To the Editor:
Franklin Union Needham Township is the best township government in the state according to the Indiana Trustees Association. The newly merged township was named the 2022 Indiana Township of the year at their annual conference in September.
Last year the three townships made history becoming the first township merger in the state. Township mergers were first conceived in the Kernan Shepard Report of 2007 however no successful mergers had occurred until now. A merger is a complicated endeavor that requires sacrifice as at least one elected Trustee and three elected Advisory Board Members must resign as a result.
Franklin Township Trustee Lydia Wales began investigating a potential merger in 2019. One reason was the inconsistent level of aid and confusion of having three different townships that all shared Franklin addresses. Children attending the same school might receive vastly different levels of aid simply because they lived within different townships that were just one street apart.
With no previous mergers to follow, Franklin, Union and Needham townships had to create a blueprint for mergers that did not exist. Ultimately, officials decided effective communication was our best tool to move forward. Working with legal counsel, they created the case for a merger. Combining meant the elimination of duplicate expenses such as office rent, utilities, payroll, dues, et cetera.
Before proceeding with the merger process, the three trustees met with all local levels of government. They spoke in public sessions to the commissioners, county council, Franklin City Council, Bargersville Town Council, Franklin school board as well as many help agencies. They shared the ideas on the Franklin Township web page and on social media. Receiving positive feedback and support, Wales then led the process to make the merger official.
Following the straw man procedure for merging was not enough, the townships went beyond the minimum limits to create a robust and sound mechanism for other townships to follow in the future. Because this was a three-township merger it required all three trustees and nine board members to vote to approve the merger and then required two of the trustees and six of the board members to resign, as the newly formed township can only have one trustee ad three board members by state law.
Legislators have studied mergers for over a decade. Earlier this year Wales was asked to the statehouse to speak with State Sen. Rod Bray and leaders about the merger as the FUN merger may act as the catalyst for future mergers across the state.
The merger, however, was only one reason the FUN township was awarded as the top township in the state. Wales has consistently found ways to assist those in the community who struggle. Her office has been able to partner with agencies to provide aid while keeping the costs to the taxpayer low by aggressively seeking grants to help fund aid.
Townships are responsible to provide emergency assistance, however, they often see the same families returning continuously for additional aid. FUN township has sought to provide those emergency services coupled with case management and planning to help those families reach self-sustainment and their efforts have paid off.
Examples are numerous but a recent one really highlighted the importance of township governance. Wales shared a recent surprise visitor who was a former client that had been continuously seeking assistance for several years. Along with immediate emergency assistance, Wales helped the family create a personal plan out of poverty. They discussed actions needed and the hard work it would require. Two years later the client returned to speak to Wales. With tears of joy, she thanked Wales and shared the news that her family had followed the plan, worked hard and they had just purchased their first home. Homeownership had until then been an impossible dream.
When asked about what the Indiana Township of the Year award meant to Wales, she was quick to thank the local community. This is not an award just for our office, it is a recognition that Franklin Union Needham Township is the best community to be in. She loves this community and is honored to represent it as trustee.
The award is presented at the annual Indiana Trustees Association conference each year. Wales was formerly recognized as the Top Trustee in 2019 and case manager Nichole Boston was recognized in 2021 as Staff Member of the Year. Winning top Township honors this year shows a consistent pattern of excellence in township government.
John Wales
Franklin
Husband of Trustee Lydia Wales
