City, Township Fund Firefighting

Did you know that the firefighting service that Westfield provides to you is funded from both the city budget and the township budget? Whether you live within the city itself or outside the city limits but within Washington Township, you are protected by the Westfield Fire Department. If you do not live within the city limits, your property tax bill includes a rate for township fire service. If you live within the city limits the item on your property tax bill is the city corporate tax. The fire service is simply a portion of that city tax. Each year, the city and the township enter into what is called an interlocal agreement to fund your fire protection service. This agreement isn’t based on a scientific formula reached through calculations of population or assessed valuation of real estate. It is simply determined through negotiation between the two governmental entities. So what happens if no agreement is reached between the city and the township? Good question. Do the people living outside city limits go without fire protection? In the past year, with the restructuring of the property tax system by the state legislature and the recommendations of the blue-ribbon Commission on Local Government Reform, much emphasis has been placed on the efficiency and effectiveness of local government. In his charge to the blue-ribbon Commission, Governor Daniels stated, “the purpose is to develop recommendations to reform and restructure local government in Indiana in order to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of its operations and reduce its costs to Hoosier taxpayers.” It’s not only how much it costs but also how well it’s done. The sentiments behind these sweeping state initiatives are identical to those that I and others campaigned about when we ran for office here in Westfield. Time and again on the campaign trail, we heard about how high our property taxes are. Naturally, we were offered all sorts of suggestions for ways to solve the problem. We in Westfield government feel that we can provide excellent, efficient and effective services to the residents of Westfield while lowering the amount of out-ofpocket dollars you pay in property taxes. We must do this while playing with a new set of rules. These rules have not been tried or tested by the benefit of experience. Does the process of paying for fire protection through two different entities sound like a logical process? The problem lies with the multi-tiered nature of our local governmental units. Within the county we are carved up into townships and municipalities resulting in areas of overlapping services. Is this the most efficient and effective way to govern?