The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1931-09-17
PROPOSE CITY
Be MADE INTO
ONE TOWNSHIP
Detailed Proposal Is Put
Before County Heads
by C. of C.
DIVIDED OPINION LOOMS
Proposal Is Prompted by
Boost in Public Poor
Aid Expenditures.

Detailed proposal for the merging
of townships in Marion county as
a governmental economy move, sug-
gested by the Chamber of Com
merce, was under consideration to-
day by county commissioners.
The plane, contained in fifteen
page pamphlet, handed commits
Sioners by William H. Book, civic
affairs director, would cause Wash
ington, Warren, Perry and Wayne
townships to lose those parts of
their areas now lying in Indianap-
oils.
With merging into single town.
ship covering the whole area of In
dianapolis, there would be within
the city only one justice of the
peace court, only one trustee, and
only one assessor instead of five or
more OF each, as now exists in the
city, the proposal states. This con-
Solidation proposal is prompted
mainly by the unprecedented in
crease in public poor relief expend-
ttures.
One Relief Head
The report emphasizes necessity
OF a more efficient and more eco
nomical administration of poor re-
lief funds, which have leaped one
twentieth of total tax collections,
or more than a million dollars a
year. One relief administrator for
the whole city is proposed.
Commissioners who legally have
authority at any time to change the
number, name and boundary lines
OF townships, as an excerpt of law
cited in the proposal reveals, may
be divided upon the question.
While Commissioner Dow Vorhies,
Democrat, declared: Il am opposed
to such merger" Commissioner
George Slider said: 81 have not
gone into the matter fully enough
to announce a decision"
ut means elimination of town.
ship Office holders and / am afraid
such a plan would encounter in
Surmountable difficulties" Snider
further stated
Lies IN Five Townships
Parts of Indianapolis lies in five
townships. The larger part, be-
tween Thirty-eighth street and
Troy avenue, Emerson and Belmont
avenues. is within Center township.
That part lying north of Thirty
eighth street is in Washington
township; that lying east of Emer-
son avenue is in Warren township;
that part south of Troy in Perry
township and that west of Belmont
avenue is within Wayne township.
The merger would apportion poor
relief expenditures over the whole
city, relieving Wayne township OF
part of its heavy burden of 23-cent
rate, adopted this year, and trans
ferring more TO Washington town.
ship, where the rate is only 2b
cents on each 500 of taxable prop
erty, the report claims.
Twice Valuation
Washington township has only
about one-f1fth the poor relief bur
den of Wayne and has twice the as
SesSSed valuation
The proposal states that eff the
total cost of poor relief admins
tered in indianapolis were assessed
equally against all property, the rate
would be 10 or IL cents on each 500
over the whole area"
At present rates are: Wayne,
% cents; Perry, cents; Center, 1919
cents; Warren, cents, and Wash
ington, 2ls cents.
Creation Of single township the
Chamber of Commerce says, in eff
fleet, would be a department of pub
lie welfare for the city, which it has
been suggested the legislature should
enact law to provide.
Eliminate Disparity
The single township, would mean
one assessor determining property
values throughout the city instead
of five. This would eliminate dis
parity between assessments within
each township segment, it is sug-
gested.
Simplified bookkeeping in the
county auditors and treasurer'S Of
flee by levying the same total tax
rate against all city property, also
is included as another benefit of
such a consolidation.
In line with suggestion that
eventually township government be
abolished completely, "the plan as
suggested" the pamphlet declares,
merely is a beginning of the So
luton of a problem of government
that fitrfhnr con he ci,,nr,liHnd