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No clear favorite in time-zone issue By KEVIN KOELLING Managing Editor - Perry County News Commissioners meeting today to decide next steps PERRY COUNTY - County residents are weighing-in with time-zone preferences, and the tallies are running pretty close. County Administrator Sarah Peter fielded 120 calls for the county commissioners as of 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, and three more in the next few minutes, from people expressing opinions about which time zone Perry County should be in. As of that time, the tally was 52 callers for Central time, 59 for Eastern, eight who wanted things to stay the same and "one for whatever Dubois County does," Peter said. Staying the same is not an option, if what those callers meant is the system Perry County is using now. Under that system, most of the rest of the nation advances their clocks an hour in the spring to observe daylight-saving time, then turns them back in the fall. Under legislation enacted in May, the entire state will "spring forward" and "fall back" beginning next April. "Whatever Dubois County does" remains to be determined. Of those who explained reasons for their preferences, most were concerned about traveling outside Perry County for work, shopping or visiting others, and their preferences depended on their destinations. One caller said going to Central time would defeat the purpose of going to daylight-saving time, that Perry Countians would lose the hour of daylight gained in "springing forward." One person wants to stay on "Louisville time" because when they have an 8 a.m. appointment there, for example, it's 7 a.m. here, meaning a very early departure is necessary. Peter said that reasoning applies to her when, in her other role as county veteran-services officer, she has to take veterans to a Veterans Administration facility in Louisville. Conversely, one person said she wants to remain an hour ahead of Evansville because she can make doctor's appointments there that don't require her children to miss any school time. The three who called Peter's office while The News was asking her for tallies said they'd prefer Central time, bringing the vote close to a tie. Some people, including Bruce Chinn, assistant to the superintendent for Tell City-Troy Township schools, are concerned about children waiting in the dark for buses. Chinn said some children are out as early as 7 a.m. While dawn precedes sunrise by about half an hour, providing some light, sunrise will occur at or after 7 a.m. on 20-24 days (depending on how many snow days the students have to make up) in 2006, according to charts provided by Jeff Sagarin, a statistician residing in Bloomington. Known for the sports rankings he provides to USA Today, Sagarin is urging a statewide referendum be conducted on which time zone the whole of Indiana should be in, and argues at his Web site, www.kiva.net/~jsagarin/sports/timezone.htm, that Central is the optimal zone for all of Indiana. The latest U.S. Census Bureau data shows the mean and median population centers of the United States are in Missouri and the southwestern portion of Indiana, respectively, "and that each new census has those centers moving south and west, always farther from the eastern time zone," Sagarin writes. Conversely, the Indiana Chamber of Commerce is urging counties now in Eastern time to remain there. Its president, Kevin Brinegar, and director of economic development policy, Brian Bergsma, say doing so would be "better for business, reduce crime, provide energy savings and increase road safety." The chamber officials point out, "Over 52 percent of Indiana's imports and 39 percent of its exports are with states that observe Eastern DST - as compared to 38 percent of imports and 25 percent of exports with Central DST states. In terms of dollars, that translates to $197.7 billion of tangible business with Eastern DST states vs. $134 billion with Central DST states. Bottom line: Indiana should be aligned with the majority of the nation with which it does business." They also point out, however, that Perry is one of two counties now on Eastern Standard Time that are mismatched with their media-commerce markets. This and Pike County are in the Evansville market, which is in the Central time zone. Commissioner Terry Lock, who provided his home phone number as an alternative method for county residents to express their preferences, said Wednesday he received 32 calls from people who prefer Central time and 11 from those who want to remain on Eastern. He has heard "a little bit of everything," he said of the reasons people gave for their opinions. Some complained they won't be able to get their children to go to bed if it's light at 9 p.m., as would be the case under Eastern time. A lot of people shop or go to the doctor in Evansville, Lock said, while others feel it's important to be on the same time as Indianapolis, that the entire state should be on one system. Lock said no application has been made yet to the federal Department of Transportation, which handles time-zone-change requests. A county-commissioners meeting scheduled for 7:30 p.m. today will include discussion of the possibility of conducting a public hearing to solicit more input and about whether the county will request a DOT hearing.

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