Facing an uncertain economic future due to years of overspending, the Wayne Township Advisory Board has decided to request a merger of its ambulance services with Indianapolis EMS.
The 4-1 vote during a board meeting Thursday, Jan. 25, empowers Trustee Jeb Bardon to negotiate the terms of a merger. Bardon also gained the authority to amend the township retiree health insurance fund as part of negotiation talks.
The board also approved severance pay for the approximately 30 EMS employees who would be affected by a merger.
Thursday’s action is separate from a vote to merge the township fire department with Indianapolis Fire Department, which is scheduled for Feb. 22. A majority of board members have said they are likely to support that merger.
Bardon previously told the board that years of overspending by previous leaders put the township in a difficult financial position.
Multiple audits revealed that, without the merger of both its EMS and fire department, Wayne Township would be out of money by late 2025. The township would either have to drastically cut services or take on loans to continue operating.
The township also faced a time crunch to preserve services. Matt Stewart, the township’s assistant chief of emergency services, told the board that dozens of EMS staff were resigning due to employment uncertainty.
“Without you guys voting to give us the ability to start working with (Indianapolis EMS) to rebuild the system, we’re going to hit a critical point, probably in March to mid-March, where we’re not going to be able to staff four trucks, and maybe even three trucks, because people are leaving,” Stewart said.
Board members said they were reluctant to approve the merger but saw it as a financial necessity.
“I’ve gone through dozens of different scenarios to try to maintain this division and fire department,” board Chair Bryan Chatfield said. “I was really looking forward to seeing solutions so that we can avoid this. I think this proposal to merge makes the most sense.”
The sole vote against the merger came from board Vice Chair Ramona Ward, who said a majority of her constituents did not want the merger to happen.
“I am not voting for myself,” Ward said. “I am voting for the people who contacted me, and the noes outweigh the yeses, so I have to go with what the people wish.”
The merger still requires the approval of the Indianapolis City-County Council and Mayor Joe Hogsett. At least one councilor representing Wayne Township — District 16 Councilor Jessica McCormick — supports the merger.
“I believe this merger will bring about numerous benefits and enhance the overall efficiency and effectiveness of both medic and fire services,” McCormick told the Wayne Township Advisory Board. “By combining resources, expertise and infrastructure under the (Indianapolis EMS) umbrella, we will be better equipped to handle the evolving challenges of our community.”
Some residents, however, were skeptical about whether the merger would benefit the township.
“I had firefighters and EMS come to my house twice in the last three weeks to get my mother,” township resident Christy Hayes said. “If it’s going to come from downtown to my mother, who has cancer and heart problems, how long is it going to take?”
Indianapolis EMS Chief Dan O’Donnell told the board that response times would not change and that Wayne Township EMS crews would still be stationed in the township after the merger.
Other residents said they supported the merger, as they felt it was necessary and would save them money.
“As a homeowner who’s felt the pinch of higher property taxes due to gentrification and inflation, I can tell you that any amount to lighten the load is much appreciated,” Wayne Township resident Christina Smith told the board.
Wayne Township’s merger discussions were happening independent of a Senate Bill 54, which could force Decatur, Pike and Wayne townships to merge their fire departments with the Indianapolis Fire Department and essentially dissolve their ambulance services. That bill is now likely to die in committee.
It’s unclear when the City-County Council will consider Wayne Township’s merger request.
Mirror Indy reporter Enrique Saenz covers west Indianapolis. Contact him at 317-983-4203 or enrique.saenz@mirrorindy.org. Follow him on X @heyEnriqueSaenz.
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
