Facing an uncertain financial future after years of mismanagement, the Wayne Township Advisory Board unanimously voted Thursday, Feb. 22, to allow the township’s fire department to merge with the larger Indianapolis Fire Department.
The Wayne Township Fire Department is one of only three remaining fire departments that has not yet merged. The leaders of Decatur and Pike townships have said they are not interested in a merger, but Wayne Township faces a different economic situation: the prospect of a budget shortfall by the end of 2025 that would force it to make deep cuts to services or take out loans to continue operations.
A fire department merger could free up millions of dollars in funding every year.
“It’s clear this is the time,” Wayne Township Trustee Jeb Bardon told the board before the vote. “We know that our budget, if we don’t make this change, it goes into the red. And that not only affects our fire service. It’s going to affect the overall ability for our government to function.”
So what happens now?
Wayne Township and the Indianapolis Fire Department will negotiate the terms of the merger. Bardon told Mirror Indy he estimates a deal could be in place by the end of the year.
The City-County Council would then vote on the deal. If it is approved by Mayor Joe Hogsett, the fire department would merge on an agreed date.
The City-County Council has approved other mergers with little delay. It approved Beech Grove’s merger of its 34-member fire department in 2021 only two months after the city’s council voted for it.
District 17 Councilor Jared Evans, who represents a large portion of Wayne Township, told Mirror Indy that there will likely be enough support on the council to approve the merger, considering most councilors represent townships that have already consolidated.
Why does Wayne Township want the merger?
According to Bardon, years of overspending on the fire department by a previous administration have made the township’s financial situation untenable.
Bardon previously told the board that each of the 130 firefighters costs about $173,000 a year in combined salary, benefits and bonuses before overtime.
Since 2021, pay for the lowest ranks of firefighters has increased 5% annually the last two years, while the highest ranks have received a 2.5% increase.
Wayne Township has almost exhausted its capacity to bring in revenue. It already has the highest property tax rate allowed by the state and Bardon said the township cannot hold a referendum to increase funds like a school district can or raise sales taxes like a city or county can.
Without a merger, the township’s few remaining options would be to drastically cut services. The township has already cut insurance funding for medically retired firefighters, and it could have to make other cuts to line items like financial assistance for burials, disaster relief, utilities and rent, or take on loans that could take years to repay.
If the Indianapolis City-County Council approves the terms of the merger, the Indianapolis Fire Department would absorb the cost of personnel and equipment. The money saved, Bardon said, would benefit Wayne Township schools.
“The estimate is six to seven million dollars of annual additional revenue for the school district, which for Wayne Township means not having to do a referendum,” Bardon said. “And that’s a significant change.”
Will a merger affect response times?
Some Wayne Township residents said they are concerned a merger would result in longer response times for fire emergencies.
“I live over here, and it takes this many minutes to get here. And, if we merge, it’s gonna take longer to get to my mother, who is very ill,” Wayne Township resident Christy Hayes told the board.
According to Bardon and the Indianapolis Fire Department, response times would not get worse.
Indianapolis Fire Department Chief Ernest Malone said all Wayne Township Fire Department equipment will stay in the township and all five fire stations would remain open.
Wayne Township Fire Station 82 on Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024. Credit: Enrique Saenz / Mirror Indy 
IFD chief Ernest Malone speaks at a meeting about the merger. Credit: Enrique Saenz / Mirror Indy 
The Wayne Township advisory board hears testimony about the merger. Credit: Enrique Saenz / Mirror Indy 
IFD chief Ernest Malone (from left), Wayne Township fire chief Marcus Reed and Wayne Township trustee Jeb Bardon. Credit: Enrique Saenz/Mirror Indy / Mirror Indy 
Wayne Township trustee Jeb Bardon testifies during the meeting. Credit: Enrique Saenz / Mirror Indy 
Wayne Township Fire Department chief Marcus Reed (left) and IFD chief Ernest Malone. Credit: Enrique Saenz / Mirror Indy
“There are no plans to close any fire station,” Malone told the board Feb. 22. “There are no plans to move firefighters, or engines or ladders or other equipment. The same equipment that is responding to your loved ones while we’re sitting here now will be responding to your loved ones at the date this merger occurs.”
The Metropolitan Emergency Services Agency handles all 911 calls in Marion County and dispatches the unit closest to an emergency, regardless of which agency the unit belongs to. All local fire departments have a mutual aid agreement, which allows them to respond outside of their normal service areas.
That means that units stationed in Wayne Township will most likely be dispatched to emergencies there, unless they are already dispatched elsewhere.
How will the merger affect taxes in Wayne Township?
Bardon said a merger could reduce Wayne Township fire tax rates by 60%.
Township residents currently pay a fire tax of about 76 cents per every $100 of assessed property value. A merger would reduce the rate to 27 cents.
For a home with an assessed valuation of $100,000, that would mean a savings of about $150 a year.
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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