County 25: Wells

In every county I’ve visited on my Hoosier Crossroads Tour, I’ve asked a simple question to the local elected officials in the county: What are some of your best practices that you can share with the rest of the state?

I’ve gotten many different answers, but my favorites are the ones that have taken up consolidation efforts on their own, like Wells County.

“Consolidation” is sometimes a dirty word to local officials who fear their community might lose its identity. Being from a rural area, I can understand those concerns. But consolidation that our administration has advocated can take many different forms.

The big consolidations – city and county, town and township – make all the headlines, but some counties like Wells are simply consolidating management functions. The local officials there told me some of their best practices include centralized dispatch for emergency services, a centralized planning commission, and a combined health department.

These types of consolidations are the kind that business is very good at and government struggles to do. Yet, they eliminate redundancy, cut bureaucracy, and ultimately save taxpayer dollars. The officials in Wells County assure me that service has not declined just because a county and a town have chosen to work together. That’s the most important thing.

I’m encouraged by those areas that have taken it upon themselves to consolidate some functions. Now, we need to look at how to encourage other counties to do the same.