Fire Territory DissolvedThe Clermont Town Council voted 5-0 to dissolve the fire territory with Wayne Township, ending a three-year contract. The territory officially ends July 1, but this does not stop Wayne Township from providing fire protection service to Clermont. Although Clermont Town Attorney Robert Lutz had no way of knowing, he speculated that Wayne Township Trustee and the board were taking similar action to dissolve the fire territory that same night in order to obtain future County Option Income Tax (COIT) funds. Council President Bob Hinshaw, Councilman Walt Miller and Lutz attended a prior meeting with township officials to learn that litigation with the City of Indianapolis is forcing the township to dissolve the territory so it can have access to the COIT funds. Lutz explained the township sued Indianapolis for the township’s share of COIT, but the township lost the battle because the fire territory allowed the fire department to increase the budget beyond the normal five percent cap to fund the department. The court said the township was not entitled to COIT for this reason. The fire territory was a necessary tool to help the township fund the fire department when it switched from an all volunteer to an all paid department. The township needed to be able to raise the budget beyond the five percent cap to have money in the general fund for payroll. The Township is now appealing the case but informed Clermont that it thought it would be best to end the territory for future entitlements to COIT. Lutz informed the council members at the regular meeting before they voted that once dissolved, it is final. “You can’t put the bullet back in,” he said. The council preferred to end the territory at the March 8 meeting instead of waiting to see what action the township government instituted. “You can’t fire us, we quit,” Hinshaw quipped. He clarified his statement saying he hopes Clermont’s action beat the township to the punch of dissolving the territory first. Lutz explained the cost of fire protection service would not revert to the $80,000 fire contract that the town has been paying for the last three years. It will be based on the amount that the Indiana Department Of Local Government Finance approved in the town’s budget submitted in September. Clermont budgeted its fire territory participation amount at $298,000. However, Hinshaw thinks the amount will be lower than the estimated tax rate of .61 cents per assessed $100 that was used to derive the budget amount. Hinshaw thinks the Clermont taxpayers will pay closer to $160,000 to $175,000 for fire protection service once the assessed valuation is certified. Hinshaw informed the other council members that Brownsburg decided not to offer fire protection to Clermont because the distance is too great. “We are down to one source, Wayne Township, to contract with for fire protection,” he said. In other matters, Walt Miller invited Ball State College of Architecture Professor Scott Truex to discuss revitalizing Main Street at the April 12 town council meeting. Miller was inspired to talk to Truex after Truex and Ball State students assisted Town of Speedway with its development of three visions. “They have been here before. They can’t make us do it,” Councilor Vonda Kiger said. Miller responded it is not up to the Ball State to implement the change. It is the town and people that have to decide if they want to change. “We have the assets here,” he said. In other matters, Kiger announced a town clean up May 5. She encouraged everyone to clean up his or her own yards. She said a dumpster would be available to collect the litter and yard waste. “No heavy trash or toxic waste will be accepted,” she said. The council also approved to move $684 from the streets and sidewalks fund to pay for the $6,684 snow removal bill. The council only budgeted $6,000 for 2007. . |
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