Meeting: Special Commissioners Meeting

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Event transcript
	A little bit unusual. So I think we figured out how we're going to do that. The commissioners do have one.	00:00:00
	Item of business we have a.	00:00:05
	A contractor professional service contract that we need to approve.	00:00:07
	So we're going to call our meeting.	00:00:11
	Together, I think after we do that piece of business, we'll stay.	00:00:14
	Officially in session, but we'll have each of the board presidents, if they want to come up here or however they want to do that	00:00:19
	from the seats or however they wish to do it.	00:00:22
	They can call their individual boards into session as well. I think we'll do the Pledge of Allegiance once here momentarily.	00:00:26
	And then at the end of this we'll.	00:00:32
	Adjourn. I suppose all four will have to do that separately. And if somebody wants to hang out here, the doors will get locked at	00:00:35
	some point in time, right?	00:00:39
	OK.	00:00:44
	So.	00:00:45
	With that in mind.	00:00:46
	I am going to call the Floyd County Board of Commissioners.	00:00:48
	Into session for this special meeting I'll.	00:00:51
	Remind everyone that all four boards did publicly advertise on this.	00:00:55
	In accordance with statute so.	00:01:00
	Or rise.	00:01:03
	I pledge allegiance to the flag.	00:01:06
	Of the United States of America.	00:01:09
	And to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God.	00:01:11
	Indivisible. Umm.	00:01:15
	With liberty and justice for all.	00:01:16
	All right, all three Commissioners are present.	00:01:20
	And we do have.	00:01:23
	Two items on our agenda.	00:01:25
	The second of which involves everyone here in the room.	00:01:28
	1st is the professional service contract.	00:01:31
	Jason, did you have anything you wanted to?	00:01:35
	Point out with regards to this and.	00:01:37
	How it impacts what?	00:01:39
	Part 2 of the meeting or might impact it.	00:01:41
	Yeah. So as as we've discussed previously.	00:01:43
	You know, there's going to be a lot of moving parts to this. The commissioners would like to have some guidance.	00:01:46
	When it comes to EMS and how to form this system.	00:01:52
	To best suit the residents of Floyd County.	00:01:55
	Therefore, we've decided to bring on a consultant.	00:01:57
	To assist us with this.	00:02:00
	And.	00:02:01
	He's here tonight so.	00:02:04
	Did you want to?	00:02:07
	Do you want to officially introducing everyone? Yeah, certainly.	00:02:07
	They probably do.	00:02:11
	Mr. Dixon, are you here?	00:02:13
	Would you like to come up to the podium real quick, please?	00:02:15
	Yeah. Hi there.	00:02:27
	We might just tell us a little bit about yourself.	00:02:29
	Sure. Name's Jeff Dixon. I'm a nationally registered paramedic.	00:02:31
	Board certified and critical care Flight Tactical Wilderness and board certified Community paramedic.	00:02:35
	I've been a paramedic for 25 years. I live in Jeffersonville, currently serve as a.	00:02:42
	Clinical supervisor for an air medical base where I oversee.	00:02:47
	5 nurses, 4 paramedics, 4 pilots and a mechanic.	00:02:51
	I'm sure day-to-day operations oversight compliance as far as like FDA state statutes.	00:02:54
	And then I report to a physician medical director.	00:03:01
	OK. Any questions for Mr. Dixon?	00:03:05
	No, nice to meet you. I have not.	00:03:08
	Like a pleasure meeting you and I want to thank you I mean for the amount of services that.	00:03:10
	Looks like we're in store for and with your resume I think we're.	00:03:15
	Getting a very reasonable price here. So I think that speaks to the fact that you're wanting to do this as a public.	00:03:18
	Service as well as a little bit of reimbursement. So I appreciate that. So if there are no further questions, I'll entertain a	00:03:23
	motion to approve this contract. So moved.	00:03:28
	Second all in favor, aye.	00:03:33
	Thank you very much.	00:03:36
	And uh.	00:03:37
	The fire and territory discussion now before proceeding with that, we'll go ahead and have the individual.	00:03:39
	Pres.	00:03:43
	State quorum and.	00:03:44
	Call their bodies into sessions.	00:03:46
	Mr. Moody, if you want to.	00:03:49
	Start.	00:03:50
	Michael Moody, I'm the chairman for Georgetown Township Fire Protection District, and we have a quorum.	00:03:52
	All right.	00:03:57
	Matt Smith, Chairman, Highlander, and we have a quorum.	00:04:01
	All right.	00:04:04
	Daniel Jacobs through the New Albany Township Fire Protection District, and we have a quorum.	00:04:09
	Perfect. Thank you.	00:04:12
	All right, I.	00:04:14
	Although this is kind of a formal room setup, we wanted it to be.	00:04:17
	Rather informal discussion, but Jason, if you want to kick us off.	00:04:20
	Thoughts and where we're moving tonight? Yeah, absolutely. You know our thoughts with having this meeting today was not just a.	00:04:24
	To approve this this service contract, but to get everyone of the tear or the the district boards together.	00:04:30
	To have just an open, honest conversation with each other about.	00:04:35
	What coming into the territory could possibly look like and even an opportunity to to talk to the people from New Albany Township.	00:04:40
	And from Georgetown Township of why they thought.	00:04:47
	Going the route of the territory was best for them and their communities so.	00:04:50
	With that in mind, we thought it was just best to get everybody in the room to kick off these conversations and just get some good	00:04:54
	dialogue going with all the boards and.	00:04:58
	That's really it. So with that in mind, I think that it would be a good idea if we could have.	00:05:03
	The boards come up here with us and we should have plenty of seats.	00:05:08
	Both.	00:05:13
	At the table and I got some more seats behind us so.	00:05:15
	If you would like to join us, that would be great.	00:05:18
	Or we can go out there.	00:05:21
	Yeah, yeah, yeah. For the streaming and camera stuff.	00:05:24
	Good point.	00:05:30
	Yeah, come on.	00:05:33
	Come on, Ben.	00:05:36
	We got plenty of we have plenty of chairs we can bring up more.	00:05:40
	If we need to we I got two more right here.	00:05:43
	We got more.	00:05:46
	Definitely the most photogenic.	00:05:55
	Group we've ever had assembled undecided the guys, that's good.	00:05:57
	Oh goodness.	00:06:04
	There you go.	00:06:05
	Well, I think it's always a good way to kick off if everybody could just maybe introduce themselves and.	00:06:09
	Which organization you're here with today and.	00:06:14
	We'll just kind of go from there.	00:06:16
	Yeah, yeah, if you want to. If you press the button, you'll know the mic is on if the light is green.	00:06:20
	I read OK.	00:06:28
	Michael Bloom and I'm with Highlander Fire.	00:06:31
	Board.	00:06:33
	Matt Smith, Highlander Board.	00:06:35
	Billy Stewart Hotliner.	00:06:37
	Bill.	00:06:39
	Bill Fender, Highlander Fire Department Board.	00:06:47
	Frank Loop County Commissioner.	00:06:51
	Alec, Naval County Commissioner, District 1.	00:06:53
	Jason Shark, Floyd County Commissioner, District 3.	00:06:56
	Kyle Johnson, Georgetown.	00:07:00
	Gordon, Michael. Moody, Georgetown.	00:07:01
	Daniel Jacobs, Nobody Township Hardboard.	00:07:04
	He gave Kenny New Albany Township Fire Board.	00:07:07
	Benguide, New Albany Township.	00:07:10
	Mark Ringenberg, Georgetown.	00:07:11
	Alright.	00:07:14
	Yeah, if you would go ahead and get it started, Mike.	00:07:18
	I don't have anything prepared.	00:07:22
	I wasn't certain exactly the format for this, but.	00:07:25
	I'm the chairman of the Georgetown Township Fire Protection District.	00:07:28
	And I've been in that role.	00:07:31
	Seven or eight years I've been on the board for.	00:07:33
	Longer than that.	00:07:37
	Before that, it was a volunteer firefighter with Georgetown when we were a volunteer department.	00:07:39
	We've seen.	00:07:44
	A lot of changes in our community.	00:07:45
	And the interaction with fire service and our community.	00:07:48
	In the 25 years that I've been involved.	00:07:51
	I am.	00:07:54
	Comfortable and happy with the direction we're going.	00:07:56
	I think that there are some things that are being put in place that are going to be for the long term benefit of our community.	00:07:59
	One thing that we recognized in Georgetown as a district.	00:08:05
	Is that the?	00:08:09
	Revenue funding for a fire district.	00:08:10
	Has not been changed in a very long time.	00:08:14
	And essentially when you start a district, you are given a certain amount of revenue.	00:08:17
	There are very little opportunities for that revenue to grow.	00:08:24
	Even if the community grows, you can grow it through population growth calculation.	00:08:28
	But.	00:08:34
	Our district was started with the concept of.	00:08:35
	Staffing one fire station.	00:08:38
	We have two fire stations in Georgetown, but initially it was decided we would just staff one station.	00:08:40
	So our revenue stream was based on staffing one station.	00:08:45
	At Georgetown, we take a lot of pride in being good fiscal stewards of the resources that the community provides us.	00:08:49
	And we haven't had any debt in Georgetown.	00:08:55
	Since I've been involved in the board.	00:08:58
	Over well over 10 years.	00:09:00
	What we were able to do is we were under spending a little bit.	00:09:03
	So we would accumulate a cash balance.	00:09:07
	We did that on purpose because.	00:09:10
	Things in the fire service are not cheap.	00:09:12
	If you're going to go buy a fire engine now you're talking $1,000,000 a ladder, 1.5 million.	00:09:15
	We were able to buy all of our equipment that we have for cash.	00:09:21
	We never did a bond, we never had to go to a bank and get a loan.	00:09:25
	But at some point we started to do some data analysis and we realized that we were starting to see an imbalance in our runs from	00:09:29
	one side of the district to the other.	00:09:33
	We were staffing station 2 on station one downtown Georgetown.	00:09:38
	During the day Monday through Friday.	00:09:42
	And the intent was we wanted to have a quick response to the elementary school.	00:09:45
	But what we start to see is that.	00:09:49
	From 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM.	00:09:51
	60% of our runs were on the east side of the district.	00:09:53
	Which is where station 2 is located.	00:09:55
	By the Interstate.	00:09:58
	But from 6:00 PM to 6:00 AM.	00:09:59
	60% of our runs were on the West side of our district.	00:10:01
	And we weren't staffed down there.	00:10:04
	So we were having to respond from the other side of the district.	00:10:05
	So the board, working with command staff, made a decision that we would start staffing Station 1 full time.	00:10:09
	We didn't get the revenue to do that.	00:10:16
	So we had to spend into our cash balance.	00:10:18
	That's unsustainable.	00:10:21
	We recognize at some point we either were going to have to close a station or try something different.	00:10:23
	So working with some people who had.	00:10:28
	A lot more knowledge than I did.	00:10:30
	We about the same time we're approached by Franklin Township.	00:10:33
	That they needed some help with Fire Protection service in their area.	00:10:36
	We felt the best vehicle to move forward was to form fire territory.	00:10:40
	If you look at the difference in the funding models for the district and the territory, the territory was what we decided was the	00:10:45
	right way to move forward.	00:10:49
	Shortly after starting that conversation with Franklin Township, we were approached by New Albany Township Fire District.	00:10:54
	And they wanted to be a part of the conversation.	00:11:00
	So the three entities started talking about it and then.	00:11:02
	Later in the conversation, Franklin Township decided that.	00:11:06
	This wasn't the right moment for them.	00:11:09
	But New Albany Township and Georgetown Township.	00:11:11
	Decided to move forward.	00:11:14
	And none of us knew Senate Bill One was coming.	00:11:16
	The loss of local income tax certified shares for FIRE districts would have crippled us.	00:11:21
	It's almost 1.41 point $5,000,000 in lost revenue.	00:11:27
	So by transitioning to the territory.	00:11:32
	We're moving closer to what has been the vision since the.	00:11:35
	Districts were formed.	00:11:38
	Which is a county.	00:11:39
	Wide fire.	00:11:40
	Our intent has always been at Georgetown that we're not going to go into somebody else's sandbox and.	00:11:43
	Try and play.	00:11:49
	If somebody wants to come talk to us, we'd be happy to sit down and talk.	00:11:50
	So that's how we ended up getting where we are now.	00:11:54
	The fire territory has gone through all the processes, it's been approved.	00:11:57
	I guess technically we're still.	00:12:02
	Waiting approval of the budget.	00:12:04
	Sort of. I'm getting nods from.	00:12:07
	Are the chief legal because he knows more than I do?	00:12:09
	But the the levy has been certified.	00:12:12
	All of the funds have been certified and starting January 1.	00:12:15
	The Floyd County fire territory.	00:12:18
	Will be providing Fire Protection service to our community.	00:12:20
	And I'll stop there.	00:12:24
	Thank you.	00:12:26
	Danny, you have anything to add?	00:12:29
	No, I think, I think Michael will give us something.	00:12:31
	Yeah, we.	00:12:34
	We recognize that.	00:12:35
	Sorry, we recognized that early on.	00:12:38
	We were young into the game. We're very vulnerable.	00:12:41
	And it made most sense to try to join forces with another agency.	00:12:45
	As opposed to trying to go out on their own.	00:12:49
	We just didn't feel that that was the.	00:12:52
	Best route for us to travel so.	00:12:54
	Yeah, it also gave you all a little bit of a mechanism to be able to staff.	00:12:56
	It did, but which?	00:13:01
	Was an area you're.	00:13:03
	Of the district that wasn't able to be.	00:13:05
	Serviced under the current model either so that was.	00:13:07
	Yeah, that was a great moment.	00:13:09
	Matt, you have anything?	00:13:15
	Of course he did.	00:13:17
	I'm sorry, I was prepared more to talk about EMS tonight from our last meeting.	00:13:20
	But yeah, we we understand that. Let's.	00:13:25
	And I want to be careful what I'm saying here because I'm not an expert.	00:13:28
	The lady is going away, but there are other lids that can be put into place from a Highlander standpoint.	00:13:30
	We have a Max levy that we're not even close to. We think financially we're good, at least for several years.	00:13:35
	Until this lit thing plays itself out.	00:13:41
	We don't believe we're in financial.	00:13:43
	Challenges.	00:13:45
	At least for the next 3-4 five years.	00:13:47
	It depends on what the let's do long term, but they're they're changing.	00:13:50
	I want to be careful saying what I'm doing. They're changing. They're not necessarily going away. They may have to be readopted.	00:13:53
	But we don't think we're in a financial.	00:13:59
	Problem. Umm.	00:14:01
	Or where are today?	00:14:02
	Some questions I haven't gotten from the public over the last week or two and.	00:14:04
	And Jason, you may have to help me ask these correctly because.	00:14:07
	Once again, I'm out of my wheelhouse, but.	00:14:10
	With the territory, how is the ISO rating?	00:14:13
	Between Georgetown or New Albany Township and how is that treated?	00:14:17
	I think that would.	00:14:24
	Well, when you when you first look at.	00:14:27
	Combining resources, and this is one of the things I discussed with the previous Commissioners when they talked about creating.	00:14:29
	County fires the importance of knowing it won.	00:14:35
	Is it fiscally feasible to do it to?	00:14:39
	Is it going to provide the level of service that you need in accordance to ISO?	00:14:42
	Now, uh.	00:14:46
	The best way to do that is through GIS.	00:14:47
	And.	00:14:50
	I had encouraged.	00:14:51
	People to get that GIS study done for a long time it was, never was, but.	00:14:53
	Because of some recent studies that had been done up.	00:14:57
	I was given a.	00:15:01
	GIS report from Highlander but it was more EMS centric.	00:15:02
	Than it was fire centric but you know it did.	00:15:06
	Mentioned the same applicable.	00:15:08
	Standards.	00:15:11
	That you would need and.	00:15:12
	Despite what people think, they're they're more than just.	00:15:14
	Just a suggestion.	00:15:18
	You know, standards are.	00:15:19
	Pretty much industry standard and that's what you're going to be held to and.	00:15:21
	Here in Indiana.	00:15:25
	You know, Indiana is not technically an NFPA state, but what it is, is it is an ocean state.	00:15:26
	And in an OSHA state, they utilize.	00:15:31
	NFPA for their standards, so anytime that there's.	00:15:34
	A severe death or a severe injury or a death associated with the firefighter.	00:15:37
	Those are the standards. It's going to be used.	00:15:41
	During the course of the investigations, because they are the industry standard.	00:15:43
	Now.	00:15:46
	With the territory.	00:15:48
	The way it stands now.	00:15:50
	All the stations.	00:15:51
	Be in the same place.	00:15:53
	I think the data.	00:15:54
	Supports that they're sufficient, especially with.	00:15:56
	The proper staffing and opening of the Bud Rd.	00:15:59
	That takes care of a lot of problems, but the only way you have to truly be able to to see that is if you.	00:16:03
	Get a GIS done that is more fire citric than EMS centric.	00:16:08
	OK.	00:16:13
	And the good thing is the iff.	00:16:15
	We'll do that for you for free.	00:16:17
	You said a lot of things there. I don't understand you, Sir.	00:16:21
	Sorry.	00:16:25
	One of the other questions I got.	00:16:27
	You know the the tax rate by which the territory is put together.	00:16:30
	Doesn't mean you're sticking with 40% or .4.	00:16:35
	44 Highlanders is currently.	00:16:37
	.212 or something like that.	00:16:39
	Why the big difference?	00:16:43
	Well, I think the biggest thing right now is.	00:16:45
	You're going to be losing that lit. So lit was never figured in. Yeah, go ahead.	00:16:49
	All of our calculations and the presentations we did to the public at the beginning part of this year.	00:16:55
	Were very clear that we were.	00:17:00
	Showing a number that was predicated on no other revenue.	00:17:02
	Other than the property taxes.	00:17:06
	So we have been getting some guidance over just over the last few weeks that we do expect we'll be getting some local income tax.	00:17:08
	2026 and probably 2027.	00:17:15
	And we committed to the community.	00:17:18
	That that levy would be decreased dollar for dollar.	00:17:20
	Just kind of the way it is right now.	00:17:24
	So I can't tell you what the number's going to be because.	00:17:26
	We're kind of calculating all that, but it's going to be less than what we told the public it would be because we're going to be	00:17:30
	getting the local income tax.	00:17:34
	Nor could I tell you what how lenders would be without the lid.	00:17:40
	Yeah, with lit, unfortunately, they're only a.	00:17:45
	They can only forecast that.	00:17:47
	The year out is my understanding.	00:17:48
	And I'm glad we have.	00:17:51
	This topping here with us today because.	00:17:52
	One of the reasons I really wanted her here was to talk a little bit about the numbers. What?	00:17:54
	These lids mean how they get distributed.	00:18:00
	All that's going to be paramount as we go forward so.	00:18:03
	But umm.	00:18:06
	I'll just.	00:18:07
	Turn it over you.	00:18:09
	Good evening, Diana Topping, Floyd County Auditor.	00:18:16
	SB1 sure did play a.	00:18:21
	Real fun game on us this year, didn't it?	00:18:24
	I know that all of you are struggling adjusting for it.	00:18:27
	The county is as well.	00:18:31
	We're closing out budget season within the next month, so.	00:18:33
	It's been.	00:18:38
