This story was originally published by TheStatehouseFile.com.
By Reagan Cox
TheStatehouseFile.com
January 19, 2026
Under a proposed bill, a lot of Indiana townships will be left with two options: consolidate or dissipate.
House Bill 1315 currently sits in the House Ways and Means Committee. Last week in the House Local Government Committee, it passed 9-3 along party lines.
The goal of this bill is to remove the redundancy in townships’ roles. It would apply to townships that serve less than 667 people, operate no fire department and meet other provisions and would give them until June 1 to designate a merger. These new rules are estimated to affect about 650 of Indiana’s 1,008 townships.
“I don’t want to eliminate services,” said Rep. Alaina Shonkwiler, R-Noblesville, the author of the bill. “I want to make sure that we need that layer of government, and if we don’t, let’s get rid of it.”
Twenty people testified before the committee, most of them expressing frustration with the performance of their townships.
“Fayette County has nine townships. With nine townships, that means nine trustees and 27 board members,” said Christina Neeley, a former township trustee from Fayette County. “Only two of those nine townships actively help families on a regular basis, covering funerals, preventing utility shutoffs and helping families through emergencies. … Right now, this system creates inefficiency.”
Another township trustee criticized the responsiveness of local officials.
“When you look at some of the townships, you see that they’re ineffective,” said Kathy LaRue, a trustee in St. John Township. “They don’t even see people, or they don’t answer the phone.”
Shonkwiler and other proponents of the bill said if a township is already engulfed in another unit of government, its responsibilities should fall under the city. The township should not exist, for it’s a waste of Hoosier’s money.
However, some were concerned with the exact wording of the bill, particularly because it does not include the parks and recreation systems.
“Parks and recreation departments continue to contribute to the economy, health and wellness, and environmental stewardship of our communities, making them better places to live, work and play. This, in turn, helps make Indiana more competitive in attracting and retaining businesses and employees they desperately need to succeed,” said Michael Klitzing, president-elect of the Indiana Parks and Recreation Association.
“Since informed decisions usually result in the best decisions, IPRA encourages this committee to seek more data and consider talking to parks and recreation departments affiliated with townships before making any decisions regarding HR 1315.”
Shonkwiler said the bill “is about recognizing that Indiana’s communities have changed.”
“The intent is not to eliminate services, but to modernize governance, so services are delivered more efficiently, and with a clearer accountability to taxpayers,” she said.
Reagan Cox is a reporter for TheStatehouseFile.com, a news site powered by Franklin College journalism students.
