Dear All,
Thought that many of you may be interested in what is going that could greatly affect us, the residents on the west side of Indianapolis and Pike Township in particular. Below is information the Pike Township Residents Association (PTRA) has sent out to their members and others on their email list. If you are not familiar with PTRA, they are a group of residents, homeowners, and other concerned individuals that have an interest in Pike Township and hear zoning and other development cases in our township to try to make sure that development in our township benefits all. They have been around for over 50 years and meet monthly at the Government Center.
Hope this information is informative to you.
Sincerely,
Janice McHenry
——– Forwarded Message ——–
| Subject: | IMMEDIATE ATTENTION – Senate Bill 54, Senate committee hearing, Wednesday, January 17th, 9:30am |
|---|---|
| Date: | Sat, 13 Jan 2024 21:17:02 +0000 (UTC) |
| From: | PTRA <ptra1972@aol.com> |
PTRA members and interested parties –
Indiana State Senator Scott Baldwin (Bill Author-Hamilton County) and State Senator Michael Crider, (Co-Author-small portion of eastern Marion County and Hancock County) have filed Senate Bill 54 (SB54) that if approved, amends the approval process of consolidating Township Fire Departments into the Indianapolis Fire Department (IFD). Current state law provides for a consolidation approval process of – Township Trustees,Township Advisory Boards, City Mayor and City-County Council. Should SB54 become law, the approval of Township Trustees and Advisory Boards will be eliminated.
PTRA’s board of directors has long opposed any legislation that either proposes consolidation or assists in its approval and passage.
Attached is a letter from Pike Fire Chief Jeff Beam that outlines the particular concerns. Proposed SB54 can be found here https://iga.in.gov/pdf-documents/123/2024/senate/bills/SB0054/SB0054.01.INTR.pdf
Three remaining independent township fire departments remain – Pike, Wayne and Decatur, all west side townships. Other Indianapolis townships have merged, primarily due to debt. Currently, Wayne is under consideration also due to debt. Both Pike and Decatur are fiscally sound.
PTRA has long advocated against any consolidation efforts due to the negative impact consolidation will have on fire and medical (ambulance/EMT) service and response times. Should a merger occur, ambulance/EMT service will be transferred to IEMS (Indianapolis Emergency Medical Service) which is currently understaffed. IEMS has stated consolidation will assist with their staffing issues, however, at Wayne Township’s Advisory Board meeting this past Thursday evening, of the 26 medical personnel employed by Wayne, only 5 have committed to join IEMS. Pike Fire Chief Beam stated that some Pike medical personnel came to Pike from IEMS and have no desire to return. In addition, Pike Fire Prevention Division will be eliminated. From our understanding, IFD does not continue prevention service. PTRA has consistently worked with Pike’s Fire Marshal on new and existing developments to ensure fire codes are in compliance. In addition, Pike’s prevention services provide fire education to Pike’s School District and nursing homes.
It’s PTRA’s understanding Senator Baldwin brought forth this legislation because he believes it will benefit the non-consolidated township residents. Therefore, it’s imperative that we show Senator Baldwin, co-author Senator Crider and the Pensions and Labor committee members that this belief is erroneous.
So, what can be done? Flood the Senators with email messages and/or phone calls. List of committee members and their contact information is below. Homeowner Associations, write a letter on your association’s letterhead. Time is of the essence for the committee hearing is Wednesday, January 17th, 9:30am, State Capitol Building, Rm. 233. If your schedule permits, consider attending the committee hearing. PTRA will be testifying.
Let me know if you have questions. Please share message as desired.
Author: Scott Baldwin: Senator.Baldwin@iga.in.gov 317-232-9400 (Senate Call Center, M-F 8:30am-4:45pm closed Monday, January 15th)
Co-Author: Michael Crider: Senator.Crider@iga.in.gov 317-232-9400
Linda Rogers, Committee Chair: Senator.Rogers@iga.in.gov 317-232-9400
Blake Doriot: Senator.Doriot@iga.in.gov 317-232-9400
David Niezgodski: s10@iga.in.gov 317-232-9491
John Crane: s24@iga.in.gov 317-232-9400
Dan Dernulc: Senator.Dernulc@iga.in.gov 317-232-9400
Randy Maxwell: Senator.Maxwell@iga.in.gov 317-232-9400
Greg Walker: Senator.Greg.Walker@iga.in.gov 317-232-9400
Michael Young: Hector.Ayala@iga.in.gov (Legislative Assistant) 317-232-9517
Andy Zay: Senator.Zay@iga.in.gov 317-232-9400
Rodney Pol, Jr: s4@iga.in.gov 317-232-9404
David Vanzant: s3@iga.in.gov 317-232-9847
Susan Blair
President
Pike Township Residents Association, Inc.
P. O. Box 40458
Indianapolis, IN 46240
317-443-5278