	It's there's a steep learning curve to this.	00:18:40
	I spent a lot of today trying to review and see whether or not any additional information had been released. Understand that.	00:18:43
	This doesn't take effect until 2028, so there are a lot of changes that can happen between now and then so.	00:18:49
	We can do as much as we can to plan. I think that.	00:18:55
	What they did?	00:18:58
	With New Albany Township in Georgetown.	00:18:59
	Planning all of it based out on Levy.	00:19:02
	Kind of brilliant, actually.	00:19:04
	Especially with what dropped this year.	00:19:06
	As far as expected, local income tax.	00:19:09
	While there is a specialty local income tax that can be adopted by the council in the end of 27.	00:19:12
	428 and then readopted annually.	00:19:18
	It is not required.	00:19:21
	For them to do that.	00:19:23
	And they are the ones who set the rate.	00:19:24
	So just so we're all aware, it's a specialty tax that is not part of.	00:19:27
	Any kind of certified distribution. So right now everyone.	00:19:32
	Everyone that I'm looking at right now receives a portion of.	00:19:37
	Basically our certified local income tax you get a guaranteed amount.	00:19:42
	From the rate that is set.	00:19:46
	And reviewed annually, but we don't have to. How is that a portion?	00:19:49
	I'm sorry, how is that apportioned?	00:19:53
	How is it a portion? Yes, OK.	00:19:55
	So currently.	00:19:57
	Is apportioned.	00:19:59
	By county primary districts based on population and then the specialty non binding units afterwards. So that would be.	00:20:01
	School.	00:20:10
	Libraries.	00:20:12
	Fire districts, things like that, right?	00:20:13
	I can I.	00:20:16
	Actually, if you want, I can show you what next year.	00:20:17
	Estimate looks like for the certified distributions for local income tax, so you can actually see what what the breakdown is that	00:20:21
	my office works with.	00:20:24
	So give me just a second.	00:20:29
	I think I shared some of that.	00:20:31
	Data with Mr. Stewart already.	00:20:32
	I have it right here. I don't mind pulling it up. The 2026 estimates were released in August.	00:20:36
	So it is nice to kind of have a general idea of what we're going to be looking at next year as far as local income tax dollars.	00:20:41
	I will say that.	00:20:47
	This does not reflect.	00:20:50
	The new umm.	00:20:52
	I'm going to get the time wrong.	00:20:54
	But there we go.	00:20:56
	The new territory.	00:20:57
	I don't know anything about fire guys. I just.	00:20:58
	Run numbers all day long.	00:21:01
	Give it a second.	00:21:31
	There you are.	00:21:35
	For 2026.	00:21:40
	This is the second page. This is where the fire territories and districts call, right?	00:21:50
	So.	00:21:54
	All of these guys come first.	00:22:00
	You've got the county government where we provide all of these multiple different services.	00:22:03
	The residential taxing districts.	00:22:09
	And then you'll have public libraries and schools and floods.	00:22:11
	So.	00:22:16
	There's a whole lot of different.	00:22:17
	Entities that receive this distribution on a monthly basis.	00:22:21
	It's processed through the auditor's office. We send it to the taxing districts.	00:22:25
	These are estimates.	00:22:31
	So lit is a year in arrears so.	00:22:33
	Basically, this is what they estimate they'll have collected by the end of this year and they'll distribute to us next year.	00:22:36
	I do expect that the taxing districts will still continue to receive.	00:22:43
	These local income tax distributions through 26 and 27.	00:22:48
	It's 28 where that stops.	00:22:52
	Because.	00:22:54
	Even though it is collected a year in arrears, we will be adopting mid year.	00:22:55
	In 27 so it will be changing some things up.	00:23:00
	I'm not exactly certain how the state is going to handle that again.	00:23:03
	That's above my pay grade and above my voting range.	00:23:07
	So there's a lot wider pool for those votes.	00:23:11
	Thank God it's not me because I don't want to figure that out.	00:23:14
	The basic thing when it comes to the new local income tax rates?	00:23:23
	Is that?	00:23:27
	As a whole.	00:23:30
	The county can't go above 2.9%.	00:23:31
	And that's as a whole.	00:23:35
	But you're going to have two different rates at this point. You're going to have a county.	00:23:36
	2.9% of what?	00:23:41
	Look of income. So right now your local income tax rate.	00:23:43
	Is 1.78.	00:23:47
	And that's the entire county, no matter where you live in the county.	00:23:49
	It's 1.78.	00:23:52
	Come 2028, where you live.	00:23:55
	Will denote what your rate is.	00:23:57
	Because not only where there'll be a county.	00:23:59
	And potentially 2 specialty taxing rates.	00:24:02
	One is EMS and then one is non binding units.	00:24:04
	That does not include schools.	00:24:07
	So there is still a mechanism to fund the libraries, which is nice because that goes away.	00:24:10
	Out of our regular certified estimates come 2028.	00:24:17
	So you'll have.	00:24:21
	Your regular county rate.	00:24:22
	Which can't go above 1.2.	00:24:24
	You'll have.	00:24:27
	The option for a fire and EMS.	00:24:28
	Which can't go above .4, but it is adopted and set by County Council.	00:24:31
	And then distributed based on population and territory.	00:24:35
	So you don't get to pick.	00:24:40
	How much of that pie you get?	00:24:43
	That's determined through.	00:24:45
	Basically a certified shares calculation.	00:24:47
	And based on whatever rate the Council adopts.	00:24:49
	For that specialty taxing.	00:24:53
	You also have a non binding unit rate which is 0.2. So in essence.	00:24:56
	The County Council.	00:25:00
	Can adopt up to.	00:25:02
	Was that .7? Is that where I'm at? Somewhere in there?	00:25:04
	1.71.	00:25:08
	1.8.	00:25:10
	For a Max rate for the county and then maxing out any other options that they have available.	00:25:12
	And again, then that's a local income tax.	00:25:17
	But now on top of what we just talked about.	00:25:21
	You're also going to have a locality.	00:25:24
	Income tax rate where?	00:25:27
	So there are 8 locality taxing districts within Floyd County.	00:25:29
	You have Franklin.	00:25:33
	You have Lafayette.	00:25:35
	You have Georgetown, You have Georgetown Township, You have Greenville. You have Green Greenville Township. You have New Albany.	00:25:36
	You have New Albany Township.	00:25:40
	Those individual.	00:25:44
	Localities can also adopt A rate up to.	00:25:46
	1.2%.	00:25:50
	And then the combination of whatever the County Council adopted and your locality adopted becomes your local income tax rate for	00:25:53
	where you live.	00:25:57
	So the new taxing structure is going to be wildly different than what it currently is.	00:26:02
	So let me stop you there.	00:26:09
	So just for example.	00:26:11
	Let's say Highlanders and.	00:26:14
	Also has green.	00:26:16
	Town in their district.	00:26:18
	So Greenville town could.	00:26:21
	Adopt A rate.	00:26:23
	Does that money automatically go to?	00:26:25
	The fire, they don't adopt any kind of rate that affects fire unless Greenville town.	00:26:27
	Specifically allots money to pay to fire.	00:26:33
	The only fire rate that can be adopted.	00:26:37
	Outside of levees.	00:26:39
	Is the specialty rate that's .4.	00:26:42
	By the County Council and that's a county wide rate.	00:26:45
	And then it.	00:26:48
	Only goes.	00:26:49
	Again.	00:26:50
	There's a certified share calculation, so it's based on population and territory coverage.	00:26:51
	As to how much of that pie?	00:26:56
	Each umm.	00:26:58
	Higher territory and or district receives.	00:26:59
	Which is important because when?	00:27:03
	When you start talking about the amount of different taxing units that have their hand to the Kitty.	00:27:05
	Which is one of the reasons that for this to work.	00:27:10
	Everybody has to come into one.	00:27:12
	And you know.	00:27:15
	I want to emphasize that.	00:27:17
	None of this is.	00:27:19
	Written in stone yet right we still have.	00:27:20
	The the Legislature could.	00:27:23
	Completely change their minds next year.	00:27:25
	I really hope they didn't put us through this this year to do that because I would be really sad.	00:27:29
	Townships and towns under 3500 canal, but I don't know that we have anybody who qualifies for that, do we?	00:27:33
	Does it?	00:27:42
	.4% of the total.	00:27:44
	They can adopt their own right, but the Council.	00:27:48
	My apologies, I just clarifying something, she said. Well, townships, Townships under 3500 in population.	00:27:53
	Don't adopt their own rate. The council sets their locality rate.	00:28:01
	Yes, yeah, again.	00:28:06
	Townships.	00:28:08
	That have less than 3500 people in population.	00:28:09
	Don't adopt their own rate.	00:28:13
	The Council adopts their rate for them.	00:28:15
	That would just be Franklin, right? Yeah. That's, I think that's the only one we have. I believe it's towns and townships, isn't	00:28:17
	it?	00:28:20
	So New Albany.	00:28:23
	So it.	00:28:27
	We have 8 taxing districts. If it was by town that would be.	00:28:28
	That would be interesting because we have some really weird towns.	00:28:33
	We have a portion of Borden, We have a portion of Lanesville, we have a SO.	00:28:36
	In the county can take a.	00:28:41
	A portion of that as well for the.	00:28:43
	For the county as well from the townships, yes.	00:28:44
	There are a lot of INS and outs.	00:28:51
	There's a whole lot of changes happening.	00:28:53
	I will say if you are building a fiscal plan and you are trying to base it off of local income tax estimation after 27.	00:28:56
	That's super risky at this point because there's no guarantee that the council will adopt A rate and there's no guarantee that if	00:29:06
	they adopt A rate, what that rate will be.	00:29:10
	Also, like I keep saying, things can change between now and 28. They haven't even decided who's going to be responsible for	00:29:16
	distributing the locality.	00:29:20
	Local income tax, I don't know if it's going to go directly to the localities or if it's going to process through my office still.	00:29:25
	So there is still a lot of things up in the air.	00:29:31
	I would absolutely encourage.	00:29:37
	Everyone in this room as you take into the consideration.	00:29:39
	The future of where you live and the other people in this county as far as Fire Protection.	00:29:43
	To make sure that you're considering all the options.	00:29:49
	That's my only thing. I live in New Albany Township and I'll be perfectly honest, I don't pay attention to the fire there because	00:29:51
	I've never had a fire. But I've heard that it's a really great fire territory, so.	00:29:57
	Outside of that.	00:30:03
	I leave this to the experts.	00:30:05
	But I'm I know the tax dollars that are coming and the tax dollars that are going to go away. So you're guaranteed certified	00:30:07
	shares.	00:30:11
	They're gone after 27. There's no guarantee after 27.	00:30:14
	So how did?	00:30:18
	The differing.	00:30:20
	Rates and levies apply.	00:30:22
	Going forward because they're vastly different right now.	00:30:25
	They are vastly different. So right now you've got.	00:30:28
	Standard.	00:30:32
	Everything kind of looks the same right now. You are going to have less.	00:30:33
	As far as your property tax income next year and the year after, because if we collect less money.	00:30:37
	You get less money South property tax dollars are going down.	00:30:42
	So property tax distributions go down, right?	00:30:46
	The isn't it?	00:30:51
	A true statement that.	00:30:52
	The District's.	00:30:54
	Set their own rate for their levy.	00:30:56
	That is correct, but you can set your levy.	00:30:59
	That doesn't change how much we take in.	00:31:03
	Your levy is still a portion of the pot. Does that make sense?	00:31:05
	Yeah, yeah, I'm, I'm learning, yeah.	00:31:09
	So you have a pie.	00:31:11
	I I want this much of the pie.	00:31:13
	But.	00:31:16
	But the pie is getting smaller.	00:31:17
	It's fixed, right? The pie is getting smaller.	00:31:19
	So your portion of that pie is going to get smaller. OK, it's also fixed, correct?	00:31:21
	Yes.	00:31:25
	Makes sense?	00:31:26
	Also it's my understanding that.	00:31:27
	Even though Senate Bill 1.	00:31:29
	Address fire territories at the at the .40 they also.	00:31:31
	Capped your rate at what you're currently at.	00:31:35
	Is that correct?	00:31:38
	Yeah, we can't appeal it. We tried.	00:31:39
	As a county so.	00:31:42
	For example.	00:31:43
	The county general fund, right?	00:31:45
	It's a levee driven fund.	00:31:46
	We're going to take in $1,000,000 less in that fund next year.	00:31:49
	Due to.	00:31:53
	Less property tax dollars, so our our levy portion didn't change.	00:31:56
	Our levy rate didn't change.	00:32:00
	The money's available changed.	00:32:02
	OK. But it's going to change for a territory, is it not to? Yeah, it's going to change for everyone.	00:32:07
	So everyone will be affected, whether it's.	00:32:11
	It's not going to be as drastic as the general fund because the general fund takes in about $11 million on an annual basis	00:32:13
	typically and has a larger portion of the pie than you guys do.	00:32:17
	However.	00:32:21
	Everyone is going to be affected in some way or another over the next two years as far as what your settlement dollars are going	00:32:23
	to look like.	00:32:26
	If we take our lid out.	00:32:29
	We need to be at about a .26.	00:32:31
	Back of the napkin.	00:32:33
	Right. So for Highlander not to have a tax increase?	00:32:35
	We have to have the territory at a .6.	00:32:39
	.26 right?	00:32:43
	No, Umm.	00:32:45
	The territory rate is based on the calculation of the net asset value for the area covered.	00:32:48
	So.	00:32:54
	If.	00:32:56
	Joined the territory.	00:32:58
	The communities that Highlander currently serves.	00:33:00
	The rate times the net asset value.	00:33:02
	Would generate.	00:33:05
	The income for the territory.	00:33:06
	Isn't that this?	00:33:09
	You know to help me here, Mike.	00:33:10
	Isn't that the same of what's happening right now? We're taking the net asset value of the properties and we're taking part of	00:33:12
	that.	00:33:14
	The difference is that your rate.	00:33:17
	Is static, you can't change it.	00:33:19
	We were able to level set our revenue stream for the territory by.	00:33:22
	Forming a new territory.	00:33:27
	And getting a new.	00:33:29
	You can't change it once it's set.	00:33:32
	Your levy, your rate.	00:33:34
	I'm sorry, your rate is fixed.	00:33:36
	And you're not going to be able to raise it to 0.26 if that's the revenue that you need?	00:33:39
	To pay the bills and pay the salaries and stuff.	00:33:44
	We can change our rate every year.	00:33:46
	As long as we have.	00:33:48
	Room in our Max Levy, right?	00:33:49
	Not anymore.	00:33:52
	I'm getting out of my lane of knowledge, can you help me here?	00:33:54
	I don't know why you couldn't.	00:33:58
	If your levy goes up, the math indicates the ray has to go up and they have quite a bit of room in their next levy.	00:33:59
	I believe it was passed. Revenue goes as they grow, as the planet goes up.	00:34:04
	There's going to be more.	00:34:08
	Have lost, but they're having more property tax revenue.	00:34:09
	Due to the Max lending.	00:34:13
	Increase They're well below their match right now.	00:34:14
	I understand that.	00:34:17
	But I believe.	00:34:18
	Diana, is that correct?	00:34:20
	I'm double checking what I have in front of me before I respond to that.	00:34:21
	OK.	00:34:25
	There's concerns with the with with tax rates going up.	00:34:29
	In our area is why I'm. Why is it?	00:34:32
	I'm trying to understand the question because I'm getting.	00:34:34
	I'm getting asked lots of questions about tax rates because the .4 and .2.	00:34:37
	Significantly differe.	00:34:42
	You know, I, I think one of the best things may be going forward that would benefit everybody involved is.	00:34:43
	To get this fiscal analysis done.	00:34:49
	I agree.	00:34:51
	Alight in the woods.	00:34:55
	I'm a numbers guy, Jason, so I would agree with that.	00:34:57
	You know, quite frankly.	00:35:03
	Our board has wrestled with these and we have way more questions.	00:35:05
	We have answers.	00:35:10
	Well, and the folks that we.	00:35:11
	I'm sorry.	00:35:14
	Thank you.	00:35:15
	Our board has way more questions than we have answers.	00:35:17
	Like.	00:35:20
	An exponential amount.	00:35:21
	Which is why we're here.	00:35:23
	I understand that, I understand that, and I appreciate everybody's efforts.	00:35:24
	Clarify for us, but.	00:35:27
	Frankly.	00:35:30
	I don't think any of us really feels. Do we feel comfortable?	00:35:31
	With where we are now and what?	00:35:35
	What we know going forward.	00:35:37
	No, because we don't understand it.	00:35:38
	So I don't want to speak for everybody else, but I think that's a fair assessment of where we are.	00:35:41
	We're trying to do what's the best for.	00:35:46
	All the stakeholders.	00:35:49
	And trying to get.	00:35:51
	Trying to make those decisions.	00:35:54
	We don't really feel like we're equipped to make.	00:35:57
	At this point in time.	00:35:59
	And we got two years.	00:36:00
	If it is going to go away.	00:36:02
	The way we talk, we don't have to hurry.	00:36:04
	We can wait a year.	00:36:06
	Because the lip doesn't go.	00:36:08
	Until 27, we're OK. We think we can raise, live. We got time, we're not.	00:36:10
	Well, one of the other problems that we have, Matt, is not just the fire territory.	00:36:15
	The problem, the problems that we have is the EMS. See our contracts are set to expire in 2026, the end of 2026.	00:36:18
	So we have to have a plan in place of how we're going to provide EMS protection for this community as well.	00:36:25
	And you know, obviously.	00:36:30
	The public safety tax at the council.	00:36:33
	Had put in place. It goes away as it stands right now. It goes away in 2028.	00:36:35
	And the only mechanism to to to pay for EMS.	00:36:40
	Would be the fire and EMS lit that the council could put in place but.	00:36:44
	If you're dividing that.	00:36:48
	That lit share between a bunch of different units.	00:36:49
	It dissolves the the effectiveness.	00:36:52
	Of those rates and that money.	00:36:56
	So we're looking for a plan.	00:37:00
	So we can bring everyone together so we have that way we can fund an EMS. So everybody in this county has a same EMS system, a	00:37:03
	standardized EMS system.	00:37:06
	Countrywide, you know, not one type of system.	00:37:11
	In part of the county and another part in the other.	00:37:14
	So that's what we're looking for and that's what we're trying to accomplish, and that clock is ticking.	00:37:16
	I don't.	00:37:21
	The first part of your statement you completely lost me on.	00:37:23
	On the the funding portion of it.	00:37:25
	So I don't I don't understand that.	00:37:28
	I forgot I'm still hooked up up there.	00:37:30
	Because I didn't think.	00:37:33
	Whether Highlander went territory or not affected EMS at all.	00:37:36
	Because our last meeting, you all said.	00:37:39
	Hey, it's up to you guys if you guys.	00:37:41
	Want to talk about Territory column?	00:37:44
	And come back to proposal on EMS with Highlander and that's what we did. No, that's not exactly what was said at all as far as the	00:37:47
	fire.	00:37:51
	As far as the fire territory goes, that's a discussion between the Highlander board and the territory.	00:37:54
	As far as the commissioners, our responsibility is to provide emergency medical services to the people of Floyd County.	00:37:59
	And in order to do that.	00:38:04
	You know, in order to pay for it.	00:38:06
	You know.	00:38:07
	This hybrid fire based system was the best that we could see.	00:38:08
	Going forward to give everyone the same level of service and level of care.	00:38:12
	And in order for that to work for us.	00:38:16
