13 WTHR - Indianapolis News |Ballard pushes Unigov 2.0

Ballard pushes Unigov 2.0

"City government is local government," said the mayor.

Mayor Ballard is pushing Unigov 2.0, an off-shoot of Indy Works by previous Mayor Bart Peterson.

"If we are able to be more efficient on how we conduct business then I think it will help," Ballard said.

Ballard argues Unigov 2.0 will help city government by reforming fire service, emergency communications, property taxes administration and township poor relief services.

Last November Marion County voters supported consolidating township assessment services. Ballard counts it as one more step toward Unigov 2.0. He wants the City-County Council to be the "check and balance" for township government.

Ballard says supporting the governor on property tax caps ensures homeowners predictable payments.

The mayor wants all firefighters on the same page too.

"I want to make sure the same person on the right and left have the same training, same equipment, the same standard everybody else has," Ballard said.

Ballard says taking over things like emergency management is not only the right thing to do but also the right financial thing to do, saving tax payers big bucks.

"What I am trying to do is position the city for the long haul. This is not about 2010, 2011, 2012. It's about 2040, 2050," the mayor said.

In a recent speech Mayor Ballard also talked about appointing directors and taking over management and appointing directors for Community Corrections, Health and Hospital and Indygo.