City and township officials say negotiations are being finalized, and a fire territory should be legally formed next month.
Scott Kraud, finance committee chairman for the Logansport City Council, said he had outlined details discussed in a meeting Tuesday with township representatives and was waiting for their responses before announcing the tax rates that would go into effect.
“I think in principal we have all agreed this is the direction we want to go in,” Kraud said. “We will iron out all of the gory details later. We have until the end of March to create the territory and April to prepare the budget to the Department of Local Government Finance.”
Tom Weatherwax, a member of the Clay Township advisory board, said he believed Noble, Clay and Eel townships would join the city in forming a board that would oversee the fire department budget. He believes the primary tax rate for the townships will be 23.7 cents for each $100 assessed valuation.
“We’ve reached some tentative agreements that I think are very fair,” Weatherwax said. “We need to finalize the budget based on the numbers we have tentatively agreed upon. There may be a little switch to build some money for equipment and that will have to be added to that 23.7 cents.”
The latest discussions had taxpayers inside the city limits paying a rate of 41 cents.
Kraud said he believes progress is being made now that officials have had a chance to sit down together to discuss the details.
“I certainly appreciate their cooperation,” he said. “I don’t think they understood before that our main objective was to get the fire department out of the city’s general fund, and keep the service level at or around the level it’s at now.”
The city councilman explained the fire territory budget will be governed separately, much like the library or the airport. A board will oversee the budget, but the members who will comprise that board have not been discussed yet.
“Those are the sorts of things that need to be ironed out still,” Kraud said.
Weatherwax said he believes there will be equal representation of each entity, but he said he was not yet sure exactly how the governing board would be structured.
“There are many ways to do it,” he said. “Right now we are mainly just concerned about the budget.”
Keeping the level of firefighter manpower the same is one concern, Weatherwax said.
“There is a fear that firefighters will be let go, but it hasn’t been talked about,” he said. “We haven’t gotten to that final decision yet. That’s why we’re working on the budget to see what the revenue will be.”
Kraud said it was his intention to work out a budget that would keep manpower the same.
The city and townships will have to pass resolutions by March 31 to legally establish the territory. Kraud said the issue should be on the agenda at the council’s regular meeting March 1 and a special meeting will be called later in March if necessary.
Weatherwax said the townships would call meetings next month to pass a joint resolution for the three townships.
The budget must be finalized and turned into state officials by April 26.
• Jennifer Tangeman is a reporter for the Pharos-Tribune. She can be reached at 574-732-5148 or jennifer.tangeman@pharostribune.com.
Local News
Fire territory forming in March
Budget, makeup of governing board still to be determined
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