Virago has more to say about Fort Wayne-Allen County Consolidation

Don't you feel it's a done deal,the consolidation that the City of Fort Wayne has been crying for, and the media in wanting to be Indy. Are these the only folks that's paying for this?? I don't think so, I believe all other taxpayers should have been consulted, instead of using a presentation to the joint meeting directed at the two all mighties..I'm talking about the City and the County. Does it sound seem like a merger with the use of the name Fort Wayne-Allen County implies that it is a done deal. If not, Fort Wayne City Council officially got the ball rolling to begin merging its governmental functions with Allen County.

If Allen should take the bait and agree with City Council in combining the two, the city and county residents will now be join together. The smugness of it all, when suggesting that public hearings will be available for the taxpayer..bullcrappy. Or the citizen will be able to vote on it..more bullcrappy, City council removed the taxpayers by rejecting the threshold clause. The elected officials did not won't the voters to interfer with them going full steam ahead.

House Bill 1362 Or Indiana Code 36.1.5 grants political subdivision the ability to merge together, that are within a certain distant of each other, exempting local hospitals. Together, the legislative bodies adopting a resolution can initiate the consolidation of power or by the filing of a voter's petition proposing a reorganization signed by five percent of the voters, as determined by the votes in the political subdivision for Secretary of the State of the most recent general election.

The most guaranteed way for a merger, is for the request to come from a majority seated legislative body, securing a do pass for its body. The next phase of an expedited process would be to include a majority seated legislative body to merge with, which would be the Allen County Commission. Like minds support the same goal.

If the merging bodies agree on a resolution. Notice, I didn't say anything about any public meetings for input from the public. The third stage is selecting a reorganization committee or drafting cooperative agreement between the merged bodies.

The Committee is free to draft, design, set rules, and policy to govern this modern government that promises to streamline government and be more efficient. The committee has broad discretion on whether or not to hold public hearings only when it deems it necessary or appropriate, which may not include input from the public but from other public subdivisions that may be impacted by such a merger.

The plan could include the elimination of jobs, switching incompetent employees with employees that are more competent or money from a more prosperous department to a less affluent department, or lift school funding from one district to another district. This will be left to the reorganization committee that will consist of appointed members and will include attorneys, accountants, consultants, and other business professionals protecting their vested interests under the promulgation of the new government.

The combinations are endless. And the voters' will is foreclosed from interfering in the process. The public meetings and the rejection threshold on the public question of the merger are eliminated. The legislature body would have allowed the committee to substitute a countywide voter approval for the referendum after the plan has been approved. The legislature body even set the limit to 50%+1 insuring that the process is not bogged down by dissenting voices. They are good I tell you. The politicians are good in pushing stuff on the paying taxpayers, because it's the taxpayers who is going to have pay for the fun and folly of the elected representatives.

The modern government will be formulated by a select few and no input from the non-elected or appointed citizens. Too much power for me, reminds me of the founding fathers in the drafting of the contract with America. And we know what happen when that happened. The people fought a war and some amendments were made to the law of the land, according to the late Justice Thurgood Marshall and Barbara Jordan. There is a promise by those in charge, that the process will be open and transparent, but that was just a ploy to mislead on a promise not codified by legislatures. I hope the heck that the folks in all the little sciffy towns rises up and put a stop to not the brighest lightbulbs in the U.S.A.