Township Reform Bill Dies Without Vote In House

Legislation to force about 300 of Indiana’s townships to consolidate quietly died in the House Monday. The bill didn’t get called for a vote on the House’s deadline day after its author says she couldn’t find enough support in her caucus.

The measure would have required townships of fewer than 1,200 people to consolidate with an adjacent unit by 2023. House Speaker Brian Bosma (R-Indianapolis) says members of the GOP caucus – many of whom represent rural areas – had concerns.

“Received a lot of pushback locally from their communities, so we’ll take another bite at the apple,” Bosma says.

The Indiana Township Association helped craft the bill. But after a House committee removed provisions to provide some funding help to townships, the association pulled its support.

Bill author Rep. Cindy Ziemke (R-Batesville) says she’ll continue to work on the issue.

“I still believe it would be the best thing for Indiana to do it,” Ziemke says. “And it certainly requires political will to do it, so at some point maybe they will.”

Ziemke says she didn’t want to force a vote only to watch the bill fail.