Town council talks electing a mayor, joining with Perry Township
By Sophie Pappas
With more than 25,000 residents and an increased burden on local government, Zionsville Town Council President Jeff Papa is saying it’s time for a change.
During an executive session of the town council on April 21, tensions rose during a lengthy discussion on reorganizing the town. Papa presented plans for Zionsville to join in a partnership with Perry Township in an effort for Zionsville to expand and elect a mayor. This comes after the town successfully partnered with Eagle and Union Townships in 2008.
The council voted 5 to 1, to pass the first hearing of the fiscal plan to adopt Perry Township.
After the plan is reviewed by the Indiana Department of Local Government Finance, then Perry Township is on track to become part of the Town of Zionsville, a municipality.
Councilman Tom Schuler is adamantly against the partnership, saying that Papa should have consulted with council members when the idea to join with Perry Township was still in the conceptual stage.
“When you are looking at expanding the town by 40 percent, it doesn’t seem like a good idea to rush through it,” Schuler said.
Indiana state law justifies electing a mayor when a town becomes a city or reorganizes with a local corporation. For Zionsville, this could mean partnering with Zionsville Community School Corporation or even Hussey-Mayfield Memorial Library. Both of these groups declined Papa’s offer to reorganize with the town.
“[The library] was concerned about losing control,” Papa said. “They decided they weren’t ready for this.”
Perry Township, on the other hand, realized long ago that their community of 1,100 rural farmers would eventually be annexed into Lebanon, Whitestown or Zionsville.
According to Papa, the Perry Township Board of Trustees settled on Zionsville because of its lower rural-district tax rates and decided to take action before being forcefully joined with a nearby community.
On April 18, the Perry Township board voted in favor of moving forward with the resolution to join with Zionsville.
Reasons for the change
According to Papa, this change has been a long time coming. He said that a part-time council should no longer govern town hall’s staff.
“The main justification for Zionsville to go forward with this is: I’ve been approached many, many times over the past several years by people asking when are we going to have a mayor,” Papa said. “A part time councilor should not lead a full time staff of more than 100 people.”
Additionally, Papa said that having a mayor will help steer economic development.
Councilman Tim Haak echoed Papa’s sentiments, saying that numerous potential businesses call town hall asking to speak with a mayor, Haak, Papa, and even former council president Matt Price.
“People don’t know who to call, since the council president changes every few years,” Haak said. “I think you need a mayor with some power.”
Papa said that Perry Township also has significant assets that would be useful to Zionsville, such as new fire vehicles, a second grass truck and a new fire department building.
“I think there would be a significant dollar benefit,” Papa said, adding that this was not the initial aim of the partnership.
Papa said that Zionsville went from being a very small town to now a very large town. Zionsville is the third largest town in Indiana.
The partnership, if approved, is expected to produce $2.5 million in tax revenue for the town.
“We are excited about the potential partnership,” said Perry Township Trustee President Lee Giles. “Our board has unanimously approved the resolution…We are ready to join with you. Candidly, our constituents would rather be partners with Zionsville than anyone else.”
Council dissent
Councilman Schuler, who is in favor of a partnership with the library instead of Perry Township, questioned Papa relentlessly, asking: “Is there a reason this wasn’t mentioned to the full town council when you approached the library?”
Papa responded by saying that he sits in on “dozens and dozens” of conceptual meetings and that there are “a thousand balloons that never come to pass.”
“This idea to partner with Perry happened three weeks ago,” Papa said. “There wasn’t any secret plot to partner with Perry.”
Councilwoman Candace Ulmer said she is in favor of electing a mayor, but is uncomfortable with the resolution.
“I just want to make sure I’m more comfortable,” she said.
Schuler said he is not concerned with the residents of Perry Township, but rather the people of Zionsville who elected him. He was the only council member who voted against the first resolution.
“I’m thinking of my constituents who will ask why we are doing this,” Schuler said.
What’s next
Following the work session that took place on April 24, the council will hold a second reading of the resolution and then send its fiscal analysis of the partnership with Perry Township to the Indiana Department of Local Government Finance.
The DLGF is responsible for reviewing this fiscal plan. For the plan to be reviewed, the DLGF must have the necessary documents before May 3, after which the DLGF will post its review on their website for public viewing.
Zionsville and Perry residents will then have the chance to vote in the November elections either for or against the partnership, in a reorganization referendum.
“The Department of Local Government cannot comment on the Zionsville and Perry Township reorganization at this time,” said DLGF spokeswomen Jenny Banks. “In general, the department would follow Indiana Code 36-1.5-4 as it pertains to a reorganization by referendum.”
This section of state code reads: “Two or more townships located entirely within the same county. A township reorganizing under this subdivision must be adjacent to at least one other township participating in the reorganization.”
If the voters pass the referendum, the Zionsville Town Council will then elect an interim mayor from the town council to preside over the new Town of Zionsville. This interim mayor will serve from January 1, 2015 to January 1, 2016.
The mayor serving during this period will receive pay equal to the 2013 compensation of the Zionsville Town Council President and will lead the transition implementation of the reorganized town. This person will not be a candidate for election to the office of mayor in November 2015.
While this person acts as interim mayor, a trustee from the Perry Worth Township Board of Trustees will be chosen by the board to sit on the town council.
What this means for Zionsville residents
-Zionsville will grow by 40 percent in square footage, and gain more than 1,000 residents.
-An estimated $250 million of increased tax revenue will flow into the town’s general fund from Perry Township.
-Residents will elect a mayor to lead the town council and town hall staff.
About the potential mayor
-A potential mayor will be a full-time, paid employee of the town.
-He or she will lead the town council, and be in charge of the more than 100 person town hall staff.
-While the town council would continue to control the hypothetical purse strings, the mayor will control how to spend the money designated by the council.
-He or she will be in charge of overseeing economic development and growth.
-He or she will earn upwards of $120,000 annually.
-The town council may override the mayor with a majority vote.
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