The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-04-04
LOCAL GOVERNMENT.
Suggestions Looking to Reform in
County Affairs.

To the Editor Of the Indianapolis Journal
In proposing a new form of charter or or
ganization for our counties it Is important,
first of all, to retain those parts of the pres
ent county structure which work well and
serve their purposes with reasonable eff
cheney. We should part with nothing which
is good. the burden of proof always being
placed upon him who proposes change in
the law. Likewise it is necessary for us to
retain the constitutional offices of the coun-
ty unless, indeed, our Constitution is to be
amended, which is not believed to be neces-
sary. These constitutional officers are aud
itor, clerk, sheriff, treasurer, recorder, cor
oner and surveyor. With the exception of
auditor, and possibly coroner, no change in
these offices is necessary, nor is it proposed
to deal with the question of fees and SAL
aries, which is quite a different reform
The Constitution does not prescribe the du-
ties of auditor, and, therefore, they may be
enlarged. Neither does it prescribe the pow
ers of county commissioners. The provision
is: 1.-THE General Assembly may confer
upon the boards doing county business in
the several counties powers of a local adj
ministrative character. Therefore it seems
plain that the Legislature may, without any
constitutional amendment, make division
of the legislative from the administrative
powers now exercised by the commissioners.
In remodeling our local government we
should follow only sound principles or gov
eminent and business which have been APP
proved by the experience of our people The
most important consideration is that the
larger the control which the people have
over public expense the more satisfactory
are the results Since the people in large
communities cannot vote directly upon tax
leVieS and public expenses there should be
the best possible representative system.
Another principle thoroughly tested Dy ex-
perience is, that the same men or body OF
men should not exercise both legislative and
administrative powers. They should not be
able on the one hand to fix the tax rate and
make appropriations of money, and on the
other hand eXpend the money which they
of such double powers by the same men is
a fruitful source of evil, whereas, when the
power to levy taxes and appropriate money
is placed in one department of the govern
ment and the power to make contracts and
supervise the expenditure of money thus APP
propriated is placed in another department,
each acts as a check upon the other. In this
way, 1t is believed, the voice Of the public
secures more effective expression and there
is less temptation to careleSSneSS and eX-
travangance in the conduct Of public bust
ness.
In order to constitute a more efficient
ganizatiOn for the conduct of county bust
ness, division of the powers now exercised
by county commissioners should be made.
The present board Of commissioners should
be retained, possessing and exercising the
executive or administrative powers of the
county They should have charge of roads
contracts and approve their fultlllment end
authorize the payment of county bills. They
should be deprived of the power to levy
taxes and appropriate money, which should
be transferred to more representative and
popular body. The powers of the commits
sioners to create liabilities ami make con-
tracts and expend money should Le limited
strictly to appropriations authorized by the
legislative body of the county.
At meeting of the Indiana State Board
Of Commerce in January, 1898, l suggested
that such a representative body might be
known as the county legislature, but on
reflection the name of county council seems
preferable.
BY apportioning the representation ac-
cordlng to the population of the respective
townships, the cities which now are almost
unrepresented on the county boards would
have just share in determining the
amount and character of county expenses:
The members OF the county council should
receive small salaries, of say $40 per year
for EACH but this might vary with the pop
ulation of the county. They would meet
once a year to fix the tax levy and make
appropriations. Other meetings could be
held if needed. This body would hold the
purse strings of the county, and, it is be-
lieved, would much more nearly express
the better judgment of the whole people
than the present boards. The power OF ex-
pending appropriations, however, would be-
long exclusively to the executive board of
commissioners.
However, the power of the county coun-
Gil should not itself be without check. The
The auditor of the county should act also
as controller. He should furnish eStt-
mates or the various items OF county 6A-
penses during the ensuing year. The coun-
ty council should consider and revise these
estimates having the power to reduce
them, but not to increase them Having as
certained the amount of money necessary
the council could regulate the tax levy ac-
cordingly. This plan is introduced into all
modern city charters and constitutes the
most popular and satisfactory feature or
modern municipal reform. 1t does result in
the reduction of taxes and, secures better
returns for public money spent.
Other questions might also arise In reOr-
ganizing our county government. Ihus,
should the new county government have
charge of the same subjects as do our pres
emf county governments, or might not some
of the present township business be safely
transferred to the county having popular
representative county council and an lnde-
pendent executive board of county commits
sioners, elected by the people as at present?
Would it not be an Improvement II the en-
tire subject Of roads and bridges were
placed in the hands of the county? Should
not county superintendent be elected by the
people of the county? Should not the APP
pointment of teachers be vested in the
county superintendent instead of in town
these points and others of great Importance,
the writer is not prepared to announce an
opinion. Certainly they require the consid-
Grafton of our people, not forgetting that,
other things being equal, the more localized
government and the less centralized,
even within the county itself, the better
are the results obtained, particularly in re-
spect to the imposition of public burdens.
But these matters are entirely matters of
ton here discussed at all. The plan Of
county government above proposed, might
leave untouched the division between coun-
ty and township business just as at pres
emit and yet, undoubtedly, accomplish a
great Improvement in the conduct of the
county business throughout the State.
The enactment of a suitable law, en-
bodying the above changes in the structure
of county organization, does not conten-
plate the necessary imposition of the change
upon any county in the State. On the coii-
trary, the question Of adopting the new
plan of county government should be left
to the vote of the people in each county.
Likewise the law should provide, not only
that the people may by their vote adopt
the new plan of government, but also that
a majority of the voters might compel the
abandonment Of the new plan, if it were
once adopted and tried, and return to the
present plan of county government. This
principle of local option has worked well in
other States. The two plans of county gov
eminent working side by side in different
counties, make the system flexible and
adaptable to the different circumstances of
different localities, besides giving us the
benefit of practical comparison.
In the next article will be considered the
civil and school township.
AUGUSTUS L. MASON, Chairman
Committee on Municipal Affairs, Indiana
State Board of Commerce
NTrxrTn GUAM m xT5O WArTN~ruw