Township boards serve as the legislative body for townships, provide a check and balance on the actions of the trustee.

Statewide, township board members make on average $522 annually for serving their communities. According to studies conducted by the ITA, this amounts to as little as 7¢ on a homeowner’s property tax bill (not 7¢ per $100 of AV). To further demonstrate our commitment to serving the public in a cost effective manner, the ITA supports capping township board salaries at $5,000 per year.

Township boards provide an invaluable service to their communities for this low cost. In addition to adopting the trustee’s budget and establishing tax rates for fire protection and township assistance, townships boards are also responsible for approving contracted entered into by the township, including contracts for fire protection. The board also approves annual standards for the delivery of township assistance, capital projects undertaken by the township, and any debt incurred by the township to meet the needs of the citizens.

Because board members live in the communities that they serve, they are more accessible to the electorate and can be held directly accountable by voters for the actions they take in regards to township assistance delivery, fire protection, and other functions.

Why should these duties not be transferred to the county?

Because townships boards play such an integral part in the delivery of services at the local level at such a low costs, these functions should remain at the township level and not be transferred to the county council.

As we stated above, townships board members provide a wide variety of important services at very low cost. If these duties were transferred to the county council, it is fair to assume that the council would expect to receive increased salaries for taking on these additional duties. The key question is, can county officials perform these duties and remain accessible to their constituents for less than 7¢ per year?

We believe some are underestimating the workload that would come with transferring these duties to the county level. For example, in Allen County alone, the county council would be expected to approve the budgets, fire contracts, annual reports, township assistance standards, and other important matters for 20 separate townships, in addition to their duties that they already perform. With these additional responsibilities, how can we expect a county council to be familiar with and understand the specific needs of each township in the county, especially when you consider there is a distinct rural, suburban, and urban demographic in almost every county?

Finally, will county councils be able to respond immediately to emergency situations arising in outlying townships? Currently, a trustee can call an emergency meeting of the township board to respond to immediate concerns, such as a fire pumper going out of service or a natural disaster depleting township funds. Township boards must immediately approve a plan to borrow for the emergency. Will county councils be as responsive, and at such a low cost as township boards?