Reorganization committee approves amended reorganization plan, forwards it to township and town councils

The reorganization committee meeting in Ellettsville voted to accept an amended reorganization proposal and forward it to the Richland Township board and the Ellettsville Town Council for further action.

The committee approved changes that clarify how two township board members will be chosen to serve on the reorganized seven-member board (the two who received the most votes in the last election), how vacancies and forfeiture will be handled during the interim period, and the creation of a five-member advisory board reserved for former township residents. The draft was amended to delete a paragraph proposing an interlocal agreement with Monroe County regarding roads and to remove language that would have required plan commission members to serve without compensation.

The advisory board language specifies that at least three seats will be reserved for former township residents who are not town residents, that the town manager will make appointments, and that the advisory board will be phased out after two years. Committee members said appointments by the town manager were intended to avoid additional open-meetings and public-records constraints on advisory-board meetings.

Members emphasized that the reorganization plan itself does not by itself change zoning or land-use rules. The committee added an explicit statutory reference to Indiana Code 36-7-2-1 to make clear that, after local adoption and any required subordinate processes, the reorganized town will exercise planning and zoning powers; members reiterated that actual zoning changes would occur later through the unified development ordinance and comprehensive-plan processes and would require public hearings and ordinances.

At the vote to accept the plan as amended, recorded votes in the meeting included Kevin Ferris, Dr. Sanders, Scott Reynolds, Ron (as named in the roll call), and William Ellis voting yes; the motion passed and the committee will forward the amended draft to the two local governing bodies. The committee chair outlined the next steps: each board must meet at least twice to read and discuss the resolution, there must be at least one public hearing, the final draft will be posted for public review, and then the plan will be submitted to the DLGE for its review.

The committee also agreed to add clarifying language in the plan about when a council member would forfeit a seat if district lines change, with the intent that current officials generally serve out their terms during the interim period and that any new electoral rules would apply at the next election cycle.

The committee session closed with thanks to legal counsel, staff and volunteer members and with an invitation for community members and local business groups to help develop plain-language talking points for voters ahead of the November ballot.

The reorganization proposal will next be considered by the Richland Township board and the Ellettsville Town Council; schedule and additional hearings will be posted as the boards set dates.