Subscriber Benefit
As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowThree neighboring central Indiana townships have merged to deliver services more efficiently.
The merger of Franklin, Union and Needham townships in Johnson County south of Indianapolis took effect Jan. 1 following unanimous votes in favor of the merger by all three township boards last April.
The merged township is the first in the state, the Daily Journal reported. It serves 29,885 residents and 12,185 households.
Lydia Wales, who was serving as Franklin Township’s trustee before the merger, was chosen to be the merged township’s trustee.
Wales was chosen by the former township governments to continue serving until voters elect a new trustee in November. Wales has filed to run for the post.
The trustee’s office provides housing, utility and burial assistance, help with transportation to job interviews in Johnson County, and a community pantry with clothing, food, toiletries, and diapers. The office also provides free notary services and will act as a payee for Social Security Administration benefits.
Please enable JavaScript to view this content.
What will the new township be called?
Seems like a question that should have been answered in the article.
Frankunham seems appropriate…
Wouldn’t they all just change names to “Union”?
This is an old story, originally reported by other outlets in April 2021. https://fox59.com/news/two-johnson-county-townships-merge-into-franklin-township/
It took effect January 1, 5 weeks ago. The new township is called Franklin-Union-Needham.
For those unfamiliar with Johnson County, it had nine townships in a tic-tac-toe pattern similar to Marion County. These were the middle tier of three townships along SR 44 from Morgan to Shelby Counties.
Most townships need to be disbanded because they perform the same functions that cities/ towns in their area.