INDIANAPOLIS — Emergency medical services in Wayne Township will officially be handed over to Indianapolis Emergency Medical Services at 7 a.m. Sunday, March 17.
In a 4-to-1 vote in January, Wayne Township leaders approved merging its EMS service with IEMS.
"We're facing a financial deficit every year, which is going to lead us in about a year and a half to a fiscal cliff, and we have to find ways to save money to balance our budget out," said Jeb Bardon, Wayne Township Trustee.
Bardon says it wasn't an easy decision, but the right one for nearly 150,000 residents there.
"All the ambulances that are in Wayne Township stay in Wayne Township, so in terms of response time, you might actually see an improvement," Bardon said.
Bardon also expects an improvement in the property tax rate.
"We don't have the ability to do a referendum, to go out and ask for additional dollars. We already have the highest tax rate in Indiana for fire protection, but that revenue does not cover our actual expenses," Bardon said.
Bardon says the merger could reduce the tax rate by about 60%.
What is changing? The station logo and labels. As a part of this move, 18 full-time and 21 part-time employees will become IEMS employees, maintaining their seniority, paid time off and other benefits. All ambulances and personnel will remain in place, housed in Wayne Township fire stations throughout the township, but under the direction of IEMS.
The township also voted to merge its fire department with IFD, but the effective date has not yet been set. It's not the first time a merger like this has taken place.
In Marion County, Lawrence, Washington, Perry, Warren and Franklin townships all consolidated their services with IFD more than a decade ago. In 2021, the City of Beech Grove followed suit.
Wayne Township fire stations are expected to remain fully equipped and staffed.
"There's a bit of emotion to it - it's been a part of local government and to lose that is a difficult thing. Change is hard, but from an operation standpoint and a budget standpoint and an employee standpoint, it's the right thing to do. Our union voted over 70% in favor of this so I think it's a good thing," Bardon said.