	Everybody has to come together and be one department because like I said.	00:38:19
	Once you start adding.	00:38:22
	The different shares in there, that money becomes less effective.	00:38:24
	So that that statement is.	00:38:29
	Referring to EMS only, Is that correct? Yes.	00:38:31
	OK, So what you're saying is?	00:38:34
	The sum of the whole is greater than the parts.	00:38:37
	In other words.	00:38:40
	There's economies of scale.	00:38:42
	That.	00:38:43
	Enjoyed by.	00:38:45
	One county Ms. Did I say that correctly?	00:38:47
	I'm not real sure.	00:38:51
	What I'm what I'm saying is 1.	00:38:54
	One unified.	00:38:56
	EMS will be more efficient.	00:38:59
	More more revenue efficient absolutely than a patchwork.	00:39:01
	Such as it is now.	00:39:05
	Correct. And to be quite honest with you, your fire service will be more efficient too. You know you would release.	00:39:06
	A ton of redundancies and.	00:39:12
	Like I said in the last meeting, you guys.	00:39:14
	You all have to lean on each other when you have.	00:39:17
	A fire, you know.	00:39:19
	Nobody has.	00:39:20
	The amount of personnel that you need on the scene.	00:39:21
	To you know.	00:39:23
	Fight a fire. Everybody has to come together well.	00:39:25
	It only makes sense to to bring everybody together and have.	00:39:28
	One command staff.	00:39:31
	One set of.	00:39:32
	Of policies and procedures. One training regiment, one hiring requirement.	00:39:34
	You know, it reduces so many redundancies. I could sit here probably for an hour and go on and on and on about all the	00:39:38
	redundancies that this would be reduced.	00:39:42
	Which would be more beneficial to the taxpayer because.	00:39:46
	You know, instead of having all these redundancies, you're able to put these resources back into the system itself and provide a	00:39:49
	greater level of service.	00:39:52
	So is that an argument?	00:39:56
	To put EMS with foreign fire based EMS and have it under 1.	00:39:58
	The problem is there's there can't really be a Firebase DMS because in order for it to be a fire pair, it's EMS.	00:40:02
	It would be provided through the territory. Well the territory doesn't have enough money to support a fire based EMS system.	00:40:08
	That's why you would need.	00:40:11
	This lit to help pay for it.	00:40:14
	And the appetite of, and I don't like to speak for other people, but the appetite of which I've discussed with members of the	00:40:16
	Council even.	00:40:19
	You know, the commissioners that are here right now is that.	00:40:23
	It seems to us.	00:40:26
	That we would be much better off.	00:40:27
	If we were all working.	00:40:29
	Together in One Direction.	00:40:32
	Versus.	00:40:34
	Several different directions so.	00:40:34
	If we.	00:40:37
	And I accept that totally. I have no.	00:40:39
	No problem with that.	00:40:41
	So let's say that.	00:40:42
	That's the first hurdle is that we all do agree.	00:40:43
	That we need to do EMS as one.	00:40:47
	Mm-hmm. OK.	00:40:50
	So then the next step is.	00:40:51
	How do we craft that?	00:40:53
	Well, the way that we would like to craft it is.	00:40:55
	You know, with you guys coming together through the territories, we.	00:40:58
	We would fund the.	00:41:01
	The system through the lit.	00:41:03
	Through the public safety lit until the new.	00:41:05
	Lip was put into place if.	00:41:07
	They change it, or if they don't change it, whatever it would be, you know, come 2028.	00:41:10
	And we would use that as the funding mechanism, but.	00:41:14
	You know what we don't want is we don't want to have.	00:41:18
	You know, one system.	00:41:21
	Place with one medical director with one set of protocols I think we agree with yeah, there's no contingent on that right so.	00:41:22
	This all works best.	00:41:30
	For us.	00:41:31
	And for this plan?	00:41:32
	Is if everyone was together under 1.	00:41:34
	Fire district or fire territory, I should say.	00:41:37
	And.	00:41:40
	Utilizing, you know.	00:41:41
	The county's funding mechanism to pay for the EMS portion because.	00:41:42
	The fire territory or the fire district itself can't afford to pay for it out of their own pockets, and if they could, they would	00:41:46
	have.	00:41:49
	And, and I don't think there's any disagreement with that. Yeah.	00:41:52
	So then.	00:41:55
	The next step is. What is the next step?	00:41:56
	So we, we, I think there's consensus among us, right?	00:41:59
	Right before we get it. No, there's not. OK, I could ask a question.	00:42:03
	With and I I don't understand funding so you all are going to educate me.	00:42:07
	But in the plan that has been proposed.	00:42:13
	Where EMS will be.	00:42:16
	Separated from the firefighting.	00:42:18
	And he said that it's going to be funded through the lid. Are we specifically talking about?	00:42:20
	The the new fire and EMS lit.	00:42:25
	Initially, because the fire and EMS lit doesn't go into place until 2028. OK, OK. And the County Council has passed.	00:42:27
	The public safety lit. So the public safety lit would essentially have to fund.	00:42:35
	EMS the EMS until.	00:42:42
	That new lit come into place. OK, So what is the what is the EMS funding mechanism?	00:42:43
	When the public safety lid goes away.	00:42:48
	The fire and EMS tax is what the county would put in place.	00:42:51
	Can we use that fund?	00:42:54
	For a standalone EMS.	00:42:56
	We're not real sure.	00:43:00
	And I'm not trying to be different now, it's my understanding. No, it has to be a a.	00:43:02
	Firebase system or?	00:43:05
	In this case.	00:43:07
	Which is.	00:43:08
	That was my understanding that it had to be tied in with a fire exactly, which is why we're wanting to go this direction, but.	00:43:09
	And once again, like I said, this is the only way this works.	00:43:15
	Is for all these departments to come together and allow us for our DMS to that mechanism.	00:43:18
	You know we.	00:43:23
	Like Jason said, the commissioners have legal responsibility to.	00:43:26
	Provide EMS to.	00:43:31
	To the county.	00:43:32
	And we have different ways we can do that.	00:43:33
	We can cut a contract with a private company.	00:43:35
	We can create.	00:43:39
	County EMS.	00:43:42
	Which means that we're going to hire.	00:43:44
	40 or 50 employees.	00:43:46
	And then we're going to have to buy equipment and we're going to have to create.	00:43:50
	EMS stations.	00:43:54
	See where I'm going?	00:43:57
	I do not think that Indiana is going to do away with any funding.	00:43:59
	For EMS or fire?	00:44:05
	They'll do away with funding for for other things first.	00:44:07
	And I think that's why it's important that.	00:44:12
	You know, we're the second smallest county in the state.	00:44:14
	With the 20th largest population.	00:44:17
	I don't know why we have.	00:44:20
	5 townships.	00:44:22
	We have 5 fire departments. Why? We have two police departments? I don't.	00:44:23
	I don't understand all that. Why do we have, why do we have 2911 centers?	00:44:28
	We should only have one.	00:44:33
	We're not serving the public efficiently.	00:44:35
	Efficiently by having.	00:44:38
	All of these things when we should come together.	00:44:40
	And.	00:44:44
	Have one fire, one EMS, one Police Department 1911 so everybody can respond efficiently.	00:44:45
	And that way when we have a barn fire.	00:44:54
	We don't have to have 4 fire departments show up.	00:44:56
	You know, or maybe we still do, I don't know.	00:45:00
	But that's the whole ball of wax is we're just trying to.	00:45:02
	Point us in the right direction.	00:45:06
	Because otherwise.	00:45:08
	And I'm totally against municipal.	00:45:10
	Municipal AMS.	00:45:12
	Because I fought.	00:45:16
	For 35 years to get a fair wage for.	00:45:17
	Police officers.	00:45:22
	And I don't want to have that.	00:45:23
	Still with AMS and that's what's going to happen, which we're going to get right into the same thing we are.	00:45:26
	With other employees and.	00:45:33
	What's a fair wage? And so I'd rather go down this road.	00:45:35
	You guys all come together.	00:45:39
	We'll throw EMS in there.	00:45:41
	And you guys take care of it.	00:45:43
	And that way we're providing what we're supposed to. You're doing what you're going to do anyhow, because let's say we take the	00:45:45
	ambulances out.	00:45:49
	I know when we send an ambulance somewhere there's fire trucks going to roll anyhow.	00:45:54
	Can I ask a clarifying question because I got confused between you and.	00:45:59
	Michael Sure.	00:46:02
	What you're proposing is taking.	00:46:04
	The EMS platform that Highlander has.	00:46:06
	Put it with the territory and then the territory. Run fire and EMS together.	00:46:10
	Essentially, yes, but it would be.	00:46:15
	The oversight provided the the commissioners would be providing.	00:46:17
	The Clinical.	00:46:21
	Oversight by making sure that we had a director in place, that was.	00:46:22
	Giving us what we want out of the system, the Council would have fiscal oversight.	00:46:26
	Because they are leveling this this.	00:46:31
	This tax.	00:46:34
	From the people to provide service so.	00:46:35
	We we want the oversight is what we're looking for.	00:46:37
	But it's not, it's not gonna relieve us of our statutory, yeah.	00:46:41
	So.	00:46:46
	But everything else would essentially kind of be running through the territory.	00:46:47
	Why is the territory?	00:46:52
	I'm going to go back several years ago because.	00:46:54
	This is.	00:46:57
	OK, Mike, I might ask you.	00:46:58
	Georgetown historically said no.	00:47:01
	No part of EMS.	00:47:03
	What we've said is that we don't believe firefighters should be playing paramedic.	00:47:07
	So what I'm hearing Jason and.	00:47:12
	Frank, talk about is.	00:47:15
	A division within the fire territory.	00:47:18
	With civilian employees that are non firefighters.	00:47:20
	Who are EMS professionals? Who are best at that role and job?	00:47:24
	And that's their sole function.	00:47:28
	Everything that I've studied.	00:47:30
	Where you have a fire department that does EMS.	00:47:32
	Where firefighters are.	00:47:35
	Back and forth on the bus.	00:47:36
	It ends up falling apart.	00:47:39
	But the places that keep it separate.	00:47:41
	And you run EMS professionally, and you let the professional EMS people do their job.	00:47:43
	You let the firefighters.	00:47:48
	Do their job.	00:47:50
	Those tend to be successful models.	00:47:51
	So I would agree that in the past Georgetown has said no because the only options were.	00:47:53
	We'll just take your firefighters off the fire trucks and put them on the ambulance.	00:47:57
	We never felt that was going to be providing a good service to the community.	00:48:01
	Well, I understand that.	00:48:05
	What I don't understand is, Jason, what you're saying about?	00:48:08
	It'll be all run.	00:48:11
	By the territory.	00:48:13
	I'm confused as how we have.	00:48:14
	Two separate entities.	00:48:16
	Fire territory and an EMS.	00:48:18
	Territory, if you want to call it that.	00:48:21
	Whether I'm right or wrong.	00:48:23
	But you know what I'm getting at.	00:48:24
	So. So where do they come together? I'm confused by that.	00:48:25
	It's there be sharing the same quarters, they'll essentially be a division of the of the territory.	00:48:29
	You know, single. So how is that different?	00:48:36
	From the example that he just provided.	00:48:38
	That's where I just said yeah, I don't, I don't. Maybe I don't understand your question. Can you rephrase it for me?	00:48:40
	Well, so.	00:48:47
	We're saying that.	00:48:48
	The firefighters and EMT.	00:48:50
	Doing a dual role doesn't work.	00:48:54
	But but yet I think I hear you saying. Correct me if I'm wrong. Well.	00:48:57
	Explain it better, I mean so if you would.	00:49:01
	There are multitude of different systems out there and everyone of them are effective in their own way in certain areas are able	00:49:03
	to.	00:49:07
	Provide service in one area.	00:49:11
	That is.	00:49:13
	Completely effective and that the model works for them.	00:49:14
	Historically.	00:49:18
	What we have seen is that when you have.	00:49:20
	A fire based EMS system.	00:49:22
	Especially one where their dual role.	00:49:25
	Especially dual role.	00:49:28
	Is that you start seeing a breakdown of morale and you'll start seeing people want to leave if they're forced to.	00:49:30
	You know, ride one piece of equipment like if.	00:49:36
	If a firefighter.	00:49:39
	IS is asked to work on a squad one day.	00:49:41
	A lot of them don't like that or if they get assigned to a squad.	00:49:43
	For weeks on an end, maybe even years. You know they don't like that. And then equivocally.	00:49:47
	There's some people who work EMS that have no interest in wanting to be a firefighter, they just want to be.	00:49:51
	You know an EMS worker, they want to provide medical care to the community.	00:49:56
	And uh.	00:49:59
	A lot of times people think it's it's more efficient to do both, but it's not.	00:50:00
	In this case for example.	00:50:05
	You know, we're trying to get something.	00:50:06
	Really good off the ground here.	00:50:09
	And.	00:50:11
	Keep the cost as minimal as what we can and provide.	00:50:12
	Excellent clinical care for the people of this community and great fire service as well.	00:50:15
	But that gets muddy when you start.	00:50:20
	Doing dual role stuff.	00:50:22
	Especially when you start talking about pensions.	00:50:24
	And how much that costs because, you know, even like.	00:50:26
	You're all seeing it now.	00:50:29
	Everybody's looking at going to the 77 fund for their pensions for their firefighters. I know Highlander.	00:50:31
	Currently has it.	00:50:36
	I believe New Albany Township and Georgetown have.	00:50:38
	A hybrid model there, but if eventually.	00:50:41
	It's going to go that direction.	00:50:44
	OK. Where these firefighters going to be in the 77 fund? Well, the way the 77 fund is currently spelled out?	00:50:46
	Is that that is reserved for police officers?	00:50:51
	And firefighters only, they, they don't make room in there for EMS workers. And I think that's unfortunate.	00:50:53
	I think that's a real.	00:50:58
	You know, slide against, you know.	00:50:59
	Some very committed, you know, public servants in our state.	00:51:01
	But that's the way that it is. But.	00:51:05
	That comes with great cost.	00:51:06
	It's very expensive.	00:51:09
	To put people in the 77 fund, it's a much different system than what?	00:51:11
	The the hybrid or the civilian perf system is.	00:51:14
	And as we work to get this thing off the ground.	00:51:18
	I don't think that we could afford that.	00:51:20
	That as it stands right now.	00:51:23
	The attitude to Jason's **** is my understanding that the city of New Albany.	00:51:25
	Firefighters divested themselves of EMS roll.	00:51:30
	For that very.	00:51:33
	Reason with regards to morale and.	00:51:34
	A lot of ambiguity, so so.	00:51:37
	It's happened and it was within the last 10 to 12 years when that happened that they fought.	00:51:40
	Hard to get that contract separated out so.	00:51:44
	Not to mention, you know, I.	00:51:47
	When you start talking about preventing.	00:51:49
	Giving people care.	00:51:52
	OK, the last thing somebody wants.	00:51:54
	From the person coming to get life saving care, especially if you're like.	00:51:57
	Have a breathing issue?	00:52:00
	Somebody walking in just after you've been through some fire trading right of fire.	00:52:02
	That sweaty.	00:52:05
	You know, smell like fire. Which?	00:52:07
	You know, some places can cycle people through to make sure people get cleaned up and stuff like it, but it doesn't always work	00:52:09
	like that.	00:52:12
	You know, gears are supposed to, our ambulances have compartments that are supposed to, you know.	00:52:15
	Maintain, you know that gear and lock that stuff up but.	00:52:19
	It doesn't just work like that. It really just doesn't. Between the morale and everything else, we believe that the single role	00:52:23
	system is the best system moving forward.	00:52:27
	Everyone around Indianapolis is doing Firebase, and there's more moving to it.	00:52:31
	This is an Indianapolis.	00:52:36
	I agree, but.	00:52:38
	But I'm they also runs, they also run squads instead of using their fire trucks on medical calls and you know, they have a host	00:52:39
	more.	00:52:43
	Resources and what we do here as well. I'm not arguing. I can't argue one way the way the only I can do is data.	00:52:47
	So I'm going to ask you what data can you give us to help me?	00:52:52
	That says that what you're saying is correct other than.	00:52:55
	Jason Sharps.	00:52:58
	Opinion because I'm I'm an engineer.	00:52:59
	Sure. So.	00:53:02
	Jason Sharp.	00:53:04
	And the rest of commissioners hired his consultant today.	00:53:06
	And his job is going to be working with you guys to present that information so you won't have to ask Jason Sharp.	00:53:08
	You can ask one of the the nations leading.	00:53:13
	Experts in this field.	00:53:15
	So, and that's what we brought him on.	00:53:17
	This is more, I guess a.	00:53:21
	Logistical question of how this would all play out and look. Personally, I'm on both sides of this fence.	00:53:22
	I'm a firefighter. I'd rather not.	00:53:30
	Ride a bus, generally speaking.	00:53:32
	That's not what I signed up to do.	00:53:37
	That being said.	00:53:39
	85% of our runs are EMS. I'm currently enrolled.	00:53:40
	In an advanced class to provide that service in the municipality I serve.	00:53:44
	So I see both sides of this.	00:53:48
	And so I guess.	00:53:50
	My question logistically.	00:53:53
	I think there are and I think there is an abundance of firefighters who do like both aspects certainly, and are good and are	00:53:56
	skilled at both aspects certainly. I'm not that guy.	00:54:01
	But there are people.	00:54:06
	Who fill that role?	00:54:08
	And take great pride in it.	00:54:10
	So in this future plan that we're looking at.	00:54:12
	I can I can accept.	00:54:16
	Hiring civilians who are in civilian perf and.	00:54:18
	The benefits of that comes with.	00:54:21
	And the benefits of them being dedicated to EMS.	00:54:22
	But is there space?	00:54:26
	For current members.	00:54:28
	Who are dual trained who hold these advanced certifications like paramedic?	00:54:31
	Where?	00:54:37
	They can still operate within the department they're in. They can still make rides on the bus.	00:54:38
	Is there some kind of?	00:54:43
	Compromise where these people aren't losing their certifications or giving up their.	00:54:45
	I think absolutely. I would think that if you had a firefighter who was certified as a paramedic that still wanted to operate as a	00:54:49
	paramedic.	00:54:52
	You know, I would think that a system like ours would.	00:54:57
	Would still need but you see, I don't want him to have to give up his pension to do that.	00:55:00
	Sure. Well.	00:55:05
	If they're two separate departments, how are you going to do that? Mm-hmm.	00:55:07
	Well, I mean, you're gonna have to essentially make a choice if you're going to work EMS. This is.	00:55:10
	The way that's going to go, if you're going to be on the fireside, that's.	00:55:14
	You know it's going to be under that. So a firefighter, paramedics not allowed to crossover and help out on the ambulance.	00:55:17
	Well, certainly, yeah, I would think. I think they could, especially on cases like.	00:55:23
	I would think there would be part of.	00:55:26
	Yeah. Well, there's our consultant back there. I think that's my question, Is there room for that in the state of Indiana you can	00:55:28
	go license those ALS non transport and still provide ALS level care from the engine?	00:55:33
	Separate from.	00:55:38
	They EMS department.	00:55:40
	Sure. So you're not taking.	00:55:41
	That's just one deployment. I think that's my question. I understand. I think that would be a great idea. You know, at some point	00:55:45
