Evansville and Vanderburgh County 2010-2011 Reorganization
In 2009,
LWVSWIN exercised a provision of state law to call for preparation of a plan that would merge Evansville and Vanderburgh
County governments into a single, unified government.
As a result, a Study Committee was appointed by the City
and the County to study the options, feasibility, and efficiencies of merging city and county government.
The following is the first in a series of FAQs about the Study Committee’s
work. It deals with the creation and goals of the Study Committee.
More information and FAQs will be published
as their work progresses, including the Committee’s preliminary plan, final plan, and the actions of city and county
government leading up to the referendum when residents will have an opportunity to vote on the plan.
See this website for more FAQs
and periodic updates.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Q. Who created the
process that allows governmental entities to reorganize and consolidate?
A. The State Legislature
of Indiana in 2006. The Reorganization Statute is Indiana Code 36-1.5-4. You can find a link on the www. lwvswin.org
website.
Q. What are the goals of the 2010-2011 Reorganization Study?
A.
(1) To draft a plan for consolidating Evansville City and Vanderburgh County governments into a single countywide government;
(2) To create new efficiencies and to expand the efficiencies already achieved in combined government services, such as Central
Dispatch/911; (3) To make local government more easily accessible and accountable to its citizens; and (4) To create an integrated
leadership structure that can have a unified vision for advancing our community
Q. Who
appointed the Reorganization Study Committee?
A. The 12-member local government reorganization
study committee was appointed by the County Commissioners, County Council, Mayor, and City Council – each appointed
3 of the study committee members.
Q. What is the timeline for the Study Committee?
A.
A preliminary plan will be presented in early September 2010. Public hearings and information sessions on the plan will
take place September-November 2010. A revised and final plan will be presented to City Council and County Commissioners
by January 11, 2011. The earliest any plan will be voted on is in 2012, unless the Reorganization Statute is amended
to allow 2011.
Q. Is reorganization/consolidation the same as annexation?
A.
No. Annexation can be imposed by the city without consent by voters; and, residents of annexed areas must eventually receive
and pay for city services regardless of whether they want those services. Consolidation cannot occur without approval
by a referendum vote. The 2010-2011 Plan will have “service districts” according to the government
services provided, and residents would pay only for the services they receive in their district. Farmers would not pay
taxes for street lights, for example.
Q. Is township government affected by
this process?
A. No. Township government is not part of the study
Q.
Are the decisions of the Reorganization Study Committee final?
A. No. The Committee will
present a plan to the County Commissioners and City Council. The Commissioners and City Council then may approve, modify,
or reject the Committee’s plan or ask the Committee to supply requested modifications. This all has to occur within
one year of them receiving the Plan. The County Council and the Mayor may have input on the plan, but neither will be
able to vote on the plan before it goes to a referendum ballot.
Q. If the County Commissioners
and/or the City Council rejects the Plan in total, what happens?
A. If 10% of the voters sign
a petition, the Plan will go on the ballot despite the rejection by the City Council and/or County Commissioners.
Q. Is the Study Committee required to address the county sheriff and city police departments and
the city and township fire departments?
A. No. The state law gives the committee
broad leeway in deciding whether local government departments should be merged or left as is. The committee also could
stipulate that the newly elected merged city-county council would have to decidee what to do with various departments by a
given date after the consolidation.
Q. Will County residents who live
outside the City of Evansville be responsible for paying the debts of the City, or vice versa?
A.
No. The Reorganization Statute would prevent this. Debt is the responsibility of the citizens who
voted on it; and it stays with that group post-reorganization.
Q. Will the current elected
officeholders automatically be the officeholders in a new reorganized government?
A. No.
Elections would be held for the new offices created as a result of the consolidation.
Q.
How can I contact the Reorganization Committee to share my thoughts?
A. There is a Feedback Tab
on the City-County Consolidation section of evansvillegov.org. You may also attend any Committee or Subcommittee meeting.
They are listed in the City-County Consolidation section.
