By DEANNA MARTIN

Associated Press Writer

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — State Senate leaders say Gov. Mitch Daniels’ proposals on streamlining local government might have to be voluntary options for counties — not mandates — to clear Statehouse hurdles.

“It’s a realistic approach to getting things passed,” said Senate President Pro Tem David Long, R-Fort Wayne. “It’s better for people to decide for themselves how they want to the structure of their government to look.”

Senate Minority Leader Vi Simpson, D-Bloomington, predicted the measures proposed by Daniels would not pass unless they were voluntary.

Among other things, Daniels wants lawmakers to eliminate Indiana’s county commissions and replace the three-member boards with a single county executive who would run the county government as a mayor runs a city. County councils that now primarily handle budgeting would absorb the county commission duties of making other legislative decisions.

Daniels, a Republican, said Friday that he would consider legislation that made his proposals optional, but noted that local governments didn’t have a choice when the old system was uniformly adopted.

“There’d be a lot of questions that would have to be answered about that,” Daniels said. “Do you really want a hodgepodge of different systems in different counties?”

A law passed last year did just that. The General Assembly shifted property tax assessment duties in most of Indiana’s townships to county assessors, but left the decision to voters in 43 townships with many tax parcels. Voters in all but about a dozen townships chose to transfer township assessments duties to the county level.

The Indiana Association of Counties supports legislation that would give counties the option to adopt the single-executive system. But the group says a statewide mandate would mean increased costs in some counties.

Long said proposals to streamline government wouldn’t work everywhere, but that some counties would likely embrace the chance to change.

“I think you’ll see some surprising changes out there if people get a chance to vote on it,” Long said.

Daniels said he appreciates Long trying to find consensus on the issue.

Legislators are split on many of the proposals, and divisions are not neatly along party lines. Rural areas could be affected differently than urban areas, so lawmakers say it’s difficult for them to agree.

“We have members of our caucus who endorse virtually every one of the measures, and some that don’t,” said House Minority Leader Brian Bosma, a Republican from Indianapolis.

Democrats who control the House have not been eager to consider the revamp proposals, saying lawmakers should focus on more pressing priorities, like the budget and fixing the state’s unemployment insurance system.

But Daniels argues that the difficult economic times are an excellent opportunity for government reform, and he will make his case again in Tuesday evening’s State of the State address.

Daniels is also pushing other government changes, including reorganizing library systems by county and shifting township government administrative responsibilities to the county executive. He wants school districts with fewer than 1,000 students to combine central office operations with another school district unless they are already a countywide district.

The proposals stem from a 2007 report by the Indiana Commission on Local Government Reform, which was headed by former Democratic Gov. Joe Kernan and state Supreme Court Chief Justice Randall Shepard.

Posted 1/12/2009