656, kavery@indianacounties.org; www.IndianaCounties.org