allen county government

Allen County Government

An Insider’s Look at County Government

History of County Government

• 1851 Charter

• Developed as part of the Indiana Constitution

• Creates four branches of government– Executive– Legislative– Judicial– Fiscal

History of County Government

• Creates Constitutional Offices (Defined by term limitations)– Auditor– Treasurer– Clerk– Sheriff– Recorder– Coroner– Surveyor (Constitutional but not defined by term

limits)

History of County Government

• Creates Non-Constitutional Offices (Established by state statute)– 3 Commissioners (elected from districts on

an at-Large basis)– Assessor – Township Assessors– County Council ( 4 elected by district, 3 at-

Large)– Prosecutor

Bad News

• Increasing Public Safety costs– Prosecution of criminals (Cost?)– Superior and Circuit Court– Sheriff’s Department– Jail– Probation

• Costs have gone from 40% of budget in 1991 to 69% in 2008.

Financial = $5,193,591Misc. Services = $5,844,506Operations = $15,529,401Law Enforcement/Judicial = $58,560,287Total 2008 Budget = $85,127,785

2008 General Fund Budget

• Amount collected in taxes doesn’t even cover amount necessary to fund public safety.

2008 General Fund Revenue Estimate

Bad News

• Outside of Public Safety, counties are responsible for much more than other governing entities:– Child Welfare (budget numbers)– Bridges– Assessments– County Roads

Bad News

• Annexations– Street miles lost (Aboite Annexation)– CEDIT and COIT dollars lost– Population/Services provided by the county

don’t decrease• Jail• Prosecutions• Roads to plow

– Move to distribution of revenues based on services provided?

Good News

• Professionalism of Elected Officials & Department Heads

• Progressive County Council• Strong legislative delegation• Development of best practices

– Strategic Planning– Regionalizing efforts– Collaborative purchasing– Integrating services where it makes sense

Good News

Who is spending?

Future of County Government

• Unlikely; total consolidation• Likely; consolidation of functions;

– Homeland Security– Land Use Planning– Human Resources– Information Technology– 911– Highway/Streets– Parks

Future of County Government

• Consolidation of Areas where economies of scale will dictate savings– Health Clinics– Health Savings Accounts– Early retirement options– Worker’s Compensation– Health Insurance– General Liability Insurance– Fuel Costs– Postage

Future of County Government

• Legislative initiatives– HEA 1362 (Government Reorganization; 2006)– HEA 1478 (Property Taxes; 2007)– HB 1001 (Budget Bill; 2008)– SB 17 (Tax Incremental Financing)– SB 18 (Limitations on debt)

• The Fix– Allow budget increases of no more than a factor of the

current budget X increase in population X increase in CPI.

Future of County Government

• Government Efficiencies Study Group

• Blue Ribbon Committee– Recommendations

Future of County Government

• What’s on the radar?– Fort-to-Port– Maplecrest Road– Sheriff’s Regional Training Academy– Community Corrections Building– Shovel Ready Sites– Partnerships with City government