Mayor Gahan Opposes City/County Merger

MAYOR GAHAN OPPOSES CITY/COUNTY MERGER

As Floyd County's Municipal Unit Strategic Taskforce (MUST) prepares for its third meeting, Mayor Jeff Gahan said New Albany will continue participating in the process but still has concerns about “MUST” and the problems that Senate Bill 1 and Senate Enrolled Act 1 have already caused for cities in the state of Indiana.

Most cities across Indiana are preparing for dramatic cuts to public safety and services caused by Senate Bill 1, but Mayor Gahan has said that the City of New Albany will oppose any proposal that reduces public safety funding or lowers the quality of life for city residents.

Mayor Gahan noted that New Albany enters the process with one of the strongest financial records in the region, having finished under budget for 15 consecutive years, maintained excellent financial audits, earned an A+ financial rating, and never raised local taxes.

By contrast, Floyd County's most recent audit identified an approximately $45 million accounting discrepancy that remains unresolved.

"It is difficult to negotiate the future when the county still cannot explain a $45 million discrepancy in its own financial records," Gahan said.

Mayor Gahan also raised concerns about the direction of the MUST process, saying it increasingly appears to be an attempt to move Floyd County toward a UNIGOV-style consolidation and merger of city and county services, all without the approval or consent of local voters.

“It’s clear that mergers like this do not work, and they typically result in decreased services for cities, and increased taxes for everyone,” stated Mayor Jeff Gahan. “That’s why we cannot support this.”

As it currently stands, the Floyd County-led initiative could lower public safety funding as well as other quality of life services that the people of New Albany rely on. Mayor Gahan reiterated that the city of New Albany will not support any proposal that lowers funding for public safety or quality of life services.