Liberty votes to join fire district, despite residents' objections

With more than 40 people in attendance, including township residents, Hillsboro firefighters, neighboring township trustees - but no representatives from the city of Hillsboro - the Liberty Township Trustees voted 2-1 in a special session Friday to join the Paint Creek Joint EMS and Fire District beginning Oct. 1, 2012.

The trustees heard comments for nearly an hour from citizens asking that the trustees go back to the city of Hillsboro one more time or wait a few more days to see if a contract for EMS and fire services can be worked out between Hillsboro and the townships.

Following the trustees' vote, several residents raised their voices, saying that the elected officials were not listening to the wishes of the people they serve. Additionally, residents said they did not want to pay the fire district's 5.5-mill levy without having an opportunity to vote on it.

Because the trustees have voted to join the district, the levy will automatically be assessed and will not appear on a ballot.

Trustees Steve Lerch and Jerry Williams said they had waited two years for something to be worked out, and the last official communication was May 16. They said they did not think that the city of Hillsboro would ever offer a contract the townships could afford, or offer the stability the township needed. Trustee John McLaughlin said he wanted to give the city one more chance.

Williams said that while he was working the Festival of the Bells Thursday evening, "I must have had 50 people come up to me and say, 'Stay the course.'"

"Where are those people now?" a member of the crowd asked.

McLaughlin asked those in attendance to take a vote on who wanted the trustees to rescind their vote to join the district from a June 29 special meeting.

There was a show of hands by a clear majority of people in the room, and when McLaughlin asked if anyone wanted to join the Paint Creek district, no one raised their hands.

Residents said they did not understand why there was a rush, and encouraged negotiations between city council, and not Hillsboro Mayor Drew Hastings and his administration.

Hillsboro attorney Jon Hapner said that he believes the actions of the city in recent years have amounted to "governmental malpractice," and he didn't think that what Liberty Township was doing was any better.

"It's simply bad government," Hapner said.

Liberty Township resident Robert Mootz said the 5.5 mills would result in an $3,000 increase in the taxes on his farm.

"You're putting this burden on my back," Mootz said. "I don't think that's fair to me."

Paint Township trustee and member of the Paint Creek Joint Fire and EMS District board of trustees Steve Karnes was in attendance, although he said he was there "as an observer."

Washington Township Trustee Arthur Harless was in attendance, as was former Liberty Township Trustee Jim Grove.

Highland County Sheriff Ron Ward, and Hillsboro Chief of Police Nick Thompson attended the meeting. Ward said he was there "at the request of the trustees."

Hastings has submitted a proposal to the Hillsboro City Council that the fire department be "abolished" and that the city contract with the Paint Creek Joint EMS and Fire District for services.

After months of negotiations with the city regarding the services, some area townships have considered similar options. On Tuesday, the New Market Township trustees voted 2-1 to joint the Paint Creek fire district. Liberty Township trustees voted 2-1 on a similar motion on June 29 but because a date for services was not included in the motion, that necessitated the special meeting on Friday.

Williams noted that the issue began in 2010 when then-Hillsboro Safety and Service Director Ralph Holt began negotiating with the townships to increase the cost of their safety contracts.

For Liberty, that increase was approximately 70 percent. McLaughlin said that in late 2011, township legal counsel Highland County Prosecutor Anneka Collins advised that they wait to continue negotiating until the new city administration took office in January 2012.