Tag Archives: mysmartgov.org

Riding the Government Reform Roller Coaster

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The effort to introduce the concepts of efficiency and better service to citizens into Indiana’s local government structure has seen more ups and downs than your favorite ride at Holiday World or any amusement park of your choice.

Following seven-plus weeks of progress, retreat, debate and committee members offering support for the broken-beyond-repair status quo, the full Senate restored teeth to some of the legislation on Tuesday.

Eliminating township boards in 91 counties (why not Marion, we must ask?) would be a tremendous step. Doing away with rampant nepotism and unconsionable levels of budget reserves are also a move in the right direction. Some county, library and election reforms are also in play.

The attention turns to the House, with the ball resting with Speaker Pat Bauer. The nearly 40-year veteran of the Statehouse wars has promised all along to take a look at what comes over from the Senate — and he repeated that pledge to the Indiana Chamber’s executive committee last week. Not an overwhelming endorsement, but there is some optimism. This should not be a partisan issue; all can find a place on the bandwagon for better government.

MySmartgov.org makes the case for change. Indiana Chamber members can get the latest in a March 6 First Friday Conference Call featuring Chamber expert Mark Lawrance and government reform commission member Louis Mahern.

Pals Take Precedence Over Good Policy; Taxpayers are Punished

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Colleague Mark Lawrance, the Chamber’s point person on local government reform efforts over the past half-dozen years, started off his description of the ambush of reform efforts in the Indiana Senate this week with an homage to Buffalo Springfield: "There’s Something Happening Here and It Is Exactly Clear."

Lawrance offers a synopsis. First, the opposition to these recommendations is highly focused and mobilized. Second, those special interest groups strongly prefer to keep the status quo and not embrace any of the changes with our fragmented local government system. And third, many of the local people who are involved with townships, county government, libraries and the school systems are also part of the local political system that elects the legislators.
 
What that means is some members of the Senate are playing political games. They’re ignoring the facts (read Kevin Brinegar’s committee testimony a week earlier or watch the latest MySmartgov.org video) to protect their cronies. They’re doing so at the expense of your money and your right to an efficient and effective local government system.
 
Don’t stand for it. Let your legislators know business as usual simply isn’t good enough.

Your Money, Their Politics — Not a Good Mix

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Township employees want to keep their jobs. There’s no big surprise there. But the fact that township employees would willingly and knowingly break the law (they have to understand that, don’t they?) to accomplish that goal is not only ironic, but somewhat tragic.

MySmartgov.org writes about the t-shirts, signs and letters (all generated on the public’s time and/or dime) that are bad enough. The "special dues assessment," however, is basically picking the pockets of taxpayers to run a political campaign. Those taxpayers can make their own choices. They don’t need their money used to save the "level of government closest to the taxpayers" when two-thirds of those taxpayers don’t know who their township officials are and have never used their services.

The November 4 referendum question in 43 townships states: Should the assessing duties of the elected township assessor in this township be transferred to the county assessor? MySmartgov.org wants you to look at the facts and make up your own mind. That only seems fair. 

New Program Works to Streamline Government; Public Input Welcomed

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A new organization – MySmartgov.org – is looking for individuals and civic organizations that are troubled by redundant and costly layers of local government in Indiana and want to see that changed. Currently, the Hoosier state has more layers of local government than all but two of the 11 states of similar size.

The focus of MySmartgov.org is to persuade the 2009 General Assembly to adopt the recommendations to streamline government made by the Indiana Commission on Local Government Reform. The ultimate goal is to make local government more fair and efficient.

Some steps already have been taken. The 2008 General Assembly abolished township assessing duties in 965 townships, shifting those duties to their respective county assessors. The Legislature also set qualifications for some county administrative officers; shifted funding for child welfare from the counties to the state; and established the requirement that all increases in taxes be reviewed by elected officials.

The executive director of MySmartgov.org is Marilyn Schultz, a 14-year veteran of the Indiana House of Representatives and state budget director under Govs. Kernan and Frank O’Bannon. 

For more information or to get involved, visit the MySmartgov.org web site.