Commissioners Opine on Home Rule in West Lampeter Twp. Meeting

As part of efforts to involve other areas of the county in county government, the commissioners held a public meeting in West Lampeter Township, Tuesday night.

A brief but lively debate ensued when one of the few residents in attendance asked the Commissioners whether the township/school board model of government - with an elected board of commissioners and an appointed manager - could also work at the County level.

Democratic Commissioner Craig Lehman was the first to respond: "I guess I'm just of the opinion that if you are truly going to separate the executive and the legislative branches, I prefer an elected executive and an elected legislature because I believe that public accountability [for] elected officials is important."

Commissioner Scott Martin, a Republican, was quick to respond that County governments were not designed with the separation of powers that exists at the federal level. He argued that establishing a legislative branch of County government would invite an expansion of the role, functions, and cost of government.

"I know we can do the job and the job is being done just fine with three people," he said.

While Martin compared County government to a business and pointed to low taxes, Lehman argued that governmental decision-making is "not supposed to be easy," arguing for maximum representation.

These issues will be debated further at the next meeting of the Government Study Commission next Tuesday, July 8 on the fifth floor of the Courthouse. The Commission will revisit their proposal for an elected board of Commissioners and an appointed administrator, as well as other elements of the Home Rule Charter.