CONSOLIDATION IS DEAD!
This time it really is dead for another year. Efforts to consolidate the Marion County Township Fire Departments are dead, according to Senate bill sponsor James Merritt. Merritt was putting together a plan that would allow the City-County Council to vote on consolidating the fire departments, but it would also have to vote on consolidating the Trustees. Merritt says there was not enough time to put together the legislation in the final hours of the General Assembly. He also reiterated the fact that Democrat Bill Crawford opposed the merger of the Trustees. It will be interesting to see how this plays out. When State Rep. Phil Hinkle, Republican, opposed consolidation we labelled him an obstructionist. I think that title has now been passed on to Bill Crawford.
