A bill that would have let the city merge township fire departments with the Indianapolis Fire Department without township approval appears to be dead.
Indiana Sen. Linda Rogers, R-Granger, who chairs the Senate Committee on Pensions and Labor, confirmed she will not hold any more meetings before next week’s deadline to advance bills out of committee.
And the office of Sen. Michael Young, R-Indianapolis — a committee member who had been opposed to Senate Bill 54 — told Mirror Indy that the bill has been pulled and will not face a vote.Â
SB 54 would have provided new authority to the City-Council Council and Mayor Joe Hogsett to approve the merger of the Decatur, Pike and Wayne township fire departments with the Indianapolis Fire Department without requiring township approval.
Under current state law, a township board must approve a merger before the council can vote on it.
The committee heard testimony about the bill at a hearing on Wednesday, Jan. 17, but postponed the vote. The vote was never held.
The bill’s author, Sen. Scott Baldwin, R-Noblesville, did not respond Thursday, Jan. 25, to a request for comment.
The bill is supported by the Professional Firefighters Union of Indiana but appears to have little support elsewhere.
Township leaders and community groups oppose the bill, saying the decision to merge should begin at the township level.
That includes Wayne Township Trustee Jeb Bardon, who is actively pursuing a merger of the township’s fire department and emergency medical services with Indianapolis providers.
State lawmakers attempted to pass similar forced merger bills in 2014, 2015 and 2020. Those attempts were approved by the House but died in the Senate.
Mirror Indy reporter Enrique Saenz covers west Indianapolis. Contact him at 317-983-4203 or enrique.saenz@mirrorindy.org. Follow him on X @heyEnriqueSaenz.
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