	you're trending towards the ALS engine companies as well as along with your EMS service, but I really don't know a firefighter	00:55:50
	that doesn't have a full time job.	00:55:55
	Outside fire.	00:56:00
	So on their days off, they can work on the truck.	00:56:01
	Absolutely. Umm.	00:56:04
	And have dual income.	00:56:06
	That's what they want to do. I don't. I don't know. Well, no. Yeah.	00:56:10
	But I'm saying that.	00:56:14
	That way it wouldn't interfere with their pension.	00:56:15
	Well, it would though.	00:56:18
	It I'm way out of my line now.	00:56:21
	OK.	00:56:23
	But right now, Highlander.	00:56:25
	Gets the pension whether on the bus or not.	00:56:27
	And what's your scenario? And they would not get the pension if they're just on the bus, only if they're dual certified, Do they?	00:56:30
	They do.	00:56:35
	I mean as all your all your people dual certified and part of the 77.	00:56:37
	Not everybody's dual certified.	00:56:41
	Those that do have fire certs.	00:56:44
	They have the 77 if they qualify.	00:56:46
	Those that do not qualify are in part.	00:56:49
	If I could offer.	00:56:53
	It sounds to me like there's some direction.	00:56:56
	That maybe a vision of where we go.	00:56:59
	And tonight is probably not the time to try and solve all the problems.	00:57:02
	Not that it's not important or anything like that.	00:57:06
	But I envision that there are some ways to address those.	00:57:08
	Concerns and issues.	00:57:11
	That we're not going to write them out on a piece of paper tonight. I think that if there is interest in moving forward.	00:57:13
	Then we continue the conversation.	00:57:19
	And find out where those Rd. bumps are.	00:57:21
	And we smooth them out.	00:57:24
	But we don't say we're not going to talk about this because we've got this one issue or something.	00:57:26
	I think that.	00:57:31
	It's reasonable people can come to a conclusion where you have successful outcomes.	00:57:32
	Well said on my I will not speak for the other board for my member.	00:57:37
	For me personally.	00:57:40
	I agree with what Mr. Sharp said.	00:57:42
	The financial analysis is step one.	00:57:44
	To understand, because we got to go back to the Highlander people and say listen.	00:57:46
	Your tax rate may go up.	00:57:51
	I'm not sure what more services you're getting because you're getting pretty Dang good services now.	00:57:53
	And explain that to them. So I think that's the first step.	00:57:58
	And how?	00:58:01
	We understand it. We had to do that earlier this year when we did our public presentations as required by state statute.	00:58:03
	And if you have a revenue stream that is dependent on lit?	00:58:09
	As was mentioned.	00:58:14
	You probably need to stop.	00:58:16
	Figuring that into the.	00:58:18
	Future planning.	00:58:20
	It's possible.	00:58:21
	But umm.	00:58:22
	One thing that we've always done.	00:58:23
	I don't want to hire somebody that.	00:58:25
	In two or three years, I'm not certain we're going to be able to pay their salary.	00:58:27
	So we've always tried to operate with that conservative mentality.	00:58:31
	That we're very comfortable with what our projected revenue is going forward so that we can.	00:58:34
	Know we're going to pay our bills.	00:58:39
	I think the district model is under a lot of pressure.	00:58:42
	To continue in the future.	00:58:45
	And nobody wants to hear their taxes are going up.	00:58:47
	But if you are saying that we're going to take.	00:58:50
	The money from your property taxes.	00:58:53
	But the expectation is you're not going to be paying.	00:58:56
	The certified chair is lit.	00:58:58
	There may be a lot closer.	00:59:00
	In the numbers than what they are.	00:59:02
	We have been able by transitioning to the territory model.	00:59:06
	To ensure our ability.	00:59:09
	To have the revenue to provide the service to the community.	00:59:11
	For the foreseeable future.	00:59:15
	We would not have been able to do that if we had remained a district.	00:59:17
	I think the.	00:59:22
	To his to Mike's point, I think it is time.	00:59:24
	For people, maybe not tonight.	00:59:28
	But tomorrow and the next day, next day, anybody in this room that has a question?	00:59:31
	To write it down.	00:59:36
	So that.	00:59:38
	You know, we can get those answers and that's the that's the only way I think, you know, you write down your question and you say	00:59:40
	I got a question.	00:59:45
	Because otherwise, by the time we come to these meetings, you're not going to remember.	00:59:50
	Or it's going to spur another conversation.	00:59:53
	But.	00:59:56
	I've heard a lot of good comments.	00:59:57
	I don't have the answers, I just know why we're here to begin with. We got an EMS issue that's looming in the very near future.	00:59:59
	What's the best method? It is financial analysis.	01:00:07
	I can tell you that I've had discussions with.	01:00:13
	The Council who would be willing to look at.	01:00:16
	Possibly you know.	01:00:19
	Doing the financial analysis for everyone.	01:00:20
	Having that done through them.	01:00:23
	I think if you guys would all maybe.	01:00:26
	Entertain a vote to seek a fiscal analysis.	01:00:29
	That we can look at it out correctly on the parliamentary.	01:00:33
	Discussion here.	01:00:37
	About seeing the the.	01:00:39
	Council will fund that.	01:00:41
	That's not in our wheelhouse, correct?	01:00:43
	That's in yours. That's that, that's the council's.	01:00:45
	Kind of wheelhouse, but.	01:00:49
	They seem to be receptive.	01:00:50
	I think.	01:00:53
	The necessary step before going with the financial analysis, Which?	01:00:57
	Massive, dedicated, this is first step. I mean the first step is a willingness to look at all the options and I'm hearing.	01:01:00
	A willingness.	01:01:06
	To do so tonight.	01:01:08
	Which is a huge step forward compared to where we were 18 months ago.	01:01:09
	If you take the temperature of this room tonight versus where we were.	01:01:13
	In previous discussions.	01:01:18
	We've made a lot of progress just with regards to attitudes and be willing to look at these.	01:01:21
	I think we're here because there is an agreement that.	01:01:28
	If we were doing this from the ground up.	01:01:31
	We would not have this patchwork.	01:01:34
	Of the way we've always done it.	01:01:37
	Yeah, we would not do the way we go, but they did that because that's the way it was back then. They were pulling.	01:01:39
	Wagons with horses and they had.	01:01:43
	Well defined territories, you know.	01:01:45
	We have a county wide system which.	01:01:49
	Or at least I think willing to explore.	01:01:52
	We would have.	01:01:55
	Well defined.	01:01:56
	Roles within those which we don't have to reinvent the wheel. That's why we.	01:01:57
	Hired Mr. Dixon tonight to help us explore those and lay those out for us.	01:02:01
	I I think we would have a well defined.	01:02:06
	Reliable funding mechanism.	01:02:08
	Through which no fault of our own, we really don't have. We're, we're, we're trying to kind of hit moving targets here with.	01:02:11
	With what might happen next year, in the next year and the next year with I think everybody's doing their best to do that so.	01:02:17
	If there is a willingness.	01:02:23
	To explore these options.	01:02:25
	Then the financial analysis becomes a first necessary step.	01:02:28
	If there's a willingness that that we can get a consensus from those three bodies that you wanted to do that, then we can work	01:02:33
	with the council to get that.	01:02:37
	Paid for we have a number of.	01:02:41
	And Mr. Dixon could, perhaps you know.	01:02:43
	Let us know.	01:02:45
	Who he might have worked with in the past, but we have.	01:02:46
	Financial experts that we contract with.	01:02:48
	For analysis of different projects along the way. So we could certainly look at that it's.	01:02:51
	Require an open look at everybody's books and.	01:02:55
	Input from our auditors office with regards to again what?	01:02:59
	What to our funding mechanisms look like?	01:03:02
	Now in the 262728.	01:03:04
	But again, I want to reiterate Jason point.	01:03:08
	We got.	01:03:11
	Into a political hostile environment.	01:03:12
	The last time and ended up with a hybrid system that.	01:03:15
	Was the best political.	01:03:18
	Resolution that we could get at the time.	01:03:21
	With the folks that were in those elected offices at the time. But part of the problem was.	01:03:24
	We didn't start until.	01:03:28
	We were really approaching the deadline.	01:03:29
	So we're, we're, we're covered through 2026 on EMS, yes, but the time to start that discussion.	01:03:32
	Is, is, is now and we've already.	01:03:37
	We're ahead of the game.	01:03:40
	Immeasurably compared to where we were. But that's what that's why we're here in a little bit of a beating drum or a ticking clock	01:03:42
	a little bit louder than you guys are with reversing the fire territory.	01:03:46
	I think we would not.	01:03:51
	Be doing our roles.	01:03:52
	If we weren't open to all opportunities, no different than you guys wouldn't be. Do your role and I've got an opportunity to give	01:03:54
	you guys tonight. If you're not open to opportunities, if we're all closed minded and I don't.	01:03:58
	I'm not seeing that of anyone of our board at anytime to be close.	01:04:03
	About any subject.	01:04:06
	So I, I'm not gonna speak for that, but I think we're excited.	01:04:07
	To see a financial analysis that we.	01:04:11
	All of us are green.	01:04:14
	To Litz and.	01:04:16
	Maybe our former Commissioner here knows more than others of us, but.	01:04:17
	We need some education.	01:04:20
	MMM.	01:04:21
	I think we let our new consultant dig in and.	01:04:23
	Get a feel for where we are too, and then.	01:04:26
	We can start our conversations with the council on. I don't know how much structure you're asking, but if.	01:04:29
	You feel there's value. I would offer to the Georgetown board, if there's a show of support, to continue moving forward with this	01:04:34
	conversation.	01:04:38
	And would they publicly vote and support a motion to do that?	01:04:42
	I don't know if you need that or anything from the boards.	01:04:46
	I think that that would be very, very helpful. I do too, OK.	01:04:48
	Then I'll ask the Georgetown boards that members that are here.	01:04:52
	Can somebody make a motion?	01:04:56
	To continue working with the.	01:04:58
	Existing fire districts and the county commissioners and council.	01:05:01
	On the discussion of a.	01:05:04
	Floyd County.	01:05:06
	Fire Territory encompassing the entire territory.	01:05:07
	OK. Mark Jeffrey a second. Any discussion?	01:05:10
	No. All in favor, aye.	01:05:15
	Aye, passes for oh.	01:05:17
	I'll make one for.	01:05:22
	Financial Analysis.	01:05:24
	Review for our board.	01:05:26
	Because that's what I think we see as our first step.	01:05:28
	I agree. Second.	01:05:31
	Discussion.	01:05:34
	All those in favor, aye.	01:05:35
	Opposed motion carried.	01:05:37
	I'll entertain a motion from the New Albany Township Board to.	01:05:48
	Move forward with.	01:05:52
	The exploration of a.	01:05:53
	Truecalling the far territory.	01:05:55
	I'll second.	01:05:58
	All in favor.	01:06:00
	Signify the saying aye.	01:06:03
	OK.	01:06:05
	Can I offer just?	01:06:08
	Having gone through this over the last.	01:06:11
	You're a year and a half.	01:06:13
	There is a ticking clock.	01:06:14
	If, and I'm not holding anybody to this, but if there's a desire to create a countrywide fire territory, there are statutory.	01:06:16
	Things that have to be done.	01:06:23
	Between January 1st next year and.	01:06:25
	March 31st next year.	01:06:27
	You have to have at least three meetings.	01:06:29
	There are some rules on how soon they have to be apart from each other. How far apart.	01:06:32
	Then you have a fourth adoption meeting.	01:06:36
	All of the entities involved have to have a quorum at every one of the meetings for it to be legal, and I'm talking a little bit	01:06:39
	out of turn. I should let Keith handle this. But having gone through this.	01:06:44
	To get to that point.	01:06:50
	You need to do the work now.	01:06:51
	Over the next several weeks, month, and then you get into the holiday season and everybody gets a little busy.	01:06:53
	But it may sound and feel like.	01:06:59
	There's a lot of time to do this, but if.	01:07:02
	A question of.	01:07:05
	EMS at the end of 2026.	01:07:06
	Is a timeline that actually has to happen then in the first three months of the year.	01:07:09
	If the answer is the combined.	01:07:13
	Fire territory.	01:07:16
	Taking on the EMS role.	01:07:17
	Which would then go into effect January 1st, 2027.	01:07:18
	So I just in case somebody's not familiar with the process, I just want to put that as a little placeholder.	01:07:22
	There's not.	01:07:27
	A tremendous amount of time to accomplish something, if that's where.	01:07:28
	Everybody says they want to go.	01:07:32
	Alright.	01:07:42
	And again, we.	01:07:43
	I would assume that we will pick up our discussions for.	01:07:46
	EMS contracts very early.	01:07:49
	In 2026.	01:07:52
	And I will say that we ended up.	01:07:55
	With the.	01:07:56
	Hybrid system that we had.	01:07:58
	Based upon the composition.	01:08:01
	Of the the Council primarily, and we do have new Council members.	01:08:04
	So to Frank's point earlier on.	01:08:08
	Were mandated to provide coverage.	01:08:13
	My.	01:08:19
	My choice at the time would have been countrywide coverage with the exclusion of New Albany.	01:08:21
	But we kinda got.	01:08:26
	Where we were based upon the number of votes that we had available.	01:08:27
	So again, to Frank's point, we're going to have coverage one way or the other.	01:08:30
	When I meet Georgia.	01:08:35
	And.	01:08:37
	So it's going to come down to either.	01:08:39
	Firebase or it's going to come down to.	01:08:43
	Contract about.	01:08:47
	As it did before.	01:08:48
	So that that that discussion will start.	01:08:50
	Basically back.	01:08:52
	Beginning of the.	01:08:53
	The board.	01:08:55
	Just like it did.	01:08:57
	18 months ago. 24 months ago.	01:08:59
	Suzanne, you know this.	01:09:02
	Several months ago.	01:09:04
	This clock is ticking.	01:09:06
	From a lot of different directions, not only through the process.	01:09:08
	Of the territory.	01:09:11
	But.	01:09:13
	As I've said on several occasions, you know, procuring them equipment.	01:09:14
	And take time.	01:09:17
	And we will have to start making.	01:09:19
	Some moves and.	01:09:21
	If we start passing that timeline of us to be able to make those moves.	01:09:23
	That's only going to lead us to One Direction of where we would go from here.	01:09:27
	So.	01:09:31
	Yeah, the only thing I want to comment is.	01:09:32
	I have an open mind.	01:09:35
	And I'm more than willing to listen to anybody.	01:09:37
	I don't think very few of us are experts in any of this.	01:09:41
	So I believe everyone here.	01:09:44
	Correct me if I'm wrong.	01:09:47
	Do you have an open mind?	01:09:48
	And we all have the same goal.	01:09:50
	Provide the best service to our citizens.	01:09:51
	The best fire service. The best EM service.	01:09:54
	And part of the best EM service is to have.	01:09:57
	Paramedics.	01:10:00
	On the ambulance is not just a basic EMT.	01:10:03
	Correct and.	01:10:05
	And have a dedicated workforce.	01:10:07
	And I see that.	01:10:10
	In Highlanders.	01:10:11
	Fire early, dude.	01:10:12
	Because back when I was Commissioner.	01:10:14
	If you would ask me.	01:10:16
	A Firebase EMS.	01:10:18
	I would say no.	01:10:19
	I said no.	01:10:22
	And because my attitude was.	01:10:23
	If a private entity can provide the services.	01:10:25
	At an acceptable level.	01:10:28
	For less money.	01:10:30
	Say we're taxpayers.	01:10:32
	Reality is that.	01:10:34
	Private EMS.	01:10:35
	To get to that point because they're a profit based company.	01:10:38
	They use.	01:10:41
	I don't want.	01:10:43
	Say the wrong words.	01:10:44
	But they're not encouraged to put the best.	01:10:45
	That they can.	01:10:48
	And folks are working fire service.	01:10:50
	They have a different kind of attitude.	01:10:53
	Frank can talk about this and Jason can talk about it.	01:10:56
	Whether you're a police officer or firefighter or.	01:10:59
	Military.	01:11:02
	You have a different attitude of public service.	01:11:03
	And George has excellent fire department.	01:11:06
	Highlanders Exton Fire Department.	01:11:10
	We got very dedicated people.	01:11:12
	And you comment about.	01:11:15
	Having a smelly fireman come pick to your house.	01:11:16
	About 3-4 years ago and code was going around.	01:11:19
	And I couldn't breathe.	01:11:22
	And my wife dialed 911.	01:11:24
	And the best side I saw in my life was that Georgetown firefighter coming in his overalls. I don't care if he stunk.	01:11:26
	He picked me up like a baby.	01:11:32
	You put me in the ambulance and I spent the next 3-4 weeks in the hospital.	01:11:36
	I understand what you're saying. I'm what I'm what I'm saying is, is.	01:11:40
	The first rule of BMS is to do no further harm.	01:11:43
	Right, OK.	01:11:46
	And if you're coming in?	01:11:47
	To an environment where somebody is.	01:11:49
	Extremely sick.	01:11:52
	And.	01:11:53
	You were coming in.	01:11:55
	You know, smelling like you just got on a fire because you may have just done that.	01:11:57
	You may be making your patient sicker.	01:12:00
	Right. I think that's a, I think that's a very fair thing to say.	01:12:03
	Absolutely.	01:12:07
	Right. So, and I'm not saying that it's.	01:12:08
	It's not capable. It happens every day. I'm just saying that.	01:12:11
	That's something that.	01:12:14
	You gotta take in the back of your.	01:12:15
	Help me understand.	01:12:17
	Or the only way that would happen is if you had a firefighter that.	01:12:18
	Was out of the fire.	01:12:22
	And then didn't take his clothes off, didn't change, didn't. But it's not the uniform when he got on an ambulance.	01:12:23
	No, that means he may have left from that fire scene because he was clear from the tasks that he was doing to go to a different	01:12:29
	call.	01:12:32
	That's what that means.	01:12:35
	So.	01:12:37
	And that happens very regularly.	01:12:38
	So not not through the, not through the ambulance under.	01:12:40
	Yeah, which what you're saying is he was EMS on a fire truck?	01:12:44
	And then went to.	01:12:48
	On a fire truck of the fire then went to the EMS calling a fire truck. No, didn't clean it either one. Yeah, either one out. So	01:12:50
	let's just say you you have dual role.	01:12:54
	You have.	01:12:58
	Of your squad that is operating, let's just say they're doing grit.	01:12:59
	Or something like that and they're softening the target.	01:13:02
	They're doing all the stuff They're they're.	01:13:05
	Can be in smoke, they can be in a whole bunch of different areas. They may actually have to go in and do some work, but.	01:13:07
	At some point as the incident starts.	01:13:12
	Coming down a little bit, you start freeing up units. What happens when that call comes in, when they're on their way to quarters	01:13:15
	or they're still there at the scene and they're able to clear?	01:13:19
	You know, this, this, this also this dual role, what we don't talk about with that.	01:13:23
	Is that what happens when those squads are tied up fighting fires?	01:13:28
	They're not available for medical calls.	01:13:31
	So if you're dealing with a limited number of ambulances.	01:13:34
	And they're tied up on a fire because their dual role and they're working on the fire scene.	01:13:37
	That's taking away from the ambulances that you have available to respond to medical calls.	01:13:41
	Yeah, if you were pulling people off, anyone said to break the fire out, Yeah, we don't do that.	01:13:45
