Consolidated government hasn't been much in the news lately, but people here are still working on it. One thing that will help the movement is increased pressure on the state to let go of its control as more and more cities and counties try to cope with shrinking revenues and an increasing demand for services. Evansville officials are further along than we are in designing a charter-government template. And even in Indianapolis, where UniGov has been around for a long time, the City-County Council is still working on some unfinished business, namely the consolidation of city and county police departments. Gov. Mitch Daniels has expressed support for giving communties more local control but says it has to be put off until the state gets its own financial house in order. But when the state is having problems, isn't that a good time to consider letting others start taking care of their own problems?
