๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ ๐๐จ๐ง๐๐๐ซ๐ข๐ง๐ : $2 ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ค๐๐ง ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฌ๐
Last night I found myself reading the minutes from a recent Leo-Cedarville Town Council meeting. I donโt live in town, but I often read these minutes for a mix of information and local insight, sometimes even entertainment. But this time, a single paragraph sparked a chain of conversations that left me more than a little fired up.
Hereโs what caught my eye:
โ๐๐ณ. ๐๐ช๐ต๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ฑ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ด๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐๐ต๐ต๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐บ ๐๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ข๐ญ ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ต๐ต๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ธ๐ณ๐ช๐ต๐ต๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ณ๐ฆ๐จ๐ข๐ณ๐ฅ๐ด ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ค๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต ๐๐๐๐ ๐ง๐ช๐ฏ๐ฅ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ๐ด ๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐๐ฆ๐ฅ๐ข๐ณ ๐๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฌ ๐๐ฐ๐ธ๐ฏ๐ด๐ฉ๐ช๐ฑ ๐ข๐ถ๐ฅ๐ช๐ต ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐๐ช๐ณ๐ฆ ๐๐ถ๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐บ. ๐๐ณ. ๐๐ฆ๐ค๐ฌ ๐ฎ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฆ ๐ข ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ฑ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ค๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ธ๐ช๐ต๐ฉ ๐ด๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ฅ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ต๐ต๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐๐ต๐ต๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐บ ๐๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ข๐ญ. ๐๐ณ. ๐๐ข๐ณ๐ฃ๐ฐ๐ฆ ๐ด๐ฆ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ฅ. ๐๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐ค๐ข๐ณ๐ณ๐ช๐ฆ๐ฅ 5-0.โ
A city council sending a letter to the Indiana Attorney General? Thatโs not an everyday occurrence. So I started digging.
Turns out, weโre not talking about a small discrepancy. Weโre talking about over $2 ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ in Fire Protection funds that were supposed to be returned to the taxing units when the Northeast Allen Fire Territory was dissolved and replaced by the new Fire District.
๐๐๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐ค ๐ข๐ง. ๐๐ฐ๐จ. ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ข๐จ๐ง. ๐๐จ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐๐ซ๐ฌ.
Money collected from taxpayers, residents of Cedar Creek and Springfield Townships along with the towns of Grabill and Leo-Cedarville, was meant for fire protection. Instead of being returned and used to help launch the new Fire District, those funds were quietly transferred into Cedar Creek Townshipโs general fund and are being spent on non-fire-related expenses.
One glaring example: I found that the Cedar Creek Township Trustee purchased a new office building for $360,000 after the Fire Protection Funds were transferred. Those dollars were meant to buy fire apparatus, medical equipment, and to pay first responders. They were not meant to furnish a new office for a trustee who holds office hours only four hours a week.
According to the dissolution agreement, the Fire Fund was to be disbursed back to the taxing units to support the new Fire District. That transfer never happened. In effect, the Fire District started with a $2 ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ deficit.
Because those funds werenโt transferred, the Fire District had to borrow money just to keep operations running. That means interest payments, paid by us, the taxpayers. But more troubling, the District hasnโt been able to hire the firefighters and paramedics we were promised when the district was formed. That delay isnโt just a budget issue. Itโs a public safety issue. Longer response times. Greater reliance on outside departments. Fewer boots on the ground when seconds matter.
This isnโt what we were promised. And itโs not just poor governance. Itโs a breach of public trust.
Iโll admit, I wasnโt originally a fan of the new Fire District model. But as Iโve come to understand the governance and accountability behind it, I now believe itโs a better structure for the citizens it serves. I wrote a few weeks ago about how my tax bill increased and how that money is allocated. Now I learn that some of the money we all paid for fire protection never reached its intended destination. That really chaps my lips.
Cedar Creek Township must be held accountable. Every taxpayer who paid into the old Fire Territory should be demanding answers. This is our money. This is our safety. And this is our community.
If you're as mad as I am, you need to speak up. Contact your township trustee. Or, if you really want to dive into the details, reach out to Nick Jordan, the Allen County Auditor. He followed the trail and knows what is happening.
If the trustee does not do what is right for the taxpayers of NE Allen County, donโt forget: thereโs an election next year.