	Well, for the record, for those who are just watching the rooms full of firemen tonight, yeah, smells great in here.	01:13:50
	So all is well.	01:13:57
	Fireman being dirty, it was just making a.	01:14:02
	In general, deprecating themselves because he's probably had to show it up like that. I have, yeah.	01:14:05
	On multiple occasions.	01:14:10
	I just saw my appreciation of the fire department.	01:14:12
	That, you know, all right, Nobody, nobody needs it until you need it.	01:14:15
	Would I just want to make?	01:14:19
	Just one quick statement. I have 0 fire background.	01:14:21
	I started my service.	01:14:26
	At the private ambulance service.	01:14:27
	The very first eighteen day EMT class in the state of Indiana.	01:14:29
	And on the 7th paramedic in the entire world.	01:14:33
	A whole 5 board certifications through an international board.	01:14:36
	So.	01:14:40
	I I don't necessarily agree that fire based paramedics provide better care than someone who's not fired.	01:14:41
	So I just want to make that clarifying.	01:14:48
	OK.	01:14:53
	I'm going to look for.	01:14:54
	Mutual motions of adjournment here real quick, is it?	01:14:56
	We have.	01:15:00
	We have representatives from both the unions here. I wanted to see if they had anything or are we going to take any public	01:15:00
	comment?	01:15:03
	As well.	01:15:06
	Any of the union representatives have anything they want to say tonight?	01:15:07
	Can I Can I add something?	01:15:13
	And I I'm gonna step way out of my bounds here now, but.	01:15:14
	I know Georgetown is going through negotiations on their union.	01:15:18
	The first step may be to call Highlanders Union.	01:15:20
	Just to clarify, we are not currently in negotiations.	01:15:24
	That's that's not correct.	01:15:27
	False information in sorry.	01:15:29
	Dinner. Any other public comment?	01:15:33
	No other public comment.	01:15:36
	All right. Seeking motions to adjourn.	01:15:39
	Motion to adjourn I always make.	01:15:42
	Thank you everybody.	01:15:46
	International.	01:15:49

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Event transcript
	A little bit unusual. So I think we figured out how we're going to do that. The commissioners do have one.	00:00:00
	Item of business we have a.	00:00:05
	A contractor professional service contract that we need to approve.	00:00:07
	So we're going to call our meeting.	00:00:11
	Together, I think after we do that piece of business, we'll stay.	00:00:14
	Officially in session, but we'll have each of the board presidents, if they want to come up here or however they want to do that	00:00:19
	from the seats or however they wish to do it.	00:00:22
	They can call their individual boards into session as well. I think we'll do the Pledge of Allegiance once here momentarily.	00:00:26
	And then at the end of this we'll.	00:00:32
	Adjourn. I suppose all four will have to do that separately. And if somebody wants to hang out here, the doors will get locked at	00:00:35
	some point in time, right?	00:00:39
	OK.	00:00:44
	So.	00:00:45
	With that in mind.	00:00:46
	I am going to call the Floyd County Board of Commissioners.	00:00:48
	Into session for this special meeting I'll.	00:00:51
	Remind everyone that all four boards did publicly advertise on this.	00:00:55
	In accordance with statute so.	00:01:00
	Or rise.	00:01:03
	I pledge allegiance to the flag.	00:01:06
	Of the United States of America.	00:01:09
	And to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God.	00:01:11
	Indivisible. Umm.	00:01:15
	With liberty and justice for all.	00:01:16
	All right, all three Commissioners are present.	00:01:20
	And we do have.	00:01:23
	Two items on our agenda.	00:01:25
	The second of which involves everyone here in the room.	00:01:28
	1st is the professional service contract.	00:01:31
	Jason, did you have anything you wanted to?	00:01:35
	Point out with regards to this and.	00:01:37
	How it impacts what?	00:01:39
	Part 2 of the meeting or might impact it.	00:01:41
	Yeah. So as as we've discussed previously.	00:01:43
	You know, there's going to be a lot of moving parts to this. The commissioners would like to have some guidance.	00:01:46
	When it comes to EMS and how to form this system.	00:01:52
	To best suit the residents of Floyd County.	00:01:55
	Therefore, we've decided to bring on a consultant.	00:01:57
	To assist us with this.	00:02:00
	And.	00:02:01
	He's here tonight so.	00:02:04
	Did you want to?	00:02:07
	Do you want to officially introducing everyone? Yeah, certainly.	00:02:07
	They probably do.	00:02:11
	Mr. Dixon, are you here?	00:02:13
	Would you like to come up to the podium real quick, please?	00:02:15
	Yeah. Hi there.	00:02:27
	We might just tell us a little bit about yourself.	00:02:29
	Sure. Name's Jeff Dixon. I'm a nationally registered paramedic.	00:02:31
	Board certified and critical care Flight Tactical Wilderness and board certified Community paramedic.	00:02:35
	I've been a paramedic for 25 years. I live in Jeffersonville, currently serve as a.	00:02:42
	Clinical supervisor for an air medical base where I oversee.	00:02:47
	5 nurses, 4 paramedics, 4 pilots and a mechanic.	00:02:51
	I'm sure day-to-day operations oversight compliance as far as like FDA state statutes.	00:02:54
	And then I report to a physician medical director.	00:03:01
	OK. Any questions for Mr. Dixon?	00:03:05
	No, nice to meet you. I have not.	00:03:08
	Like a pleasure meeting you and I want to thank you I mean for the amount of services that.	00:03:10
	Looks like we're in store for and with your resume I think we're.	00:03:15
	Getting a very reasonable price here. So I think that speaks to the fact that you're wanting to do this as a public.	00:03:18
	Service as well as a little bit of reimbursement. So I appreciate that. So if there are no further questions, I'll entertain a	00:03:23
	motion to approve this contract. So moved.	00:03:28
	Second all in favor, aye.	00:03:33
	Thank you very much.	00:03:36
	And uh.	00:03:37
	The fire and territory discussion now before proceeding with that, we'll go ahead and have the individual.	00:03:39
	Pres.	00:03:43
	State quorum and.	00:03:44
	Call their bodies into sessions.	00:03:46
	Mr. Moody, if you want to.	00:03:49
	Start.	00:03:50
	Michael Moody, I'm the chairman for Georgetown Township Fire Protection District, and we have a quorum.	00:03:52
	All right.	00:03:57
	Matt Smith, Chairman, Highlander, and we have a quorum.	00:04:01
	All right.	00:04:04
	Daniel Jacobs through the New Albany Township Fire Protection District, and we have a quorum.	00:04:09
	Perfect. Thank you.	00:04:12
	All right, I.	00:04:14
	Although this is kind of a formal room setup, we wanted it to be.	00:04:17
	Rather informal discussion, but Jason, if you want to kick us off.	00:04:20
	Thoughts and where we're moving tonight? Yeah, absolutely. You know our thoughts with having this meeting today was not just a.	00:04:24
	To approve this this service contract, but to get everyone of the tear or the the district boards together.	00:04:30
	To have just an open, honest conversation with each other about.	00:04:35
	What coming into the territory could possibly look like and even an opportunity to to talk to the people from New Albany Township.	00:04:40
	And from Georgetown Township of why they thought.	00:04:47
	Going the route of the territory was best for them and their communities so.	00:04:50
	With that in mind, we thought it was just best to get everybody in the room to kick off these conversations and just get some good	00:04:54
	dialogue going with all the boards and.	00:04:58
	That's really it. So with that in mind, I think that it would be a good idea if we could have.	00:05:03
	The boards come up here with us and we should have plenty of seats.	00:05:08
	Both.	00:05:13
	At the table and I got some more seats behind us so.	00:05:15
	If you would like to join us, that would be great.	00:05:18
	Or we can go out there.	00:05:21
	Yeah, yeah, yeah. For the streaming and camera stuff.	00:05:24
	Good point.	00:05:30
	Yeah, come on.	00:05:33
	Come on, Ben.	00:05:36
	We got plenty of we have plenty of chairs we can bring up more.	00:05:40
	If we need to we I got two more right here.	00:05:43
	We got more.	00:05:46
	Definitely the most photogenic.	00:05:55
	Group we've ever had assembled undecided the guys, that's good.	00:05:57
	Oh goodness.	00:06:04
	There you go.	00:06:05
	Well, I think it's always a good way to kick off if everybody could just maybe introduce themselves and.	00:06:09
	Which organization you're here with today and.	00:06:14
	We'll just kind of go from there.	00:06:16
	Yeah, yeah, if you want to. If you press the button, you'll know the mic is on if the light is green.	00:06:20
	I read OK.	00:06:28
	Michael Bloom and I'm with Highlander Fire.	00:06:31
	Board.	00:06:33
	Matt Smith, Highlander Board.	00:06:35
	Billy Stewart Hotliner.	00:06:37
	Bill.	00:06:39
	Bill Fender, Highlander Fire Department Board.	00:06:47
	Frank Loop County Commissioner.	00:06:51
	Alec, Naval County Commissioner, District 1.	00:06:53
	Jason Shark, Floyd County Commissioner, District 3.	00:06:56
	Kyle Johnson, Georgetown.	00:07:00
	Gordon, Michael. Moody, Georgetown.	00:07:01
	Daniel Jacobs, Nobody Township Hardboard.	00:07:04
	He gave Kenny New Albany Township Fire Board.	00:07:07
	Benguide, New Albany Township.	00:07:10
	Mark Ringenberg, Georgetown.	00:07:11
	Alright.	00:07:14
	Yeah, if you would go ahead and get it started, Mike.	00:07:18
	I don't have anything prepared.	00:07:22
	I wasn't certain exactly the format for this, but.	00:07:25
	I'm the chairman of the Georgetown Township Fire Protection District.	00:07:28
	And I've been in that role.	00:07:31
	Seven or eight years I've been on the board for.	00:07:33
	Longer than that.	00:07:37
	Before that, it was a volunteer firefighter with Georgetown when we were a volunteer department.	00:07:39
	We've seen.	00:07:44
	A lot of changes in our community.	00:07:45
	And the interaction with fire service and our community.	00:07:48
	In the 25 years that I've been involved.	00:07:51
	I am.	00:07:54
	Comfortable and happy with the direction we're going.	00:07:56
	I think that there are some things that are being put in place that are going to be for the long term benefit of our community.	00:07:59
	One thing that we recognized in Georgetown as a district.	00:08:05
	Is that the?	00:08:09
	Revenue funding for a fire district.	00:08:10
	Has not been changed in a very long time.	00:08:14
	And essentially when you start a district, you are given a certain amount of revenue.	00:08:17
	There are very little opportunities for that revenue to grow.	00:08:24
	Even if the community grows, you can grow it through population growth calculation.	00:08:28
	But.	00:08:34
	Our district was started with the concept of.	00:08:35
	Staffing one fire station.	00:08:38
	We have two fire stations in Georgetown, but initially it was decided we would just staff one station.	00:08:40
	So our revenue stream was based on staffing one station.	00:08:45
	At Georgetown, we take a lot of pride in being good fiscal stewards of the resources that the community provides us.	00:08:49
	And we haven't had any debt in Georgetown.	00:08:55
	Since I've been involved in the board.	00:08:58
	Over well over 10 years.	00:09:00
	What we were able to do is we were under spending a little bit.	00:09:03
	So we would accumulate a cash balance.	00:09:07
	We did that on purpose because.	00:09:10
	Things in the fire service are not cheap.	00:09:12
	If you're going to go buy a fire engine now you're talking $1,000,000 a ladder, 1.5 million.	00:09:15
	We were able to buy all of our equipment that we have for cash.	00:09:21
	We never did a bond, we never had to go to a bank and get a loan.	00:09:25
	But at some point we started to do some data analysis and we realized that we were starting to see an imbalance in our runs from	00:09:29
	one side of the district to the other.	00:09:33
	We were staffing station 2 on station one downtown Georgetown.	00:09:38
	During the day Monday through Friday.	00:09:42
	And the intent was we wanted to have a quick response to the elementary school.	00:09:45
	But what we start to see is that.	00:09:49
	From 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM.	00:09:51
	60% of our runs were on the east side of the district.	00:09:53
	Which is where station 2 is located.	00:09:55
	By the Interstate.	00:09:58
	But from 6:00 PM to 6:00 AM.	00:09:59
	60% of our runs were on the West side of our district.	00:10:01
	And we weren't staffed down there.	00:10:04
	So we were having to respond from the other side of the district.	00:10:05
	So the board, working with command staff, made a decision that we would start staffing Station 1 full time.	00:10:09
	We didn't get the revenue to do that.	00:10:16
	So we had to spend into our cash balance.	00:10:18
	That's unsustainable.	00:10:21
	We recognize at some point we either were going to have to close a station or try something different.	00:10:23
	So working with some people who had.	00:10:28
	A lot more knowledge than I did.	00:10:30
	We about the same time we're approached by Franklin Township.	00:10:33
	That they needed some help with Fire Protection service in their area.	00:10:36
	We felt the best vehicle to move forward was to form fire territory.	00:10:40
	If you look at the difference in the funding models for the district and the territory, the territory was what we decided was the	00:10:45
	right way to move forward.	00:10:49
	Shortly after starting that conversation with Franklin Township, we were approached by New Albany Township Fire District.	00:10:54
	And they wanted to be a part of the conversation.	00:11:00
	So the three entities started talking about it and then.	00:11:02
	Later in the conversation, Franklin Township decided that.	00:11:06
	This wasn't the right moment for them.	00:11:09
	But New Albany Township and Georgetown Township.	00:11:11
	Decided to move forward.	00:11:14
	And none of us knew Senate Bill One was coming.	00:11:16
	The loss of local income tax certified shares for FIRE districts would have crippled us.	00:11:21
	It's almost 1.41 point $5,000,000 in lost revenue.	00:11:27
	So by transitioning to the territory.	00:11:32
	We're moving closer to what has been the vision since the.	00:11:35
	Districts were formed.	00:11:38
	Which is a county.	00:11:39
	Wide fire.	00:11:40
	Our intent has always been at Georgetown that we're not going to go into somebody else's sandbox and.	00:11:43
	Try and play.	00:11:49
	If somebody wants to come talk to us, we'd be happy to sit down and talk.	00:11:50
	So that's how we ended up getting where we are now.	00:11:54
	The fire territory has gone through all the processes, it's been approved.	00:11:57
	I guess technically we're still.	00:12:02
	Waiting approval of the budget.	00:12:04
	Sort of. I'm getting nods from.	00:12:07
	Are the chief legal because he knows more than I do?	00:12:09
	But the the levy has been certified.	00:12:12
	All of the funds have been certified and starting January 1.	00:12:15
	The Floyd County fire territory.	00:12:18
	Will be providing Fire Protection service to our community.	00:12:20
	And I'll stop there.	00:12:24
	Thank you.	00:12:26
	Danny, you have anything to add?	00:12:29
	No, I think, I think Michael will give us something.	00:12:31
	Yeah, we.	00:12:34
	We recognize that.	00:12:35
	Sorry, we recognized that early on.	00:12:38
	We were young into the game. We're very vulnerable.	00:12:41
	And it made most sense to try to join forces with another agency.	00:12:45
	As opposed to trying to go out on their own.	00:12:49
	We just didn't feel that that was the.	00:12:52
	Best route for us to travel so.	00:12:54
	Yeah, it also gave you all a little bit of a mechanism to be able to staff.	00:12:56
	It did, but which?	00:13:01
	Was an area you're.	00:13:03
	Of the district that wasn't able to be.	00:13:05
	Serviced under the current model either so that was.	00:13:07
	Yeah, that was a great moment.	00:13:09
	Matt, you have anything?	00:13:15
	Of course he did.	00:13:17
	I'm sorry, I was prepared more to talk about EMS tonight from our last meeting.	00:13:20
	But yeah, we we understand that. Let's.	00:13:25
	And I want to be careful what I'm saying here because I'm not an expert.	00:13:28
	The lady is going away, but there are other lids that can be put into place from a Highlander standpoint.	00:13:30
	We have a Max levy that we're not even close to. We think financially we're good, at least for several years.	00:13:35
	Until this lit thing plays itself out.	00:13:41
	We don't believe we're in financial.	00:13:43
	Challenges.	00:13:45
	At least for the next 3-4 five years.	00:13:47
	It depends on what the let's do long term, but they're they're changing.	00:13:50
	I want to be careful saying what I'm doing. They're changing. They're not necessarily going away. They may have to be readopted.	00:13:53
	But we don't think we're in a financial.	00:13:59
	Problem. Umm.	00:14:01
	Or where are today?	00:14:02
	Some questions I haven't gotten from the public over the last week or two and.	00:14:04
	And Jason, you may have to help me ask these correctly because.	00:14:07
	Once again, I'm out of my wheelhouse, but.	00:14:10
	With the territory, how is the ISO rating?	00:14:13
	Between Georgetown or New Albany Township and how is that treated?	00:14:17
	I think that would.	00:14:24
	Well, when you when you first look at.	00:14:27
	Combining resources, and this is one of the things I discussed with the previous Commissioners when they talked about creating.	00:14:29
	County fires the importance of knowing it won.	00:14:35
	Is it fiscally feasible to do it to?	00:14:39
	Is it going to provide the level of service that you need in accordance to ISO?	00:14:42
	Now, uh.	00:14:46
	The best way to do that is through GIS.	00:14:47
	And.	00:14:50
	I had encouraged.	00:14:51
	People to get that GIS study done for a long time it was, never was, but.	00:14:53
	Because of some recent studies that had been done up.	00:14:57
	I was given a.	00:15:01
	GIS report from Highlander but it was more EMS centric.	00:15:02
	Than it was fire centric but you know it did.	00:15:06
	Mentioned the same applicable.	00:15:08
	Standards.	00:15:11
	That you would need and.	00:15:12
	Despite what people think, they're they're more than just.	00:15:14
	Just a suggestion.	00:15:18
	You know, standards are.	00:15:19
	Pretty much industry standard and that's what you're going to be held to and.	00:15:21
	Here in Indiana.	00:15:25
	You know, Indiana is not technically an NFPA state, but what it is, is it is an ocean state.	00:15:26
	And in an OSHA state, they utilize.	00:15:31
	NFPA for their standards, so anytime that there's.	00:15:34
	A severe death or a severe injury or a death associated with the firefighter.	00:15:37
	Those are the standards. It's going to be used.	00:15:41
	During the course of the investigations, because they are the industry standard.	00:15:43
	Now.	00:15:46
	With the territory.	00:15:48
	The way it stands now.	00:15:50
	All the stations.	00:15:51
	Be in the same place.	00:15:53
	I think the data.	00:15:54
	Supports that they're sufficient, especially with.	00:15:56
	The proper staffing and opening of the Bud Rd.	00:15:59
	That takes care of a lot of problems, but the only way you have to truly be able to to see that is if you.	00:16:03
	Get a GIS done that is more fire citric than EMS centric.	00:16:08
	OK.	00:16:13
	And the good thing is the iff.	00:16:15
	We'll do that for you for free.	00:16:17
	You said a lot of things there. I don't understand you, Sir.	00:16:21
	Sorry.	00:16:25
	One of the other questions I got.	00:16:27
	You know the the tax rate by which the territory is put together.	00:16:30
	Doesn't mean you're sticking with 40% or .4.	00:16:35
	44 Highlanders is currently.	00:16:37
	.212 or something like that.	00:16:39
