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TALKING POINTS
Main Features of the Proposal
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Current city and county councils would be replaced with a
metro council of 13 members. 10 elected from districts, 3 elected at-large.
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The city mayor and the commissioners would be replaced
with a metro mayor with executive powers similar to the present mayor, but
with the authority to appoint a deputy mayor and with line item veto powers
over the budget.
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The new council and mayor would have the power to
reorganize any aspect of local government within the limits of the state
constitution.
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The proposal would create separate classes of taxing
districts based on specific services received in those districts after
unification. The council and mayor would have the power to extend services
and commensurate taxes on an incremental basis.
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County offices would remain essentially unchanged. They
would relate to the new metro council and mayor in the same way they now
relate to the county council and the commissioners. The committee has
recommended that the County Auditor assume the duties of the City Clerk and
that that position be eliminated.
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Darmstadt would remain independent relating to the new
metro government as it does to the current county government.
Benefits
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In 2003, The Wisconsin Policy Research Institute
completed a comprehensive study of the impact of unified governments in
several cities. These included Miami-Dade, Florida; Nashville-Davidson,
Tennessee; Jacksonville-Duval, Florida; Indianapolis-Marion, Indiana;
Lexington-Fayette, Kentucky; and Louisville-Jefferson, Kentucky.
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This study concluded, “All of the consolidated
communities have done better economically than they were doing before their
consolidation.” The study did point out that other factors may have been
responsible for this. The effects on taxation were mixed. Those that
consolidated the most functions, such as Nashville and Lexington, did have
lower inflation-adjusted property taxes after unification than those cities
that did partial unification, such as Indianapolis.
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Unity in leadership can provide stronger, more focused
efforts toward economic development. Faster economic growth will increase the
tax base and create more job opportunities for the young people of our
community.
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The metro council and mayor would have greater powers to
find ways to reduce costs through reorganization. They would have the power to
extend services on an incremental basis rather than the cumbersome
all-or-nothing method of annexation.
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Unification of government would reduce the number of
office holders and reduce overlapping and duplicate efforts.
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Unification
with a single council offers opportunities to save money and better control
taxes, the budget, capital projects, private contracts, personnel procedures,
and health care costs.
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The creation of different taxing districts based on
services provided will make for fairer taxation.
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It will give
all the residents of Vanderburgh County representation on all matters of local
government that affect them. This includes, as examples, water and sewer
fees and expenditures for the parks system.
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The unified council districts
will be smaller than current county or city council districts offering
representation that will be more attentive to local concerns. (The proposed
unified council would have districts of approximately 17,000 residents.
Current city council districts now have approximately 20,000 residents, and
county council districts have over 40,000 residents.)
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County residents who work and shop in the city or use
services offered in the city are affected by decision made within municipal
government. Unification will give all citizens of Vanderburgh County a voice
in those decisions.
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