How would giving up power effect the impact of reduced tax revenue? It won’t – the revenue will be reduced either way. Additionally, if the townships are asking for taxes to remain unchanged, how can you say that Trustees want to see taxes go up? That’s two logic disconnects in one short post. You can do better, Abdul.
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I’m certainly in favor of lowered or eliminated property taxes (without a Constitutional amendment unless it is for zero property taxes). But let’s try to remain on point and honest. Distorting the facts to support your position doesn’t help anyone – especially when you have a level of cfredibility to maintain.

The math is pretty simple. Consolidate and the rates go down. Don’t consolidate, the tax caps still kick in, you have less revenue coming in, you still have fire protection needs, you go to the state and ask for an increase in the tax caps. How hard is this?

The Distressed Units Board will moot all of the caps, anyway. Caps are a happy fairy tale.

With CAPS or the current system…they can always do this crap.

If the math is so simple, why are you having so much trouble with it?
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(County Budget) + (1% Tax cap) = less fire protection
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(Township budget) + (1% Tax cap) = less fire protection
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(Abdul trying to inject fire department budgets and tax caps into a consolidation argument) = Smoke and mirrors
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Clearly we don’t want to increase property taxes. And clearly the townships face a challenge in meeting safety budgets with mandatory caps. But trying to pin the issue on township government is like blaming a mule for sitting still when he knows that the path forward leads to a cliff.

Shorebreak I think you are missing Abdul’s point here. Looking at the Marion county townships that still maintain their own little fiefdom and do not want to consolidate to reduce costs. If these townships went ahead and consolidated their fire departments they would be able to cut out a lot of unnecessary expenses that are being duplicated for each township. Being able to cut or eliminate administrative costs would allow them to run more efficiently on a smaller budget. But instead of being able to do more for less with consolidation they would rather just ask for a raise in taxes to maintain their power within the township itself.

I’m not always a huge fan of consolidation–our schools, for example, need streamlining, but until/unless IPS gets an exorcism, it’s too poisoned to become part of another school system.

But at the township level, the following argument is absolutely true: there are at least five fire stations in this county, which are extremely close to another township’s or IFD’s fire station. Run times and safety would not be compromised by closing those stations. Efficiencies increase when artificial boundaries go away. Numbers of firefighters are not necessarily reduced, but efficiences are everywhere.

And that doesn’t even figure the reduced command structure costs.

The argument has its limits, of course. At some point, there are boundary lines, i.e., northside -v- Carmel, for instance.

But the township fire fiefdoms have inflated cost beyond its natural ability to be absorbed byb taxpayers. The duplicity is enormous. Not to mention the arrogance.

It’s a good thing you weren’t around a few years ago, Abdul. Then, the Wayne trustee changed, and he was an advocate of merger talks. The Fire Dept. personnel actually told the trustee the fire department was incorporated, and the taxpayers of Wayne no longer owned the equipment…all to avoid consolidation and to preserve these arcane fiefdoms.

No, I’m not kidding…it happened. Wayne’s fire fiefdom may be among the most-inflated and territorial.

We must grab the reins of public safety and whip out of it whatever efficiency savings we can muster, all the while not compromising safety of citizens.

It can and will be done. It’s just a matter of time.

Wayne Township people were told their fire tax rate would be reduced by at LEAST 50% if they consolidated.

The trustee, however, David King Baird, will not give up his “kingdom” in order to save his taxpayers.

But his favorite saying is, “It’s for the children.”

Township government must be eliminated!

Nice. If my crib burns to the ground in 2010 I’m going to find the Lawrence Trustee(s) and thank them!

Daw-g:

Remember: It was the Lawrence Twp Trustee who was responsbile for failing to pay the life insurance premium for a Lawrence Twp fireman killed in the line of duty!

It was the Lawrence Twp Trustee who contracted with a volunteer fire department (of a political crony small city mayor) that was much farther from the neighborhood (42nd/Ritter) than the professional Indianapolis Fire Department…when the house there caught fire and the volunteers finally arrived, there was a trajic fatality.

Want more examples of why the fire departments need to be handled by professionals, not political cronys?

T.A. in post 7. Spot on.

Muckracker. I wasn’t aware of that second incident but you’re right about the first. I have an idea. I have a $5.00 off coupon to be use at ACE hardware on Fox/79th. Let’s meet there and we can stock up on pitch forks and torches!

Muckracker

There are no volunteer fire departments left in Marion County. All the townships are paid. Get your facts straight. “Professional IFD” ok get a bigger grip on life