	Why the big difference?	00:16:43
	Well, I think the biggest thing right now is.	00:16:45
	You're going to be losing that lit. So lit was never figured in. Yeah, go ahead.	00:16:49
	All of our calculations and the presentations we did to the public at the beginning part of this year.	00:16:55
	Were very clear that we were.	00:17:00
	Showing a number that was predicated on no other revenue.	00:17:02
	Other than the property taxes.	00:17:06
	So we have been getting some guidance over just over the last few weeks that we do expect we'll be getting some local income tax.	00:17:08
	2026 and probably 2027.	00:17:15
	And we committed to the community.	00:17:18
	That that levy would be decreased dollar for dollar.	00:17:20
	Just kind of the way it is right now.	00:17:24
	So I can't tell you what the number's going to be because.	00:17:26
	We're kind of calculating all that, but it's going to be less than what we told the public it would be because we're going to be	00:17:30
	getting the local income tax.	00:17:34
	Nor could I tell you what how lenders would be without the lid.	00:17:40
	Yeah, with lit, unfortunately, they're only a.	00:17:45
	They can only forecast that.	00:17:47
	The year out is my understanding.	00:17:48
	And I'm glad we have.	00:17:51
	This topping here with us today because.	00:17:52
	One of the reasons I really wanted her here was to talk a little bit about the numbers. What?	00:17:54
	These lids mean how they get distributed.	00:18:00
	All that's going to be paramount as we go forward so.	00:18:03
	But umm.	00:18:06
	I'll just.	00:18:07
	Turn it over you.	00:18:09
	Good evening, Diana Topping, Floyd County Auditor.	00:18:16
	SB1 sure did play a.	00:18:21
	Real fun game on us this year, didn't it?	00:18:24
	I know that all of you are struggling adjusting for it.	00:18:27
	The county is as well.	00:18:31
	We're closing out budget season within the next month, so.	00:18:33
	It's been.	00:18:38
	It's there's a steep learning curve to this.	00:18:40
	I spent a lot of today trying to review and see whether or not any additional information had been released. Understand that.	00:18:43
	This doesn't take effect until 2028, so there are a lot of changes that can happen between now and then so.	00:18:49
	We can do as much as we can to plan. I think that.	00:18:55
	What they did?	00:18:58
	With New Albany Township in Georgetown.	00:18:59
	Planning all of it based out on Levy.	00:19:02
	Kind of brilliant, actually.	00:19:04
	Especially with what dropped this year.	00:19:06
	As far as expected, local income tax.	00:19:09
	While there is a specialty local income tax that can be adopted by the council in the end of 27.	00:19:12
	428 and then readopted annually.	00:19:18
	It is not required.	00:19:21
	For them to do that.	00:19:23
	And they are the ones who set the rate.	00:19:24
	So just so we're all aware, it's a specialty tax that is not part of.	00:19:27
	Any kind of certified distribution. So right now everyone.	00:19:32
	Everyone that I'm looking at right now receives a portion of.	00:19:37
	Basically our certified local income tax you get a guaranteed amount.	00:19:42
	From the rate that is set.	00:19:46
	And reviewed annually, but we don't have to. How is that a portion?	00:19:49
	I'm sorry, how is that apportioned?	00:19:53
	How is it a portion? Yes, OK.	00:19:55
	So currently.	00:19:57
	Is apportioned.	00:19:59
	By county primary districts based on population and then the specialty non binding units afterwards. So that would be.	00:20:01
	School.	00:20:10
	Libraries.	00:20:12
	Fire districts, things like that, right?	00:20:13
	I can I.	00:20:16
	Actually, if you want, I can show you what next year.	00:20:17
	Estimate looks like for the certified distributions for local income tax, so you can actually see what what the breakdown is that	00:20:21
	my office works with.	00:20:24
	So give me just a second.	00:20:29
	I think I shared some of that.	00:20:31
	Data with Mr. Stewart already.	00:20:32
	I have it right here. I don't mind pulling it up. The 2026 estimates were released in August.	00:20:36
	So it is nice to kind of have a general idea of what we're going to be looking at next year as far as local income tax dollars.	00:20:41
	I will say that.	00:20:47
	This does not reflect.	00:20:50
	The new umm.	00:20:52
	I'm going to get the time wrong.	00:20:54
	But there we go.	00:20:56
	The new territory.	00:20:57
	I don't know anything about fire guys. I just.	00:20:58
	Run numbers all day long.	00:21:01
	Give it a second.	00:21:31
	There you are.	00:21:35
	For 2026.	00:21:40
	This is the second page. This is where the fire territories and districts call, right?	00:21:50
	So.	00:21:54
	All of these guys come first.	00:22:00
	You've got the county government where we provide all of these multiple different services.	00:22:03
	The residential taxing districts.	00:22:09
	And then you'll have public libraries and schools and floods.	00:22:11
	So.	00:22:16
	There's a whole lot of different.	00:22:17
	Entities that receive this distribution on a monthly basis.	00:22:21
	It's processed through the auditor's office. We send it to the taxing districts.	00:22:25
	These are estimates.	00:22:31
	So lit is a year in arrears so.	00:22:33
	Basically, this is what they estimate they'll have collected by the end of this year and they'll distribute to us next year.	00:22:36
	I do expect that the taxing districts will still continue to receive.	00:22:43
	These local income tax distributions through 26 and 27.	00:22:48
	It's 28 where that stops.	00:22:52
	Because.	00:22:54
	Even though it is collected a year in arrears, we will be adopting mid year.	00:22:55
	In 27 so it will be changing some things up.	00:23:00
	I'm not exactly certain how the state is going to handle that again.	00:23:03
	That's above my pay grade and above my voting range.	00:23:07
	So there's a lot wider pool for those votes.	00:23:11
	Thank God it's not me because I don't want to figure that out.	00:23:14
	The basic thing when it comes to the new local income tax rates?	00:23:23
	Is that?	00:23:27
	As a whole.	00:23:30
	The county can't go above 2.9%.	00:23:31
	And that's as a whole.	00:23:35
	But you're going to have two different rates at this point. You're going to have a county.	00:23:36
	2.9% of what?	00:23:41
	Look of income. So right now your local income tax rate.	00:23:43
	Is 1.78.	00:23:47
	And that's the entire county, no matter where you live in the county.	00:23:49
	It's 1.78.	00:23:52
	Come 2028, where you live.	00:23:55
	Will denote what your rate is.	00:23:57
	Because not only where there'll be a county.	00:23:59
	And potentially 2 specialty taxing rates.	00:24:02
	One is EMS and then one is non binding units.	00:24:04
	That does not include schools.	00:24:07
	So there is still a mechanism to fund the libraries, which is nice because that goes away.	00:24:10
	Out of our regular certified estimates come 2028.	00:24:17
	So you'll have.	00:24:21
	Your regular county rate.	00:24:22
	Which can't go above 1.2.	00:24:24
	You'll have.	00:24:27
	The option for a fire and EMS.	00:24:28
	Which can't go above .4, but it is adopted and set by County Council.	00:24:31
	And then distributed based on population and territory.	00:24:35
	So you don't get to pick.	00:24:40
	How much of that pie you get?	00:24:43
	That's determined through.	00:24:45
	Basically a certified shares calculation.	00:24:47
	And based on whatever rate the Council adopts.	00:24:49
	For that specialty taxing.	00:24:53
	You also have a non binding unit rate which is 0.2. So in essence.	00:24:56
	The County Council.	00:25:00
	Can adopt up to.	00:25:02
	Was that .7? Is that where I'm at? Somewhere in there?	00:25:04
	1.71.	00:25:08
	1.8.	00:25:10
	For a Max rate for the county and then maxing out any other options that they have available.	00:25:12
	And again, then that's a local income tax.	00:25:17
	But now on top of what we just talked about.	00:25:21
	You're also going to have a locality.	00:25:24
	Income tax rate where?	00:25:27
	So there are 8 locality taxing districts within Floyd County.	00:25:29
	You have Franklin.	00:25:33
	You have Lafayette.	00:25:35
	You have Georgetown, You have Georgetown Township, You have Greenville. You have Green Greenville Township. You have New Albany.	00:25:36
	You have New Albany Township.	00:25:40
	Those individual.	00:25:44
	Localities can also adopt A rate up to.	00:25:46
	1.2%.	00:25:50
	And then the combination of whatever the County Council adopted and your locality adopted becomes your local income tax rate for	00:25:53
	where you live.	00:25:57
	So the new taxing structure is going to be wildly different than what it currently is.	00:26:02
	So let me stop you there.	00:26:09
	So just for example.	00:26:11
	Let's say Highlanders and.	00:26:14
	Also has green.	00:26:16
	Town in their district.	00:26:18
	So Greenville town could.	00:26:21
	Adopt A rate.	00:26:23
	Does that money automatically go to?	00:26:25
	The fire, they don't adopt any kind of rate that affects fire unless Greenville town.	00:26:27
	Specifically allots money to pay to fire.	00:26:33
	The only fire rate that can be adopted.	00:26:37
	Outside of levees.	00:26:39
	Is the specialty rate that's .4.	00:26:42
	By the County Council and that's a county wide rate.	00:26:45
	And then it.	00:26:48
	Only goes.	00:26:49
	Again.	00:26:50
	There's a certified share calculation, so it's based on population and territory coverage.	00:26:51
	As to how much of that pie?	00:26:56
	Each umm.	00:26:58
	Higher territory and or district receives.	00:26:59
	Which is important because when?	00:27:03
	When you start talking about the amount of different taxing units that have their hand to the Kitty.	00:27:05
	Which is one of the reasons that for this to work.	00:27:10
	Everybody has to come into one.	00:27:12
	And you know.	00:27:15
	I want to emphasize that.	00:27:17
	None of this is.	00:27:19
	Written in stone yet right we still have.	00:27:20
	The the Legislature could.	00:27:23
	Completely change their minds next year.	00:27:25
	I really hope they didn't put us through this this year to do that because I would be really sad.	00:27:29
	Townships and towns under 3500 canal, but I don't know that we have anybody who qualifies for that, do we?	00:27:33
	Does it?	00:27:42
	.4% of the total.	00:27:44
	They can adopt their own right, but the Council.	00:27:48
	My apologies, I just clarifying something, she said. Well, townships, Townships under 3500 in population.	00:27:53
	Don't adopt their own rate. The council sets their locality rate.	00:28:01
	Yes, yeah, again.	00:28:06
	Townships.	00:28:08
	That have less than 3500 people in population.	00:28:09
	Don't adopt their own rate.	00:28:13
	The Council adopts their rate for them.	00:28:15
	That would just be Franklin, right? Yeah. That's, I think that's the only one we have. I believe it's towns and townships, isn't	00:28:17
	it?	00:28:20
	So New Albany.	00:28:23
	So it.	00:28:27
	We have 8 taxing districts. If it was by town that would be.	00:28:28
	That would be interesting because we have some really weird towns.	00:28:33
	We have a portion of Borden, We have a portion of Lanesville, we have a SO.	00:28:36
	In the county can take a.	00:28:41
	A portion of that as well for the.	00:28:43
	For the county as well from the townships, yes.	00:28:44
	There are a lot of INS and outs.	00:28:51
	There's a whole lot of changes happening.	00:28:53
	I will say if you are building a fiscal plan and you are trying to base it off of local income tax estimation after 27.	00:28:56
	That's super risky at this point because there's no guarantee that the council will adopt A rate and there's no guarantee that if	00:29:06
	they adopt A rate, what that rate will be.	00:29:10
	Also, like I keep saying, things can change between now and 28. They haven't even decided who's going to be responsible for	00:29:16
	distributing the locality.	00:29:20
	Local income tax, I don't know if it's going to go directly to the localities or if it's going to process through my office still.	00:29:25
	So there is still a lot of things up in the air.	00:29:31
	I would absolutely encourage.	00:29:37
	Everyone in this room as you take into the consideration.	00:29:39
	The future of where you live and the other people in this county as far as Fire Protection.	00:29:43
	To make sure that you're considering all the options.	00:29:49
	That's my only thing. I live in New Albany Township and I'll be perfectly honest, I don't pay attention to the fire there because	00:29:51
	I've never had a fire. But I've heard that it's a really great fire territory, so.	00:29:57
	Outside of that.	00:30:03
	I leave this to the experts.	00:30:05
	But I'm I know the tax dollars that are coming and the tax dollars that are going to go away. So you're guaranteed certified	00:30:07
	shares.	00:30:11
	They're gone after 27. There's no guarantee after 27.	00:30:14
	So how did?	00:30:18
	The differing.	00:30:20
	Rates and levies apply.	00:30:22
	Going forward because they're vastly different right now.	00:30:25
	They are vastly different. So right now you've got.	00:30:28
	Standard.	00:30:32
	Everything kind of looks the same right now. You are going to have less.	00:30:33
	As far as your property tax income next year and the year after, because if we collect less money.	00:30:37
	You get less money South property tax dollars are going down.	00:30:42
	So property tax distributions go down, right?	00:30:46
	The isn't it?	00:30:51
	A true statement that.	00:30:52
	The District's.	00:30:54
	Set their own rate for their levy.	00:30:56
	That is correct, but you can set your levy.	00:30:59
	That doesn't change how much we take in.	00:31:03
	Your levy is still a portion of the pot. Does that make sense?	00:31:05
	Yeah, yeah, I'm, I'm learning, yeah.	00:31:09
	So you have a pie.	00:31:11
	I I want this much of the pie.	00:31:13
	But.	00:31:16
	But the pie is getting smaller.	00:31:17
	It's fixed, right? The pie is getting smaller.	00:31:19
	So your portion of that pie is going to get smaller. OK, it's also fixed, correct?	00:31:21
	Yes.	00:31:25
	Makes sense?	00:31:26
	Also it's my understanding that.	00:31:27
	Even though Senate Bill 1.	00:31:29
	Address fire territories at the at the .40 they also.	00:31:31
	Capped your rate at what you're currently at.	00:31:35
	Is that correct?	00:31:38
	Yeah, we can't appeal it. We tried.	00:31:39
	As a county so.	00:31:42
	For example.	00:31:43
	The county general fund, right?	00:31:45
	It's a levee driven fund.	00:31:46
	We're going to take in $1,000,000 less in that fund next year.	00:31:49
	Due to.	00:31:53
	Less property tax dollars, so our our levy portion didn't change.	00:31:56
	Our levy rate didn't change.	00:32:00
	The money's available changed.	00:32:02
	OK. But it's going to change for a territory, is it not to? Yeah, it's going to change for everyone.	00:32:07
	So everyone will be affected, whether it's.	00:32:11
	It's not going to be as drastic as the general fund because the general fund takes in about $11 million on an annual basis	00:32:13
	typically and has a larger portion of the pie than you guys do.	00:32:17
	However.	00:32:21
	Everyone is going to be affected in some way or another over the next two years as far as what your settlement dollars are going	00:32:23
	to look like.	00:32:26
	If we take our lid out.	00:32:29
	We need to be at about a .26.	00:32:31
	Back of the napkin.	00:32:33
	Right. So for Highlander not to have a tax increase?	00:32:35
	We have to have the territory at a .6.	00:32:39
	.26 right?	00:32:43
	No, Umm.	00:32:45
	The territory rate is based on the calculation of the net asset value for the area covered.	00:32:48
	So.	00:32:54
	If.	00:32:56
	Joined the territory.	00:32:58
	The communities that Highlander currently serves.	00:33:00
	The rate times the net asset value.	00:33:02
	Would generate.	00:33:05
	The income for the territory.	00:33:06
	Isn't that this?	00:33:09
	You know to help me here, Mike.	00:33:10
	Isn't that the same of what's happening right now? We're taking the net asset value of the properties and we're taking part of	00:33:12
	that.	00:33:14
	The difference is that your rate.	00:33:17
	Is static, you can't change it.	00:33:19
	We were able to level set our revenue stream for the territory by.	00:33:22
	Forming a new territory.	00:33:27
	And getting a new.	00:33:29
	You can't change it once it's set.	00:33:32
	Your levy, your rate.	00:33:34
	I'm sorry, your rate is fixed.	00:33:36
	And you're not going to be able to raise it to 0.26 if that's the revenue that you need?	00:33:39
	To pay the bills and pay the salaries and stuff.	00:33:44
	We can change our rate every year.	00:33:46
	As long as we have.	00:33:48
	Room in our Max Levy, right?	00:33:49
	Not anymore.	00:33:52
	I'm getting out of my lane of knowledge, can you help me here?	00:33:54
	I don't know why you couldn't.	00:33:58
	If your levy goes up, the math indicates the ray has to go up and they have quite a bit of room in their next levy.	00:33:59
	I believe it was passed. Revenue goes as they grow, as the planet goes up.	00:34:04
	There's going to be more.	00:34:08
	Have lost, but they're having more property tax revenue.	00:34:09
	Due to the Max lending.	00:34:13
	Increase They're well below their match right now.	00:34:14
	I understand that.	00:34:17
	But I believe.	00:34:18
	Diana, is that correct?	00:34:20
	I'm double checking what I have in front of me before I respond to that.	00:34:21
	OK.	00:34:25
	There's concerns with the with with tax rates going up.	00:34:29
	In our area is why I'm. Why is it?	00:34:32
	I'm trying to understand the question because I'm getting.	00:34:34
	I'm getting asked lots of questions about tax rates because the .4 and .2.	00:34:37
	Significantly differe.	00:34:42
	You know, I, I think one of the best things may be going forward that would benefit everybody involved is.	00:34:43
	To get this fiscal analysis done.	00:34:49
	I agree.	00:34:51
	Alight in the woods.	00:34:55
	I'm a numbers guy, Jason, so I would agree with that.	00:34:57
	You know, quite frankly.	00:35:03
	Our board has wrestled with these and we have way more questions.	00:35:05
	We have answers.	00:35:10
	Well, and the folks that we.	00:35:11
	I'm sorry.	00:35:14
	Thank you.	00:35:15
	Our board has way more questions than we have answers.	00:35:17
	Like.	00:35:20
	An exponential amount.	00:35:21
	Which is why we're here.	00:35:23
	I understand that, I understand that, and I appreciate everybody's efforts.	00:35:24
	Clarify for us, but.	00:35:27
	Frankly.	00:35:30
	I don't think any of us really feels. Do we feel comfortable?	00:35:31
	With where we are now and what?	00:35:35
	What we know going forward.	00:35:37
	No, because we don't understand it.	00:35:38
	So I don't want to speak for everybody else, but I think that's a fair assessment of where we are.	00:35:41
	We're trying to do what's the best for.	00:35:46
	All the stakeholders.	00:35:49
	And trying to get.	00:35:51
	Trying to make those decisions.	00:35:54
	We don't really feel like we're equipped to make.	00:35:57
	At this point in time.	00:35:59
	And we got two years.	00:36:00
	If it is going to go away.	00:36:02
	The way we talk, we don't have to hurry.	00:36:04
	We can wait a year.	00:36:06
	Because the lip doesn't go.	00:36:08
	Until 27, we're OK. We think we can raise, live. We got time, we're not.	00:36:10
	Well, one of the other problems that we have, Matt, is not just the fire territory.	00:36:15
	The problem, the problems that we have is the EMS. See our contracts are set to expire in 2026, the end of 2026.	00:36:18
	So we have to have a plan in place of how we're going to provide EMS protection for this community as well.	00:36:25
	And you know, obviously.	00:36:30
	The public safety tax at the council.	00:36:33
	Had put in place. It goes away as it stands right now. It goes away in 2028.	00:36:35
