The apparent failure of local government reform efforts in this session of the Indiana General Assembly is producing a number of legislative casualties. One reform proposal that would represent a major step forward for Terre Haute and Vigo County is among those unlikely to advance during the current session.
Among our favorite stipulations in various reform packages is one that would prevent public employees from serving on elected boards that oversee their positions and vote on pay raises.
Instances of firefighters, police officers and other public workers sitting on elected bodies and having direct influence on their own salaries and departmental budgets have long been a problem in Vigo County. Several instances exist now. While compromise proposals might have allowed current officeholders to continue in such roles despite the conflicts of interest, the problem would have been eliminated in the long term and would not allow new conflicts to arise.
Some reform provisions might resurface during the conference committee phase later in the session, but they most likely will be shelved until next year. That’s too bad, but rest assured these efforts will not die.
For the sake of good government, reform efforts such as this one must be pressed in the future.
• A positive piece of legislation that is still alive in the Indiana Legislature is one that would put teeth into laws governing access to public records and meetings.
The bill, which passed the Senate 49-0 and is now in a House committee awaiting a hearing, creates the ability for a judge to levy a civil fine against public officials if they deliberately violate the state’s public access laws.
As it now stands, the bill sets the maximum amount of a possible fine at $100 for a first occurrence, and a maximum of $500 for any subsequent violation.
While Indiana public access laws are widely viewed as adequate, the lack of civil penalties for violations has always been considered a flaw.
“A citizen can be fined for littering or jaywalking, but a public official can now purposely ignore the public’s right to information about government action or observe a board meeting without any personal consequences,” says Steve Key, general counsel for the Hoosier State Press Association. “That’s not right and [this bill] addresses that issue.”
Key explained that the fine would only come into play if a successful lawsuit alleging an access violation is brought against a public official or agency.
We urge the committee hearing the bill to pass it to the full House, and for representatives to pass it into law.
Editorials
Tribune-Star editorial: Good, bad news coming from General Assembly
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EDITORIAL: Delivering on infrastructure
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EDITORIAL: Big dreams do come true
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EDITORIAL: Big ‘kick’ from a native son
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EDITORIAL: Smoking ban good enough
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EDITORIAL: United Way’s strong reputation helps sustain community trust
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EDITORIAL: Nothing sexy about human trafficking
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EDITORIAL: The law’s good ‘Shepard’
Under the radar and against the backdrop of the fractious right-to-work battle going on in Indianapolis, one of state’s leading public servants delivered his valedictory in typical understated, even quiet, style two weeks ago. And before Indiana Supreme Court Chief Justice Randall T. Shepard slips away into retirement, his work needs to be acknowledged and praised.
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EDITORIAL: Cops at risk
Indiana lawmakers are playing with a loaded gun in a bill that passed the Indiana Senate Monday, 45-5.
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TRIBUNE-STAR EDITORIAL: Helping your community, a few mouse clicks at a time
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EDITORIAL: Raves around the town
To begin the week, we are raving about these recent pieces of local news:
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EDITORIAL: Let Hoosiers have a say on right-to-work bill
Indiana legislators, both Republican and Democrat, may claim to know the will of the people on right-to-work.
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EDITORIAL: Thin ice winter’s deadly scourge
Six-year-old Trevor Wayne Young of Nashville, Ind., and 50-year-old Allen D. Johnson of Galva, Ill., probably had little in common — except the way they died.
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EDITORIAL: Meeting needs at St. Ann's
The caliber of a community often is revealed by its efforts to help its least fortunate citizens.
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EDITORIAL: A sweet deal for Amazon.com
That loud lip-smack on the cheek you heard echoing from Indianapolis last week was the sound of Gov. Mitch Daniels kissing off on what amounts to another sweetheart deal between Indiana and Amazon.com, the online retailing giant.
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EDITORIAL: A new era for growth
The promised announcement of a major new industry for the former Pfizer property in southern Vigo County turned out to be well worth the wait.
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EDITORIAL: Transparency a worthy goal
Do taxpayers have the right to know specific details of contracts between elected school boards and superintendents they hire to run their operations?
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EDITORIAL: Shakir Bell’s success gives boost to Sycamore football
Hope inspires progress. It’s the fuel for a better future.
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EDITORIAL: Inspiration for the future
Hope inspires progress. It’s the fuel for a better future.
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EDITORIAL: Put teeth in public access laws
Indiana’s laws governing public access, as good as they are, lack something important — teeth. There are no significant consequences for agencies or employees who intentionally violate them.
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EDITORIAL: Time for teamwork in Sullivan
The beginning of a new mayoral term in any community is — or should be — a time when the talk of the town is rife with ideas, improvements and changes.
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EDITORIAL: Lawmakers should leave IHSAA, high school basketball alone
In an idyllic world, Indiana could restore its fabled single-class high school basketball state tournament, and thousands of fans would pour into gymnasiums from Angola to Corydon in hopes of witnessing another “Milan Miracle” year after year after year.
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EDITORIAL: ‘Anthem’ proposal way off key
Remember Faith Hill’s impassioned rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner” at the Super Bowl in 2000?
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EDITORIAL: Back from the access brink
It took almost a week, but Gov. Daniels finally stepped up and did the right thing on Wednesday, rescinding new rules aimed at restricting the number of people allowed in the Statehouse during this session of the General Assembly.
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EDITORIAL: Poor decision by local Dems
By a little after 4 this afternoon, Terre Haute Mayor Duke Bennett will have been sworn in for a second term and City Councilman-elect Robert All will have taken the oath of office for the first time.
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EDITORIAL: Be it resolved …
Resolutions for 2012 are top-of-mind today.
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EDITORIAL: Another slice of Classic history
Baseball is the so-called American pastime, but to Hoosiers and to our Illinois neighbors, it’s basketball that gets a community’s blood pumping. And no form of roundball does that any more intimately than high school basketball, whether boys or girls. College hoops is great, but nothing quite beats the packed, overheated confines of a high school gym when a tight game turns on every possession, every shot, every rebound, every pass, every defensive position. The sing-song of cheerleaders, the shrillness of a ref’s whistle, the squeak of gym shoes on hardwood, the shouted instructions from the benches, the aroma of popcorn — those form a Midwestern tableau unlike any other.
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EDITORIAL: A strategy for growth
There are many ways to market an area in order to spur economic growth. Some may work better than others, but there is no perfect approach. The essential thing is to have a strategy and to implement it.
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