VOICE OF THE TOWNSHIP
Bills aimed at eliminating township government are expected to be introduced during this year’s session of the Indiana General Assembly.
I would like to take this opportunity to explain the many unique services we perform at the Wayne Township Trustee’s Office, and the reasons these services must continue to be delivered by my office.
The Wayne Township Trustee’s Office serves an urban population of over 100,000, including much of central, south and southwest Fort Wayne. All of the Waynedale area is in Wayne Township.
As an urban township, our main responsibility is Township Assistance and the various programs associated with that responsibility. Over seventeen percent of the population of Wayne Township lives below the Federal poverty level.
Many of our clients have suffered financial set backs and need emergency township assistance while awaiting receipt of other types of assistance or getting a new job. Others are not eligible for help, or eligible for only limited help, from other assistance programs.
Adults without children, for example, generally are not eligible for cash assistance from the State. Disabled clients, who cannot work, need our assistance while waiting sometimes for years to receive the Social Security benefits they deserve.
These clients often have no to place to turn other than to Township Assistance. Without our help with rent and utilities, many of our clients, some elderly, could become homeless. Without our help, clients might have to go without the medications they need.
Before providing any assistance, my staff meets with every client individually. We assess the client’s overall needs, refer them to programs that can help them and make a decision regarding cash assistance based on each client’s situation. If a client requests further assistance, that client meets personally with staff at least once a month for an update.
At the Wayne Township Trustees’ Office, Township Assistance is not just a cash benefits program. If a client can work, that client is required to participate in our very successful Employment Program. In spite of our poor economy, we were able to help over 200 of our clients find employment in 2008.
If a client is having problems managing his or her own finances, we offer our Representative Payee Program. This program works with clients, many of whom are mentally disabled, to make sure their bills for basic necessities are paid with their own money and they are provided the guidance they need.
The Wayne Township Trustee’s office also sponsors other programs throughout the year to help those in need in our community. For example, we host a health fair in the Fall which, this year, provided free health care services to 600 uninsured and underinsured persons.
Our programs are successful because as a small unit of government we can provide clients with individual attention and with services specifically geared to meet the needs of residents of Wayne Township. Our clients are much more than just names on a state-wide computer system. They are neighbors who need our help.
Many advocates of eliminating township government want to turn over the duties of the township to counties. They refer to Indiana as having too many elected officials. Yet, they don’t explain why concentrating power in the hands of a few officials would make government better.
These advocates speak about cutting costs, but don’t provide information about how much, if any, money would be saved by consolidation. In fact, consolidation of township trustees’ duties into county government could end up costing taxpayers more money, similar to the additional cost Allen County is facing now because of last year’s consolidation of township assessing duties.
I urge you to support keeping the flexibility and personal attention a small unit of government offers by opposing the elimination of township government. I urge you to support our democratic form of government by opposing concentrating power in the hands of a few and creating more costly government bureaucracy.
If you log on to the website HoosiersforDemocracy.org, you will find additional information about this issue and an on-line petition you can sign in support of local government.
Richard A. Stevenson, Sr.
Wayne Township Trustee
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