From the Muncie Star-Press:
It is essential the citizens of Delaware County are knowledgeable about the plan in order to cast an informed vote for or against the referendum on Nov. 6. Even though the plan for reorganization and consolidation into a single governmental unit involves the city of Muncie and the rural, unincorporated area only, every registered voter in the county has a vote.
It does nothing to change or affect the governments of the incorporated towns. This will be the first time in the 185 years, since Delaware County was chartered and Muncie was chosen as the “seat of justice,” that we have had the privilege to choose, directly, the structure of our local government. It is a rare opportunity and we must be informed and prepared to do so intelligently.
In the Sept. 26 article, Realtor Julie Bering of Yorktown-Mount Pleasant Township said she realized that merging two units of government into one unit would increase taxes and not reduce the number of people. Both assertions are completely unfounded.
Real estate and property taxes were capped by an amendment to the state constitution. The reorganization plan does reduce the number of people. For example, it will replace 21 people, composed of the city and county councils and three executive/legislative county commissioners, with just 15 elected officials, comprised of 14 members of a city-county council and one chief executive. That is a six fewer people. The chief executive, in addition to the responsibilities of administration, chairs the council but only votes to break a tie.
Mayor Dennis Tyler expressed concern that Muncie would lose its identity as a city and community. The greater Muncie community extends well beyond the invisible boundaries of the city proper. Several recent economic development projects have occurred outside city limits, but Muncie is still referenced as the place name, and indeed most have Muncie addresses and Zip codes. In actuality, Muncie is the commercial and cultural hub of the region and its sphere of influence extends into the surrounding counties and across the state line into Ohio.
The plan calls for a combined government composed of two districts: rural and urban. The city-county council will determine the name of the consolidated entity. It seems unlikely that the urban district would be named anything other than Muncie. The council will also determine the title of the city-county executive.
There should be no concern that “developers and investors from all over the world” will not be impressed to be greeted by the ranking elected official, chief executive officer, of the consolidated government.
As a matter of fact, they would more likely be impressed to find a community that had changed local government to be in step with the 21st century.
Commissioner Todd Donati, referring to the plan, said, “I don’t think it was properly put together.” The reorganization plan was “put together” by a team that included three members who were appointed by him and his fellow commissioners.
They worked on it intensely for a year, approved it unanimously and sent it to the commissioners and city council for action: to approve or reject. The plan was ignored for more than a year by both bodies. Last minute action, amending it to require a two-thirds majority, was taken to beat a deadline before it would have gone to referendum as submitted.
It is the belief of a nonpartisan group of Muncie-Delaware County people, who favor the adoption of the plan to reorganize city county government into a single unit, that all voters should learn what the plan is in order to cast an informed vote.
For more detail and FAQs about modernizing local government, check the following website: www.voteyesreorg.com/.
http://www.thestarpress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2012310190017
