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Many resolutions have to do with shrinking our waistlines. But for our state legislators preparing to convene in Indianapolis, I have a different kind of suggestion: Resolve to streamline Indiana government, which is structurally bloated by more than 3,000 separate bureaucracies and 10,000 elected officials.

During this session of the General Assembly, legislators have a historic opportunity to reform local government by acting on the recommendations of the bipartisan Kernan-Shepard Commission. While the typical New Year’s resolution ends up with a discarded diet plan or unused gym membership around mid-February, legislative efforts to consolidate local government will benefit all Hoosiers for generations to come.

The Kernan-Shepard report follows a few common-sense principles to restructure a cumbersome system of local government designed in the 1850s. First, allow government to do more with less by reducing the number of duplicative bureaucracies with the power to tax and spend – most notably, completely eliminating township government.

Second, divide policymaking and administrative responsibilities for greater accountability and better service to taxpayers. Right now, county government is fragmented into a host of partisan offices whose duties don’t demand philosophical or political leadership. After all, there’s no Republican or Democratic way to record deeds, file marriage licenses or assess properties.

A better solution? Elect a county executive and an expanded county council to make policy – just like the Governor and General Assembly at the state level, or the President and Congress nationally. The county executive would appoint professionals to manage administrative tasks. The executive-council model means streamlined government with checks and balances – unlike the current system, with its maze of elected positions that actually dilute accountability.

Finally, encourage more citizens to hold their elected officials accountable by moving local and school board elections to an even-year election cycle, when voter participation is higher (and saving the expense of special off-year municipal elections).

Some have dismissed government reform as ‘academic,’ and not relevant to the real world problems facing Hoosiers. But the commission that crafted these recommendations was led by former South Bend Mayor and Governor Joe Kernan, and made up of leaders with decades of collective experience in local and state government – their insights don’t come from the ivory tower.

The choices confronting local governments without action aren’t academic, either. Local officials are facing a tough economy and property tax caps – without fundamentally changing the way government works, their only options are cutting services or raising other taxes.

Hoosier homeowners deserve accurate property taxes, based on professional assessments. Fair tax bills are far from academic. Police and fire protection and poor relief are provided by an outdated patchwork of thousands of township governments. To the citizens who depend on them, the consistency and quality of these services aren’t academic concerns.

We have proof that the Hoosiers regard government reform as more than an academic exercise. In the November elections, voters approved more than two-thirds of referenda merging township assessors into county government.

There’s a compelling case to be made that local government reform should top the legislative agenda in 2009, along with an honestly-balanced state budget. But with our own New Year’s resolutions, there’s always an excuse not to go to the gym, or start that diet. For the General Assembly, there are reasons not to make a commitment to reform local government: It’s always hard to fight the status quo, especially a system that provides perks and patronage for the local political organizations that support legislative candidates.

But this issue is too important for excuses. Legislators have a unique opportunity to make local government more effective and efficient, to protect taxpayers and serve all citizens better. With the dawn of the New Year and the start of the legislative session, the time is now.

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