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Putnam County trustees and commissioners seek clarity on SB 270 township merger rules
Summary
Putnam County commissioners and township trustees met April 15 to review how Indiana’s SB 270 will change township consolidation rules, deadlines and representation. County officials said final DLGF scoring and state guidance, due next year, will determine timing and local choices.
Putnam County commissioners met with township trustees on April 15 to discuss how Indiana Senate Bill 270 will change the process for consolidating townships, including timing, legal references and potential impacts on local representation.
County Attorney Jim Ensley told trustees the relevant law is "Indiana Code 36-6-1.5 and 36-6-1.7," and said the Department of Local Government & Finance (DLGF) will announce township scoring points by Dec. 31, 2026, with a final list expected July 1, 2027. Ensley said IC 36-6-1.7 takes effect July 1, 2027, and that the board of commissioners has until Oct. 1, 2027, to decide how to proceed on mergers.
Those timelines matter for trustees considering voluntary consolidation. Ensley and President Andy Beck explained that trustees who want to pursue voluntary mergers must begin the process Jan. 1, 2027, and cannot initiate mergers in a year when a general election is held (2026). Ensley added that a voluntary process already begun will take precedence over a commissioners' decision made after the July 1 DLGF scoring.
Several trustees raised practical concerns. Warren Township Trustee Karen Heavin, who said she is pursuing a voluntary merger, asked how merger-related legal work would be handled and whether trustees could use the county attorney. Heavin said she prefers not to spend township funds on outside counsel if the county attorney can assist. Commissioner Rick Woodall replied that whether the county attorney can represent trustees "depends on what all would need to be done," and noted the county may have a new county attorney next year because the current attorney is running for judge.
Madison Township Trustee Jeff Alexander said his township faces a "unique situation" involving its fire department and signaled concern about operational impacts of consolidation. Washington Township Trustee John McPherson warned that if multiple townships are merged, "one board member goes with the new designated township," which could leave some areas without direct trustee representation.
A Greencastle township trustee asked specifically how school board appointments would be handled after a merger; Commissioner Beck suggested consulting the city attorney because Greencastle schools use a different appointment process than the county’s other districts.
Commissioners acknowledged there are "a lot of gray areas" in how the statute will be applied, including how trustees will be selected for new or merged townships and whether township names will change. They said they are seeking examples from other counties that have completed mergers and will wait for DLGF scoring and further state guidance before scheduling more meetings. The board agreed there was no point in another county-wide meeting until after Jan. 1, 2027.
The meeting ended with a unanimous motion to adjourn by Commissioner Rick Woodall, seconded by Vice President Tom Helmer.
The next procedural steps are for DLGF to publish the scoring points and for commissioners to evaluate those scores before any formal consolidation decisions are made.
