The Indianapolis Star had an article on the 15th regarding fire protection in Union Township. I did receive a copy of the letter Chief VanGorder (Zionsville) sent to Chief Cope (Boone County Fire/Worth) regarding his concerns for adequate fire protection in Union Township. The two most recent fires in the township have been very distressing to me. Chief VanGorder has been waiting for the meeting with Chief Cope to discuss the issues and determine the facts. It has been a month since the letter was written.
In previous years Union Township contracted with both Zionsville and (then) Worth Township for fire protection. Jacqueline Carr, Trustee and Marc Applegate, Advisory Board President, with Charles Carr, Secretary voted to terminate fire protection from Zionsville, and have Boone County/Worth provide fire protection for the entire township. (Board member Dan Montgomery disagreed.) The budget request for fire protection from Boone County/Worth was for $310,750. This was reduced by the Department of Local Government Finance to $275,040 because it was an excessive tax levy.
I don’t know if the current trustee and board have renewed or extended the contract with Worth, I seem to recall that it renewed automatically. I am very concerned that we are paying for services from one department and receiving fire protection on a “backup” basis from another. There is another article on the 16th which details some of Zionsville’s concerns.
What happens if we have a fire over the holidays, and Zionsville is not able to respond? Many Christmases ago our family watched as the neighbors house across the way, burnt to the ground on Christmas eve. Obviously this will be a priority topic when we take office.
