Reference no: EM131718822

Background Information:

Unigov is the colloquial name adopted by the city of Indianapolis, Indiana to describe its consolidated city–county government. By an act of the Indiana General Assembly, Indianapolis consolidated with the government of Marion County in 1970. Within Unigov are eleven "included towns". Under state law Indiana Code 36-3-1-4 sec. 4(a), included towns are legally part of the Consolidated City of Indianapolis and are fully subject to the laws and control of the government of Indianapolis. Four other municipalities in Marion County are not part of the Indianapolis government ("excluded cities and towns"), but receive county-level services from Unigov and are represented by the Indianapolis City–County Council and mayor. The area of Marion County not within the included or excluded towns is known as the balance.

Indianapolis was intentionally surveyed and founded as the capital of the US state of Indiana. Given the state of urban planning in 1821, little thought was given to the growth of the city. Original planners were of the opinion that it would never grow beyond its original square mile (2.6 km²) layout (still known as "the Mile Square"). Contrary to their belief, Marion County soon was filled with small communities with connections to or with businesses that had formed to take advantage of Indianapolis's location midway between Lake Michigan, and both Cincinnati, Ohio, and Louisville, Kentucky. City growth happened in fits and starts, and it was possible in some areas to leave and re-enter Indianapolis while traveling in a straight line. The movement of affluent citizens to more fashionable suburbs, especially to the north of the city limits, accelerated into full white flight in the period after World War II. While this sprawl was generally within Marion County, it hastened the decay of the city itself.

Unigov was proposed in the late 1960s by then mayor (now former Senator) Richard Lugar to address these problems and a number of other related issues. In order to support Unigov, a compromise was arranged; the cities of Beech Grove, Lawrence, Southport, and Speedway each maintained limited autonomy, with their own police forces, school systems, and mayors (except Speedway); in addition, fire service and school districts were maintained at their pre-Unigov borders, and some towns otherwise incorporated into the city were permitted to maintain independent police forces. Nevertheless, the excluded cities are also part of Indianapolis-Marion County and are thus represented within Unigov's legislative body, known as the City-County Council. This is necessary because a number of services and governmental responsibilities are delegated by the state of Indiana to county-level government; these services and responsibilities include road maintenance, natural resource management, civil ordinances (zoning, flood development), etc. In addition to voting for the mayors and councils of their respective cities and towns, residents are also able to vote for the Mayor of Indianapolis, plus a City-County Council member, and the four at-large council members. This arrangement was passed because residents are obligated to pay many county-wide taxes and because the powers of the Mayor of Indianapolis extend to the entire county.

Political implications

For many years, the incorporation of the city's suburbs was seen as working to the political benefit of the Republican Party, which held the mayor's office from the election of Richard Lugar in 1967 until the election of Democrat Bart Peterson in 1999. Democrats gained a one-seat majority on the City-County Council for the first time in citywide elections in 2003.

Facing a budget crisis, Peterson made a proposal to eliminate some remaining duplication, dubbed "Indianapolis Works!". He claimed it would eliminate remaining duplication, while opponents saw it as an effort to further consolidate the power of the Democratic Party in Marion County. The extension of city government was now seen as benefiting the Democrats, who had made many gains (as they did nationally) in the inner-ring suburbs, many more of which are included within the boundaries of the city than in many comparable metropolitan areas.

In December 2005, the City-County Council approved a merger of the Indianapolis Police Department and the Marion County Sheriff's Department, creating the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, headed by the Marion County Sheriff.[6]

In the 2007 municipal elections, the Republican party, led by Gregory A. Ballard, recaptured the Mayor's office and also won back a majority of the City-County Council. One of the planks of Ballard's campaign platform was that the police department needed to be under the responsibility of the Mayor, and not the Sheriff. In February 2008, the new GOP-led council gave the authority over the county-wide Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department to the Mayor, leaving Sheriff Frank J. Andersonwith authority over the county jail, protection of City-County buildings and the traditional roles of tax collection and paper serving, but left him as the only Sheriff in Indiana without territory to protect.

For this assignment, The merger is Indianapolis-Marion County, Indiana?

You must report on the background, progress, and/or results of that consolidation.  Items you should address in your report:

What was the overall reason for the endeavor? Who “spearheaded” the effort?

Quality of services

Cost control

Did it have support from the local community?

Did it have support from local industry?

What was the financial/economic development impact of the consolidation?

Did the merger cause a loss of jobs or benefits?

Your report must be at least 700 words in length (including references,),