	And the only mechanism to to to pay for EMS.	00:36:40
	Would be the fire and EMS lit that the council could put in place but.	00:36:44
	If you're dividing that.	00:36:48
	That lit share between a bunch of different units.	00:36:49
	It dissolves the the effectiveness.	00:36:52
	Of those rates and that money.	00:36:56
	So we're looking for a plan.	00:37:00
	So we can bring everyone together so we have that way we can fund an EMS. So everybody in this county has a same EMS system, a	00:37:03
	standardized EMS system.	00:37:06
	Countrywide, you know, not one type of system.	00:37:11
	In part of the county and another part in the other.	00:37:14
	So that's what we're looking for and that's what we're trying to accomplish, and that clock is ticking.	00:37:16
	I don't.	00:37:21
	The first part of your statement you completely lost me on.	00:37:23
	On the the funding portion of it.	00:37:25
	So I don't I don't understand that.	00:37:28
	I forgot I'm still hooked up up there.	00:37:30
	Because I didn't think.	00:37:33
	Whether Highlander went territory or not affected EMS at all.	00:37:36
	Because our last meeting, you all said.	00:37:39
	Hey, it's up to you guys if you guys.	00:37:41
	Want to talk about Territory column?	00:37:44
	And come back to proposal on EMS with Highlander and that's what we did. No, that's not exactly what was said at all as far as the	00:37:47
	fire.	00:37:51
	As far as the fire territory goes, that's a discussion between the Highlander board and the territory.	00:37:54
	As far as the commissioners, our responsibility is to provide emergency medical services to the people of Floyd County.	00:37:59
	And in order to do that.	00:38:04
	You know, in order to pay for it.	00:38:06
	You know.	00:38:07
	This hybrid fire based system was the best that we could see.	00:38:08
	Going forward to give everyone the same level of service and level of care.	00:38:12
	And in order for that to work for us.	00:38:16
	Everybody has to come together and be one department because like I said.	00:38:19
	Once you start adding.	00:38:22
	The different shares in there, that money becomes less effective.	00:38:24
	So that that statement is.	00:38:29
	Referring to EMS only, Is that correct? Yes.	00:38:31
	OK, So what you're saying is?	00:38:34
	The sum of the whole is greater than the parts.	00:38:37
	In other words.	00:38:40
	There's economies of scale.	00:38:42
	That.	00:38:43
	Enjoyed by.	00:38:45
	One county Ms. Did I say that correctly?	00:38:47
	I'm not real sure.	00:38:51
	What I'm what I'm saying is 1.	00:38:54
	One unified.	00:38:56
	EMS will be more efficient.	00:38:59
	More more revenue efficient absolutely than a patchwork.	00:39:01
	Such as it is now.	00:39:05
	Correct. And to be quite honest with you, your fire service will be more efficient too. You know you would release.	00:39:06
	A ton of redundancies and.	00:39:12
	Like I said in the last meeting, you guys.	00:39:14
	You all have to lean on each other when you have.	00:39:17
	A fire, you know.	00:39:19
	Nobody has.	00:39:20
	The amount of personnel that you need on the scene.	00:39:21
	To you know.	00:39:23
	Fight a fire. Everybody has to come together well.	00:39:25
	It only makes sense to to bring everybody together and have.	00:39:28
	One command staff.	00:39:31
	One set of.	00:39:32
	Of policies and procedures. One training regiment, one hiring requirement.	00:39:34
	You know, it reduces so many redundancies. I could sit here probably for an hour and go on and on and on about all the	00:39:38
	redundancies that this would be reduced.	00:39:42
	Which would be more beneficial to the taxpayer because.	00:39:46
	You know, instead of having all these redundancies, you're able to put these resources back into the system itself and provide a	00:39:49
	greater level of service.	00:39:52
	So is that an argument?	00:39:56
	To put EMS with foreign fire based EMS and have it under 1.	00:39:58
	The problem is there's there can't really be a Firebase DMS because in order for it to be a fire pair, it's EMS.	00:40:02
	It would be provided through the territory. Well the territory doesn't have enough money to support a fire based EMS system.	00:40:08
	That's why you would need.	00:40:11
	This lit to help pay for it.	00:40:14
	And the appetite of, and I don't like to speak for other people, but the appetite of which I've discussed with members of the	00:40:16
	Council even.	00:40:19
	You know, the commissioners that are here right now is that.	00:40:23
	It seems to us.	00:40:26
	That we would be much better off.	00:40:27
	If we were all working.	00:40:29
	Together in One Direction.	00:40:32
	Versus.	00:40:34
	Several different directions so.	00:40:34
	If we.	00:40:37
	And I accept that totally. I have no.	00:40:39
	No problem with that.	00:40:41
	So let's say that.	00:40:42
	That's the first hurdle is that we all do agree.	00:40:43
	That we need to do EMS as one.	00:40:47
	Mm-hmm. OK.	00:40:50
	So then the next step is.	00:40:51
	How do we craft that?	00:40:53
	Well, the way that we would like to craft it is.	00:40:55
	You know, with you guys coming together through the territories, we.	00:40:58
	We would fund the.	00:41:01
	The system through the lit.	00:41:03
	Through the public safety lit until the new.	00:41:05
	Lip was put into place if.	00:41:07
	They change it, or if they don't change it, whatever it would be, you know, come 2028.	00:41:10
	And we would use that as the funding mechanism, but.	00:41:14
	You know what we don't want is we don't want to have.	00:41:18
	You know, one system.	00:41:21
	Place with one medical director with one set of protocols I think we agree with yeah, there's no contingent on that right so.	00:41:22
	This all works best.	00:41:30
	For us.	00:41:31
	And for this plan?	00:41:32
	Is if everyone was together under 1.	00:41:34
	Fire district or fire territory, I should say.	00:41:37
	And.	00:41:40
	Utilizing, you know.	00:41:41
	The county's funding mechanism to pay for the EMS portion because.	00:41:42
	The fire territory or the fire district itself can't afford to pay for it out of their own pockets, and if they could, they would	00:41:46
	have.	00:41:49
	And, and I don't think there's any disagreement with that. Yeah.	00:41:52
	So then.	00:41:55
	The next step is. What is the next step?	00:41:56
	So we, we, I think there's consensus among us, right?	00:41:59
	Right before we get it. No, there's not. OK, I could ask a question.	00:42:03
	With and I I don't understand funding so you all are going to educate me.	00:42:07
	But in the plan that has been proposed.	00:42:13
	Where EMS will be.	00:42:16
	Separated from the firefighting.	00:42:18
	And he said that it's going to be funded through the lid. Are we specifically talking about?	00:42:20
	The the new fire and EMS lit.	00:42:25
	Initially, because the fire and EMS lit doesn't go into place until 2028. OK, OK. And the County Council has passed.	00:42:27
	The public safety lit. So the public safety lit would essentially have to fund.	00:42:35
	EMS the EMS until.	00:42:42
	That new lit come into place. OK, So what is the what is the EMS funding mechanism?	00:42:43
	When the public safety lid goes away.	00:42:48
	The fire and EMS tax is what the county would put in place.	00:42:51
	Can we use that fund?	00:42:54
	For a standalone EMS.	00:42:56
	We're not real sure.	00:43:00
	And I'm not trying to be different now, it's my understanding. No, it has to be a a.	00:43:02
	Firebase system or?	00:43:05
	In this case.	00:43:07
	Which is.	00:43:08
	That was my understanding that it had to be tied in with a fire exactly, which is why we're wanting to go this direction, but.	00:43:09
	And once again, like I said, this is the only way this works.	00:43:15
	Is for all these departments to come together and allow us for our DMS to that mechanism.	00:43:18
	You know we.	00:43:23
	Like Jason said, the commissioners have legal responsibility to.	00:43:26
	Provide EMS to.	00:43:31
	To the county.	00:43:32
	And we have different ways we can do that.	00:43:33
	We can cut a contract with a private company.	00:43:35
	We can create.	00:43:39
	County EMS.	00:43:42
	Which means that we're going to hire.	00:43:44
	40 or 50 employees.	00:43:46
	And then we're going to have to buy equipment and we're going to have to create.	00:43:50
	EMS stations.	00:43:54
	See where I'm going?	00:43:57
	I do not think that Indiana is going to do away with any funding.	00:43:59
	For EMS or fire?	00:44:05
	They'll do away with funding for for other things first.	00:44:07
	And I think that's why it's important that.	00:44:12
	You know, we're the second smallest county in the state.	00:44:14
	With the 20th largest population.	00:44:17
	I don't know why we have.	00:44:20
	5 townships.	00:44:22
	We have 5 fire departments. Why? We have two police departments? I don't.	00:44:23
	I don't understand all that. Why do we have, why do we have 2911 centers?	00:44:28
	We should only have one.	00:44:33
	We're not serving the public efficiently.	00:44:35
	Efficiently by having.	00:44:38
	All of these things when we should come together.	00:44:40
	And.	00:44:44
	Have one fire, one EMS, one Police Department 1911 so everybody can respond efficiently.	00:44:45
	And that way when we have a barn fire.	00:44:54
	We don't have to have 4 fire departments show up.	00:44:56
	You know, or maybe we still do, I don't know.	00:45:00
	But that's the whole ball of wax is we're just trying to.	00:45:02
	Point us in the right direction.	00:45:06
	Because otherwise.	00:45:08
	And I'm totally against municipal.	00:45:10
	Municipal AMS.	00:45:12
	Because I fought.	00:45:16
	For 35 years to get a fair wage for.	00:45:17
	Police officers.	00:45:22
	And I don't want to have that.	00:45:23
	Still with AMS and that's what's going to happen, which we're going to get right into the same thing we are.	00:45:26
	With other employees and.	00:45:33
	What's a fair wage? And so I'd rather go down this road.	00:45:35
	You guys all come together.	00:45:39
	We'll throw EMS in there.	00:45:41
	And you guys take care of it.	00:45:43
	And that way we're providing what we're supposed to. You're doing what you're going to do anyhow, because let's say we take the	00:45:45
	ambulances out.	00:45:49
	I know when we send an ambulance somewhere there's fire trucks going to roll anyhow.	00:45:54
	Can I ask a clarifying question because I got confused between you and.	00:45:59
	Michael Sure.	00:46:02
	What you're proposing is taking.	00:46:04
	The EMS platform that Highlander has.	00:46:06
	Put it with the territory and then the territory. Run fire and EMS together.	00:46:10
	Essentially, yes, but it would be.	00:46:15
	The oversight provided the the commissioners would be providing.	00:46:17
	The Clinical.	00:46:21
	Oversight by making sure that we had a director in place, that was.	00:46:22
	Giving us what we want out of the system, the Council would have fiscal oversight.	00:46:26
	Because they are leveling this this.	00:46:31
	This tax.	00:46:34
	From the people to provide service so.	00:46:35
	We we want the oversight is what we're looking for.	00:46:37
	But it's not, it's not gonna relieve us of our statutory, yeah.	00:46:41
	So.	00:46:46
	But everything else would essentially kind of be running through the territory.	00:46:47
	Why is the territory?	00:46:52
	I'm going to go back several years ago because.	00:46:54
	This is.	00:46:57
	OK, Mike, I might ask you.	00:46:58
	Georgetown historically said no.	00:47:01
	No part of EMS.	00:47:03
	What we've said is that we don't believe firefighters should be playing paramedic.	00:47:07
	So what I'm hearing Jason and.	00:47:12
	Frank, talk about is.	00:47:15
	A division within the fire territory.	00:47:18
	With civilian employees that are non firefighters.	00:47:20
	Who are EMS professionals? Who are best at that role and job?	00:47:24
	And that's their sole function.	00:47:28
	Everything that I've studied.	00:47:30
	Where you have a fire department that does EMS.	00:47:32
	Where firefighters are.	00:47:35
	Back and forth on the bus.	00:47:36
	It ends up falling apart.	00:47:39
	But the places that keep it separate.	00:47:41
	And you run EMS professionally, and you let the professional EMS people do their job.	00:47:43
	You let the firefighters.	00:47:48
	Do their job.	00:47:50
	Those tend to be successful models.	00:47:51
	So I would agree that in the past Georgetown has said no because the only options were.	00:47:53
	We'll just take your firefighters off the fire trucks and put them on the ambulance.	00:47:57
	We never felt that was going to be providing a good service to the community.	00:48:01
	Well, I understand that.	00:48:05
	What I don't understand is, Jason, what you're saying about?	00:48:08
	It'll be all run.	00:48:11
	By the territory.	00:48:13
	I'm confused as how we have.	00:48:14
	Two separate entities.	00:48:16
	Fire territory and an EMS.	00:48:18
	Territory, if you want to call it that.	00:48:21
	Whether I'm right or wrong.	00:48:23
	But you know what I'm getting at.	00:48:24
	So. So where do they come together? I'm confused by that.	00:48:25
	It's there be sharing the same quarters, they'll essentially be a division of the of the territory.	00:48:29
	You know, single. So how is that different?	00:48:36
	From the example that he just provided.	00:48:38
	That's where I just said yeah, I don't, I don't. Maybe I don't understand your question. Can you rephrase it for me?	00:48:40
	Well, so.	00:48:47
	We're saying that.	00:48:48
	The firefighters and EMT.	00:48:50
	Doing a dual role doesn't work.	00:48:54
	But but yet I think I hear you saying. Correct me if I'm wrong. Well.	00:48:57
	Explain it better, I mean so if you would.	00:49:01
	There are multitude of different systems out there and everyone of them are effective in their own way in certain areas are able	00:49:03
	to.	00:49:07
	Provide service in one area.	00:49:11
	That is.	00:49:13
	Completely effective and that the model works for them.	00:49:14
	Historically.	00:49:18
	What we have seen is that when you have.	00:49:20
	A fire based EMS system.	00:49:22
	Especially one where their dual role.	00:49:25
	Especially dual role.	00:49:28
	Is that you start seeing a breakdown of morale and you'll start seeing people want to leave if they're forced to.	00:49:30
	You know, ride one piece of equipment like if.	00:49:36
	If a firefighter.	00:49:39
	IS is asked to work on a squad one day.	00:49:41
	A lot of them don't like that or if they get assigned to a squad.	00:49:43
	For weeks on an end, maybe even years. You know they don't like that. And then equivocally.	00:49:47
	There's some people who work EMS that have no interest in wanting to be a firefighter, they just want to be.	00:49:51
	You know an EMS worker, they want to provide medical care to the community.	00:49:56
	And uh.	00:49:59
	A lot of times people think it's it's more efficient to do both, but it's not.	00:50:00
	In this case for example.	00:50:05
	You know, we're trying to get something.	00:50:06
	Really good off the ground here.	00:50:09
	And.	00:50:11
	Keep the cost as minimal as what we can and provide.	00:50:12
	Excellent clinical care for the people of this community and great fire service as well.	00:50:15
	But that gets muddy when you start.	00:50:20
	Doing dual role stuff.	00:50:22
	Especially when you start talking about pensions.	00:50:24
	And how much that costs because, you know, even like.	00:50:26
	You're all seeing it now.	00:50:29
	Everybody's looking at going to the 77 fund for their pensions for their firefighters. I know Highlander.	00:50:31
	Currently has it.	00:50:36
	I believe New Albany Township and Georgetown have.	00:50:38
	A hybrid model there, but if eventually.	00:50:41
	It's going to go that direction.	00:50:44
	OK. Where these firefighters going to be in the 77 fund? Well, the way the 77 fund is currently spelled out?	00:50:46
	Is that that is reserved for police officers?	00:50:51
	And firefighters only, they, they don't make room in there for EMS workers. And I think that's unfortunate.	00:50:53
	I think that's a real.	00:50:58
	You know, slide against, you know.	00:50:59
	Some very committed, you know, public servants in our state.	00:51:01
	But that's the way that it is. But.	00:51:05
	That comes with great cost.	00:51:06
	It's very expensive.	00:51:09
	To put people in the 77 fund, it's a much different system than what?	00:51:11
	The the hybrid or the civilian perf system is.	00:51:14
	And as we work to get this thing off the ground.	00:51:18
	I don't think that we could afford that.	00:51:20
	That as it stands right now.	00:51:23
	The attitude to Jason's **** is my understanding that the city of New Albany.	00:51:25
	Firefighters divested themselves of EMS roll.	00:51:30
	For that very.	00:51:33
	Reason with regards to morale and.	00:51:34
	A lot of ambiguity, so so.	00:51:37
	It's happened and it was within the last 10 to 12 years when that happened that they fought.	00:51:40
	Hard to get that contract separated out so.	00:51:44
	Not to mention, you know, I.	00:51:47
	When you start talking about preventing.	00:51:49
	Giving people care.	00:51:52
	OK, the last thing somebody wants.	00:51:54
	From the person coming to get life saving care, especially if you're like.	00:51:57
	Have a breathing issue?	00:52:00
	Somebody walking in just after you've been through some fire trading right of fire.	00:52:02
	That sweaty.	00:52:05
	You know, smell like fire. Which?	00:52:07
	You know, some places can cycle people through to make sure people get cleaned up and stuff like it, but it doesn't always work	00:52:09
	like that.	00:52:12
	You know, gears are supposed to, our ambulances have compartments that are supposed to, you know.	00:52:15
	Maintain, you know that gear and lock that stuff up but.	00:52:19
	It doesn't just work like that. It really just doesn't. Between the morale and everything else, we believe that the single role	00:52:23
	system is the best system moving forward.	00:52:27
	Everyone around Indianapolis is doing Firebase, and there's more moving to it.	00:52:31
	This is an Indianapolis.	00:52:36
	I agree, but.	00:52:38
	But I'm they also runs, they also run squads instead of using their fire trucks on medical calls and you know, they have a host	00:52:39
	more.	00:52:43
	Resources and what we do here as well. I'm not arguing. I can't argue one way the way the only I can do is data.	00:52:47
	So I'm going to ask you what data can you give us to help me?	00:52:52
	That says that what you're saying is correct other than.	00:52:55
	Jason Sharps.	00:52:58
	Opinion because I'm I'm an engineer.	00:52:59
	Sure. So.	00:53:02
	Jason Sharp.	00:53:04
	And the rest of commissioners hired his consultant today.	00:53:06
	And his job is going to be working with you guys to present that information so you won't have to ask Jason Sharp.	00:53:08
	You can ask one of the the nations leading.	00:53:13
	Experts in this field.	00:53:15
	So, and that's what we brought him on.	00:53:17
	This is more, I guess a.	00:53:21
	Logistical question of how this would all play out and look. Personally, I'm on both sides of this fence.	00:53:22
	I'm a firefighter. I'd rather not.	00:53:30
	Ride a bus, generally speaking.	00:53:32
	That's not what I signed up to do.	00:53:37
	That being said.	00:53:39
	85% of our runs are EMS. I'm currently enrolled.	00:53:40
	In an advanced class to provide that service in the municipality I serve.	00:53:44
	So I see both sides of this.	00:53:48
	And so I guess.	00:53:50
	My question logistically.	00:53:53
	I think there are and I think there is an abundance of firefighters who do like both aspects certainly, and are good and are	00:53:56
	skilled at both aspects certainly. I'm not that guy.	00:54:01
	But there are people.	00:54:06
	Who fill that role?	00:54:08
	And take great pride in it.	00:54:10
