To understand the Fire issue look back to 1939 when the Randolph Trustees formed the Fire Department. Villages were small and sparsely populated, so they could not individually afford separate Fire Departments. Local villages had little equipment and relied upon neighboring jurisdictions, like Harrison Township with larger populat tions, for help when needed. That wasn't satisfactory.

When Englewood and Union incorporated into cities, they could have started their own fire departments, but chose not to do so. Instead they continued to receive Township fire service. Under Ohio law, city residents can obtain Township services by voting for Township issues and Trustees, except when an issue is specifically restricted to the unincorporated area (which is most of the time). Items such as Zoning, local control, merger, Police, Roads, water district, etc., are unincorporated area only issues.

Englewood now has a large income tax base and can afford their own department. Not so with the financially strapped Union, who has been borrowing money from Englewood. No wonder Union sides with Englewood!

What's wrong with one Fire Department for the entire area? Why, nothing, of course! Englewood officals just want their own fire department.Costs have nothing to do with it. Englewood can afford it and Union will tag along.

Is Englewood trying to punish this area for merging by making us pay more for Fire service? If so it's their costly mistake. Englewood and Union contribute 54% of our budget, but use over 62% of the services. It's going to cost them MORE, not LESS. Again, that's their decision!

And Englewood made another huge public records request of the Township. Paying a tidy sum to the Indianapolis branch of Coopers & Lybrand, they are again examining thousands of documents seeking Fire assets. Last time Roth found nothing wrong, so they hired a new firm. What a big waste of taxpayer dollars. Wow!