Three bills introduced by Rep. Paul Schemel (R-Franklin), which aim to improve intergovernmental cooperation and reduce costs for taxpayers, were recently signed into law.
“House Bills 510, 511 and 512 will make it easier, faster and less costly for municipalities, municipal utilities, and school districts to work together,” Schemel said. “This kind of cooperation on projects serves to save taxpayers money while encouraging local governments to work more closely together.”
The bills revise the intergovernmental cooperation statutes and allow local government entities to make joint purchases, work cooperatively on projects, and share resources without having first to pass individual ordinances. The legislation would eliminate the requirement that a municipality enacts an ordinance and instead allow a municipal resolution to enable aid and cooperation between local governments.
Schemel noted that the processes required to pass individual ordinances may take one to two months and costs thousands of dollars.
“These bills were inspired by my discussions with Washington Township about some of the frustrations it experienced under the existing law, which effectively made it impossible to pool resources with neighboring municipalities,” Schemel said.