The Evening News
JEFFERSONVILLE, Ind. — The county’s volunteer fire departments may soon be receiving more scrutiny from the county commissioners.
Commissioner John Perkins said Thursday it was past time to have a discussion on how volunteer fire departments are run in Clark County, as they are responsible for millions in tax dollars.
“There is no such thing as a volunteer fire department,” said Perkins, who noted that many employees of the departments are paid.
Perkins said he wished that he had brought the issue up nine months ago, when the commissioners had been asked by the New Washington Volunteer Fire Department to increase the fire protection district’s tax rate. Perkins recalled that none of the fire protection district’s board members attended a public meeting on the rate increase, but about 60 residents with complaints about cronyism and improper benefits in the department did.
“Let’s face it — controls need to be tightened up, obviously, with what we’ve seen in the Sellersburg Volunteer Fire Department and other areas,” said Commissioner Rick Stephenson. “We need to review maybe drafting an ordinance where they report to the commissioners, or accounting procedures and inventories so we can protect the taxpayers’ money.”
Perkins said he’d like to get a new ordinance on the books prior to when he leaves office at the end of the year.
“I’d just like to see more control by elected officials,” Perkins said.
Commissioners President Jack Coffman said the commissioners are in talks on the subject, but declined to give his opinion on what, if anything, should be done.
“It’s been discussed between the commissioners that we need to review some of the procedures and policies of the volunteer fire districts,” Coffman said.
The commissioners voted unanimously to approve two amendments to agreements with the Indiana Department of Transportation regarding relinquishment credits.
About $6.6 million in relinquishment credits have been given to the county by INDOT in exchange for taking over the care and maintenance of state roads and bridges. The credits can be used to pay for the local match on any state or federally funded road or bridge project.
The first amendment allows the county to put $2.15 million in relinquishment credits toward the construction of a heavy haul road connecting River Ridge and the Port of Indiana-Jeffersonville. The second authorizes the commissioners to use another $2 million in relinquishment credits on any project with state or federal funding in 2015.
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