By Eric Berman
2/2/2010
The Senate has narrowly approved a bill to allow counties to replace county commissioners with a single, elected county executive.
Majority Leader and Local Government Committee Chairman Connie Lawson's (R-Danville) bill would let three-member county commissions vote themselves out of office by unanimous vote.
The proposal is a variation on a recommendation by the Kernan-Shepard Commission of 2008, which recommended abolishing the commissioners in favor of county executives statewide. Legislators last year considered that plan and local referenda before rejecting both ideas.
Even leaving the decision to the commissioners met with opposition, with senators approving the bill 28-22. Sen. Jean Leising (R-Oldenburg) says large rural counties like those in her district are too big for a single executive to govern effectively. She argues the three-commissioner system ensures all parts of the county have representation.
The bill would not affect Marion County, whose commissioners under Unigov are the auditor, treasurer and assessor, and are not elected separately.
Lawson's bill also includes a Kernan-Shepard provision requested by Governor Daniels, to bar municipal employees from serving on the city or county councils that oversee them. Under Lawson's bill, municipal workers could run for those offices, but would automatically lose their jobs if elected.
The bill also gives all counties the right to adopt the centralized "vote centers" now being used in a handful of counties in place of the traditional precinct system.
The bill now goes to the House.
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