Local government efficiency task force.
SB 352 creates a temporary “Local Government Efficiency Task Force” within the Indiana General Assembly to study ways to make local government more streamlined and cost effective. The task force is composed of 17 voting members, including legislators from both chambers and parties, the state fire marshal, and gubernatorial appointees representing counties, municipalities, townships, and school corporations. It must meet publicly, operate under open meetings and public records laws, and submit a report with findings and recommendations to the General Assembly and governor by November 1, 2026.
The bill directs the task force to examine several major structural reforms, including eliminating townships and township assessors, countywide fire protection and emergency services, eliminating municipal health departments, reorganizing library districts, consolidating school districts to meet minimum enrollment thresholds, requiring county approval of taxing districts and political subdivisions’ budgets, and reviewing prior government modernization reorganizations for additional efficiencies. The task force is temporary, expires December 31, 2026, and its staff support and member expenses are paid from legislative council appropriations.
If enacted, SB 352 would not immediately change local government structures or dissolve any local entities. Instead, it would add a new chapter to the Indiana Code establishing a study commission with authority to investigate and recommend potential statutory changes affecting townships, fire protection, public health, libraries, school districts, and local taxing and budgeting authority. Its main legal effect is to create an official legislative process for evaluating consolidation and reorganization proposals that could later lead to broader changes in state law governing local government.
Based on the bill text and the absence of recorded committee debate or votes in the provided materials, the bill appears to be framed as a policy study measure rather than an immediate restructuring proposal. The overall tone is administrative and reform-oriented, emphasizing efficiency, cost savings, and streamlining. Because no voting history or transcript is available, there is no documented public sentiment in the record provided beyond the bill’s stated reform goals.
The likely points of contention are the scope and direction of the reforms the task force is directed to study. Proposals to eliminate townships, consolidate fire and emergency services, remove municipal health departments, reorganize library districts, and consolidate school districts could draw opposition from local officials, employees, and residents concerned about local control, service delivery, and community identity. The inclusion of county budget approval over taxing districts and political subdivisions may also be controversial because it would shift fiscal authority upward to county government. Supporters would likely emphasize efficiency, duplication reduction, and cost savings, while opponents would likely focus on the loss of autonomy and the practical challenges of consolidation.