The April Township Board meeting will be held, Thursday, April 16, 2009, 7:00 p.m. at Union Elementary School, 11750 East 300 South.
Beginning with our June 18, 2009 meeting, the Union Township Board meetings will be held at the new Station 92 on US 421.
The Union Township Transition Teams members are: Dan Montgomery, Union Township Board President; Jim Sanford, Union Township Board Secretary; Michael Deiss, Union Township Country Wood Resident.
These gentlemen along with representatives from Eagle Township and the Town of Zionsville, will soon begin to expand on the recommendations made by the Reorganization Committee.
All meetings will be publically noticed and the public are invited to attend. This is the opportunity for the public to become more involved with the formation of our new Town of Zionsville.
Please take the time to become more involved in your community!
January 15, 2009 will be the first Union Township Board for 2009. The meeting will be held at the Union Elementary School, 11750 East 300 South Zionsville at 7:00 p.m.
The last step in Reorganizing Union, Eagle Townships and the town of Zionsville is up to you. Be sure to go to the last page on the ballot, page 6, and the question is in the upper right corner. I hope you will vote YES so that Union can finally have the full representation it deserves in planning for growth and control over our taxes.
It is really very simple – the school system is most of your property tax dollar. It still will be whether we reorganize or not. If we do not reorganize then WHEN all or portions of Union are annexed you will still have the same school tax, PLUS whatever the tax rate is for whoever annexed us, which I am sure will be much higher than the current township tax of 14 cents per $100.
Will you take a moment and take a straw poll below:
The vote you cast this election regarding Reorganization will be historic. It is historic in that it is the first time in Indiana that citizens have voted to eliminate some government entities and combine for future efficiencies.
With Reorganization, the position of Township Trustee for both Eagle and Union townships will be abolished as will the three member boards of those townships. This is a good thing and while not a lot it will save the Union Township taxpayers around $11,350 annually.
Another good thing is that reorganization will match local government to our school district, which is the majority of our property tax load. School district expenses are directly effected by growth and it is only logical that community planning be able to make wise decisions regarding both community and school district growth.
The Reorganization Committee spent a lot time and recognized that a “one size fits all” approach would be a non-starter. The good idea that they came up with was a two tier system recognizing that some folks desire to live in the urban atmosphere of the village, while others prefer a rural lifestyle. Additionally reorganization provides that you only pay taxes for the services you receive, and we only pay for Union Township’s debt obligations (new fire/ambulance station) , not Eagle’s or Zionsville’s.
The only bad thing I can forsee is if Reorganization does not pass, in Indiana that leaves Union Township (and the rest of unincorporated Eagle Township) ripe for forced annexation – and the increased tax ramifications that will bring, as well as loss of planning input and probably spiraling school taxes or decrease in the quality of education for our children and grandchildren.
Reorganization is GOOD THING, be sure to vote YES November 4th.
Click here to link to the Reorganization Committee’s website or click here for a FAQ fact sheet.
Several meetings are scheduled throughout the area to answer questions and discuss the benefits of voting YES for Reorganization on this November ballot.
The first meeting is tomorrow evening, October 9th at 7 pm at the Zionsville Library (Lora Hussey community room).
A week later, Thursday October 16th at 7 pm at Union Township Elementary School (following the regular Board’s business meeting).
Also, on Monday October 20th at 7 pm in the Grand Hall at Stone Gate (6653 Westminster Dr) there will be a meeting for residents in the western portion of our community.
Everyone is invited to attend any or all of the above meetings so that you can be fully informed and understand the need and impact of this important change to our community.
Additionally, you may wish to vote early and avoid the lines on November 4th. Satellite voting will be held at the Zionsville Town Hall on Friday October 24th from 3 pm to 9 pm and on Saturday October 25th from 9 am to 3 pm.
The October Union Township Board Meeting will be Thursday, October 16th, 7:00 pm. at Union Elementary School, 11750 E. 300 S. Following the Board Meeting there will be an open discussion to answer any questions concerning Reorganization.
The September Board meeting at Union Elementary School at 7:00 pm. Topics of discussion will be Reorganization, status of the Fire Station, and Sewers..
The Fall Festival Parade and booth was a great success in education the residents concerning reorganization. A big “Thank You” goes out to the grandson of Eagle Township Trustee, Judith Essex, who provided a very loud “Vote YES on November 4th for Reorganization”. Also the help of Zionsville Town Council members Matt Price and Michelle Barrett, Union Township Board President Dan Montgomery, and Reorganization Committee members Mike Andreoli and Alan Townsend was greatly appreciated.
Items that will be discussed are; update on fire station, overview of budget and new rules this time around, and reorganization items to be considered in the (hopeful) transition.
This year’s budget process is going to be a bit of a challenge with the property tax caps in place. Not only will this be new for us, but also for the DLGF, that is approving agency. There is still some confusion as to how “emergency loans” are to be handled. The township had to get such a loan last year to cover fire protection and bond expenses that did not have a tax levy to cover them. The old method was to do this for three years and then establish a new tax rate for these expenses. Now it seems that we can’t establish a new tax rate (raise taxes) so there is no way to pay off the loans, other than getting another loan. This is paying off your Master Card by charging it to your Visa Card – I’m REALLY not in favor of this financial trick.
We also need to begin making a list of items that township’s typically handle, like weeds, fence disputes, and financial assistance to be sure that they do not fall through a crack as plans for reorganization are made.
The meeting will be at Union Elementary School at 7pm, hope to see you there.
Gee, it has been almost a year since my last post … and a lot has happened. Fire station, Reorganization, Assessor job going away, just to mention a few.
With all that has happened and all the new opportunities that Union Township has before it, well it was time for a change and this new location is part of it. There may be a few hiccups, and some “furniture moving” around as I get used to the new place – please be patient.
Do subscribe, or Feed It to your reader … we’ll be in touch more often … promise.
Candace
