State Senator Ryan Mishler (R-Bremen) spent Wednesday job shadowing different departments in Kosciusko County.
The Association of Indiana Counties recently launched a statewide initiative called State and Counties Partnering for Progress.
The idea is to create a greater understanding between legislators and county employees.
Mishler spent time in the offices of the assessor, auditor, clerk, highway department, recorder, treasurer and others.
The state senator then met with county officials, including county commissioners and county councilmen Bob Sanders and Jim Moyer, to talk about what he learned.
Mishler was asked by Sanders if there was a better way for the different counties to communicate with each other.
Mishler said he acknowledged the need for better communication but was hesitant to have the state mandate programs for different county offices to use.
“I’d rather work on a system to make them all communicate,” said Mishler.
Mishler said he did enjoy his time in Kosciusko County.
“I just enjoyed seeing how county government in Kosciusko County worked,” said Mishler. “I rarely hear any complaints about Kosciusko County.”
“You are my most frugal county,” said Mishler, whose district includes Kosciusko, Marshall, St. Joseph and Elkhart counties.
During his meeting with county officials, Mishler discussed the funding of county’s 911 services, property taxes and how larger counties are run differently from smaller ones.
Mishler said he wanted to visit the other counties in his district but wasn’t going to tell them to run things like Kosciusko County does.
According to Mishler, one St. Joseph County official, when told how things were done in Kosciusko County, said, “Well, they don’t live in the real world down there.”
Mishler said he’d love to come back and spend more time working with Kosciusko County officials.
“This county is very efficient,” said Mishler. “I’d love to come back.”
He noted that when he was with the treasurer’s office he got to see property taxes coming in. He’d like to see how that money was then used to pay for different things in government.
With methamphetamine use still at an alarming rate in Kosciusko County, Mishler also took time to discuss the current tracking system of pseudoephedrine as well as potential legislation that would require a prescription for it.
He said there have been reports released that say the tracking system is working.
He also said more legislation may come up in session.
“My biggest fear is that today it’s meth,” said Mishler. “What is it going to be tomorrow?”