	So in this future plan that we're looking at.	00:54:12
	I can I can accept.	00:54:16
	Hiring civilians who are in civilian perf and.	00:54:18
	The benefits of that comes with.	00:54:21
	And the benefits of them being dedicated to EMS.	00:54:22
	But is there space?	00:54:26
	For current members.	00:54:28
	Who are dual trained who hold these advanced certifications like paramedic?	00:54:31
	Where?	00:54:37
	They can still operate within the department they're in. They can still make rides on the bus.	00:54:38
	Is there some kind of?	00:54:43
	Compromise where these people aren't losing their certifications or giving up their.	00:54:45
	I think absolutely. I would think that if you had a firefighter who was certified as a paramedic that still wanted to operate as a	00:54:49
	paramedic.	00:54:52
	You know, I would think that a system like ours would.	00:54:57
	Would still need but you see, I don't want him to have to give up his pension to do that.	00:55:00
	Sure. Well.	00:55:05
	If they're two separate departments, how are you going to do that? Mm-hmm.	00:55:07
	Well, I mean, you're gonna have to essentially make a choice if you're going to work EMS. This is.	00:55:10
	The way that's going to go, if you're going to be on the fireside, that's.	00:55:14
	You know it's going to be under that. So a firefighter, paramedics not allowed to crossover and help out on the ambulance.	00:55:17
	Well, certainly, yeah, I would think. I think they could, especially on cases like.	00:55:23
	I would think there would be part of.	00:55:26
	Yeah. Well, there's our consultant back there. I think that's my question, Is there room for that in the state of Indiana you can	00:55:28
	go license those ALS non transport and still provide ALS level care from the engine?	00:55:33
	Separate from.	00:55:38
	They EMS department.	00:55:40
	Sure. So you're not taking.	00:55:41
	That's just one deployment. I think that's my question. I understand. I think that would be a great idea. You know, at some point	00:55:45
	you're trending towards the ALS engine companies as well as along with your EMS service, but I really don't know a firefighter	00:55:50
	that doesn't have a full time job.	00:55:55
	Outside fire.	00:56:00
	So on their days off, they can work on the truck.	00:56:01
	Absolutely. Umm.	00:56:04
	And have dual income.	00:56:06
	That's what they want to do. I don't. I don't know. Well, no. Yeah.	00:56:10
	But I'm saying that.	00:56:14
	That way it wouldn't interfere with their pension.	00:56:15
	Well, it would though.	00:56:18
	It I'm way out of my line now.	00:56:21
	OK.	00:56:23
	But right now, Highlander.	00:56:25
	Gets the pension whether on the bus or not.	00:56:27
	And what's your scenario? And they would not get the pension if they're just on the bus, only if they're dual certified, Do they?	00:56:30
	They do.	00:56:35
	I mean as all your all your people dual certified and part of the 77.	00:56:37
	Not everybody's dual certified.	00:56:41
	Those that do have fire certs.	00:56:44
	They have the 77 if they qualify.	00:56:46
	Those that do not qualify are in part.	00:56:49
	If I could offer.	00:56:53
	It sounds to me like there's some direction.	00:56:56
	That maybe a vision of where we go.	00:56:59
	And tonight is probably not the time to try and solve all the problems.	00:57:02
	Not that it's not important or anything like that.	00:57:06
	But I envision that there are some ways to address those.	00:57:08
	Concerns and issues.	00:57:11
	That we're not going to write them out on a piece of paper tonight. I think that if there is interest in moving forward.	00:57:13
	Then we continue the conversation.	00:57:19
	And find out where those Rd. bumps are.	00:57:21
	And we smooth them out.	00:57:24
	But we don't say we're not going to talk about this because we've got this one issue or something.	00:57:26
	I think that.	00:57:31
	It's reasonable people can come to a conclusion where you have successful outcomes.	00:57:32
	Well said on my I will not speak for the other board for my member.	00:57:37
	For me personally.	00:57:40
	I agree with what Mr. Sharp said.	00:57:42
	The financial analysis is step one.	00:57:44
	To understand, because we got to go back to the Highlander people and say listen.	00:57:46
	Your tax rate may go up.	00:57:51
	I'm not sure what more services you're getting because you're getting pretty Dang good services now.	00:57:53
	And explain that to them. So I think that's the first step.	00:57:58
	And how?	00:58:01
	We understand it. We had to do that earlier this year when we did our public presentations as required by state statute.	00:58:03
	And if you have a revenue stream that is dependent on lit?	00:58:09
	As was mentioned.	00:58:14
	You probably need to stop.	00:58:16
	Figuring that into the.	00:58:18
	Future planning.	00:58:20
	It's possible.	00:58:21
	But umm.	00:58:22
	One thing that we've always done.	00:58:23
	I don't want to hire somebody that.	00:58:25
	In two or three years, I'm not certain we're going to be able to pay their salary.	00:58:27
	So we've always tried to operate with that conservative mentality.	00:58:31
	That we're very comfortable with what our projected revenue is going forward so that we can.	00:58:34
	Know we're going to pay our bills.	00:58:39
	I think the district model is under a lot of pressure.	00:58:42
	To continue in the future.	00:58:45
	And nobody wants to hear their taxes are going up.	00:58:47
	But if you are saying that we're going to take.	00:58:50
	The money from your property taxes.	00:58:53
	But the expectation is you're not going to be paying.	00:58:56
	The certified chair is lit.	00:58:58
	There may be a lot closer.	00:59:00
	In the numbers than what they are.	00:59:02
	We have been able by transitioning to the territory model.	00:59:06
	To ensure our ability.	00:59:09
	To have the revenue to provide the service to the community.	00:59:11
	For the foreseeable future.	00:59:15
	We would not have been able to do that if we had remained a district.	00:59:17
	I think the.	00:59:22
	To his to Mike's point, I think it is time.	00:59:24
	For people, maybe not tonight.	00:59:28
	But tomorrow and the next day, next day, anybody in this room that has a question?	00:59:31
	To write it down.	00:59:36
	So that.	00:59:38
	You know, we can get those answers and that's the that's the only way I think, you know, you write down your question and you say	00:59:40
	I got a question.	00:59:45
	Because otherwise, by the time we come to these meetings, you're not going to remember.	00:59:50
	Or it's going to spur another conversation.	00:59:53
	But.	00:59:56
	I've heard a lot of good comments.	00:59:57
	I don't have the answers, I just know why we're here to begin with. We got an EMS issue that's looming in the very near future.	00:59:59
	What's the best method? It is financial analysis.	01:00:07
	I can tell you that I've had discussions with.	01:00:13
	The Council who would be willing to look at.	01:00:16
	Possibly you know.	01:00:19
	Doing the financial analysis for everyone.	01:00:20
	Having that done through them.	01:00:23
	I think if you guys would all maybe.	01:00:26
	Entertain a vote to seek a fiscal analysis.	01:00:29
	That we can look at it out correctly on the parliamentary.	01:00:33
	Discussion here.	01:00:37
	About seeing the the.	01:00:39
	Council will fund that.	01:00:41
	That's not in our wheelhouse, correct?	01:00:43
	That's in yours. That's that, that's the council's.	01:00:45
	Kind of wheelhouse, but.	01:00:49
	They seem to be receptive.	01:00:50
	I think.	01:00:53
	The necessary step before going with the financial analysis, Which?	01:00:57
	Massive, dedicated, this is first step. I mean the first step is a willingness to look at all the options and I'm hearing.	01:01:00
	A willingness.	01:01:06
	To do so tonight.	01:01:08
	Which is a huge step forward compared to where we were 18 months ago.	01:01:09
	If you take the temperature of this room tonight versus where we were.	01:01:13
	In previous discussions.	01:01:18
	We've made a lot of progress just with regards to attitudes and be willing to look at these.	01:01:21
	I think we're here because there is an agreement that.	01:01:28
	If we were doing this from the ground up.	01:01:31
	We would not have this patchwork.	01:01:34
	Of the way we've always done it.	01:01:37
	Yeah, we would not do the way we go, but they did that because that's the way it was back then. They were pulling.	01:01:39
	Wagons with horses and they had.	01:01:43
	Well defined territories, you know.	01:01:45
	We have a county wide system which.	01:01:49
	Or at least I think willing to explore.	01:01:52
	We would have.	01:01:55
	Well defined.	01:01:56
	Roles within those which we don't have to reinvent the wheel. That's why we.	01:01:57
	Hired Mr. Dixon tonight to help us explore those and lay those out for us.	01:02:01
	I I think we would have a well defined.	01:02:06
	Reliable funding mechanism.	01:02:08
	Through which no fault of our own, we really don't have. We're, we're, we're trying to kind of hit moving targets here with.	01:02:11
	With what might happen next year, in the next year and the next year with I think everybody's doing their best to do that so.	01:02:17
	If there is a willingness.	01:02:23
	To explore these options.	01:02:25
	Then the financial analysis becomes a first necessary step.	01:02:28
	If there's a willingness that that we can get a consensus from those three bodies that you wanted to do that, then we can work	01:02:33
	with the council to get that.	01:02:37
	Paid for we have a number of.	01:02:41
	And Mr. Dixon could, perhaps you know.	01:02:43
	Let us know.	01:02:45
	Who he might have worked with in the past, but we have.	01:02:46
	Financial experts that we contract with.	01:02:48
	For analysis of different projects along the way. So we could certainly look at that it's.	01:02:51
	Require an open look at everybody's books and.	01:02:55
	Input from our auditors office with regards to again what?	01:02:59
	What to our funding mechanisms look like?	01:03:02
	Now in the 262728.	01:03:04
	But again, I want to reiterate Jason point.	01:03:08
	We got.	01:03:11
	Into a political hostile environment.	01:03:12
	The last time and ended up with a hybrid system that.	01:03:15
	Was the best political.	01:03:18
	Resolution that we could get at the time.	01:03:21
	With the folks that were in those elected offices at the time. But part of the problem was.	01:03:24
	We didn't start until.	01:03:28
	We were really approaching the deadline.	01:03:29
	So we're, we're, we're covered through 2026 on EMS, yes, but the time to start that discussion.	01:03:32
	Is, is, is now and we've already.	01:03:37
	We're ahead of the game.	01:03:40
	Immeasurably compared to where we were. But that's what that's why we're here in a little bit of a beating drum or a ticking clock	01:03:42
	a little bit louder than you guys are with reversing the fire territory.	01:03:46
	I think we would not.	01:03:51
	Be doing our roles.	01:03:52
	If we weren't open to all opportunities, no different than you guys wouldn't be. Do your role and I've got an opportunity to give	01:03:54
	you guys tonight. If you're not open to opportunities, if we're all closed minded and I don't.	01:03:58
	I'm not seeing that of anyone of our board at anytime to be close.	01:04:03
	About any subject.	01:04:06
	So I, I'm not gonna speak for that, but I think we're excited.	01:04:07
	To see a financial analysis that we.	01:04:11
	All of us are green.	01:04:14
	To Litz and.	01:04:16
	Maybe our former Commissioner here knows more than others of us, but.	01:04:17
	We need some education.	01:04:20
	MMM.	01:04:21
	I think we let our new consultant dig in and.	01:04:23
	Get a feel for where we are too, and then.	01:04:26
	We can start our conversations with the council on. I don't know how much structure you're asking, but if.	01:04:29
	You feel there's value. I would offer to the Georgetown board, if there's a show of support, to continue moving forward with this	01:04:34
	conversation.	01:04:38
	And would they publicly vote and support a motion to do that?	01:04:42
	I don't know if you need that or anything from the boards.	01:04:46
	I think that that would be very, very helpful. I do too, OK.	01:04:48
	Then I'll ask the Georgetown boards that members that are here.	01:04:52
	Can somebody make a motion?	01:04:56
	To continue working with the.	01:04:58
	Existing fire districts and the county commissioners and council.	01:05:01
	On the discussion of a.	01:05:04
	Floyd County.	01:05:06
	Fire Territory encompassing the entire territory.	01:05:07
	OK. Mark Jeffrey a second. Any discussion?	01:05:10
	No. All in favor, aye.	01:05:15
	Aye, passes for oh.	01:05:17
	I'll make one for.	01:05:22
	Financial Analysis.	01:05:24
	Review for our board.	01:05:26
	Because that's what I think we see as our first step.	01:05:28
	I agree. Second.	01:05:31
	Discussion.	01:05:34
	All those in favor, aye.	01:05:35
	Opposed motion carried.	01:05:37
	I'll entertain a motion from the New Albany Township Board to.	01:05:48
	Move forward with.	01:05:52
	The exploration of a.	01:05:53
	Truecalling the far territory.	01:05:55
	I'll second.	01:05:58
	All in favor.	01:06:00
	Signify the saying aye.	01:06:03
	OK.	01:06:05
	Can I offer just?	01:06:08
	Having gone through this over the last.	01:06:11
	You're a year and a half.	01:06:13
	There is a ticking clock.	01:06:14
	If, and I'm not holding anybody to this, but if there's a desire to create a countrywide fire territory, there are statutory.	01:06:16
	Things that have to be done.	01:06:23
	Between January 1st next year and.	01:06:25
	March 31st next year.	01:06:27
	You have to have at least three meetings.	01:06:29
	There are some rules on how soon they have to be apart from each other. How far apart.	01:06:32
	Then you have a fourth adoption meeting.	01:06:36
	All of the entities involved have to have a quorum at every one of the meetings for it to be legal, and I'm talking a little bit	01:06:39
	out of turn. I should let Keith handle this. But having gone through this.	01:06:44
	To get to that point.	01:06:50
	You need to do the work now.	01:06:51
	Over the next several weeks, month, and then you get into the holiday season and everybody gets a little busy.	01:06:53
	But it may sound and feel like.	01:06:59
	There's a lot of time to do this, but if.	01:07:02
	A question of.	01:07:05
	EMS at the end of 2026.	01:07:06
	Is a timeline that actually has to happen then in the first three months of the year.	01:07:09
	If the answer is the combined.	01:07:13
	Fire territory.	01:07:16
	Taking on the EMS role.	01:07:17
	Which would then go into effect January 1st, 2027.	01:07:18
	So I just in case somebody's not familiar with the process, I just want to put that as a little placeholder.	01:07:22
	There's not.	01:07:27
	A tremendous amount of time to accomplish something, if that's where.	01:07:28
	Everybody says they want to go.	01:07:32
	Alright.	01:07:42
	And again, we.	01:07:43
	I would assume that we will pick up our discussions for.	01:07:46
	EMS contracts very early.	01:07:49
	In 2026.	01:07:52
	And I will say that we ended up.	01:07:55
	With the.	01:07:56
	Hybrid system that we had.	01:07:58
	Based upon the composition.	01:08:01
	Of the the Council primarily, and we do have new Council members.	01:08:04
	So to Frank's point earlier on.	01:08:08
	Were mandated to provide coverage.	01:08:13
	My.	01:08:19
	My choice at the time would have been countrywide coverage with the exclusion of New Albany.	01:08:21
	But we kinda got.	01:08:26
	Where we were based upon the number of votes that we had available.	01:08:27
	So again, to Frank's point, we're going to have coverage one way or the other.	01:08:30
	When I meet Georgia.	01:08:35
	And.	01:08:37
	So it's going to come down to either.	01:08:39
	Firebase or it's going to come down to.	01:08:43
	Contract about.	01:08:47
	As it did before.	01:08:48
	So that that that discussion will start.	01:08:50
	Basically back.	01:08:52
	Beginning of the.	01:08:53
	The board.	01:08:55
	Just like it did.	01:08:57
	18 months ago. 24 months ago.	01:08:59
	Suzanne, you know this.	01:09:02
	Several months ago.	01:09:04
	This clock is ticking.	01:09:06
	From a lot of different directions, not only through the process.	01:09:08
	Of the territory.	01:09:11
	But.	01:09:13
	As I've said on several occasions, you know, procuring them equipment.	01:09:14
	And take time.	01:09:17
	And we will have to start making.	01:09:19
	Some moves and.	01:09:21
	If we start passing that timeline of us to be able to make those moves.	01:09:23
	That's only going to lead us to One Direction of where we would go from here.	01:09:27
	So.	01:09:31
	Yeah, the only thing I want to comment is.	01:09:32
	I have an open mind.	01:09:35
	And I'm more than willing to listen to anybody.	01:09:37
	I don't think very few of us are experts in any of this.	01:09:41
	So I believe everyone here.	01:09:44
	Correct me if I'm wrong.	01:09:47
	Do you have an open mind?	01:09:48
	And we all have the same goal.	01:09:50
	Provide the best service to our citizens.	01:09:51
	The best fire service. The best EM service.	01:09:54
	And part of the best EM service is to have.	01:09:57
	Paramedics.	01:10:00
	On the ambulance is not just a basic EMT.	01:10:03
	Correct and.	01:10:05
	And have a dedicated workforce.	01:10:07
	And I see that.	01:10:10
	In Highlanders.	01:10:11
	Fire early, dude.	01:10:12
	Because back when I was Commissioner.	01:10:14
	If you would ask me.	01:10:16
	A Firebase EMS.	01:10:18
	I would say no.	01:10:19
	I said no.	01:10:22
	And because my attitude was.	01:10:23
	If a private entity can provide the services.	01:10:25
	At an acceptable level.	01:10:28
	For less money.	01:10:30
	Say we're taxpayers.	01:10:32
	Reality is that.	01:10:34
	Private EMS.	01:10:35
	To get to that point because they're a profit based company.	01:10:38
	They use.	01:10:41
	I don't want.	01:10:43
	Say the wrong words.	01:10:44
	But they're not encouraged to put the best.	01:10:45
	That they can.	01:10:48
	And folks are working fire service.	01:10:50
	They have a different kind of attitude.	01:10:53
	Frank can talk about this and Jason can talk about it.	01:10:56
	Whether you're a police officer or firefighter or.	01:10:59
	Military.	01:11:02
	You have a different attitude of public service.	01:11:03
	And George has excellent fire department.	01:11:06
	Highlanders Exton Fire Department.	01:11:10
	We got very dedicated people.	01:11:12
	And you comment about.	01:11:15
	Having a smelly fireman come pick to your house.	01:11:16
	About 3-4 years ago and code was going around.	01:11:19
	And I couldn't breathe.	01:11:22
	And my wife dialed 911.	01:11:24
	And the best side I saw in my life was that Georgetown firefighter coming in his overalls. I don't care if he stunk.	01:11:26
	He picked me up like a baby.	01:11:32
	You put me in the ambulance and I spent the next 3-4 weeks in the hospital.	01:11:36
	I understand what you're saying. I'm what I'm what I'm saying is, is.	01:11:40
	The first rule of BMS is to do no further harm.	01:11:43
	Right, OK.	01:11:46
	And if you're coming in?	01:11:47
	To an environment where somebody is.	01:11:49
	Extremely sick.	01:11:52
	And.	01:11:53
	You were coming in.	01:11:55
	You know, smelling like you just got on a fire because you may have just done that.	01:11:57
	You may be making your patient sicker.	01:12:00
	Right. I think that's a, I think that's a very fair thing to say.	01:12:03
	Absolutely.	01:12:07
	Right. So, and I'm not saying that it's.	01:12:08
	It's not capable. It happens every day. I'm just saying that.	01:12:11
	That's something that.	01:12:14
	You gotta take in the back of your.	01:12:15
	Help me understand.	01:12:17
	Or the only way that would happen is if you had a firefighter that.	01:12:18
	Was out of the fire.	01:12:22
	And then didn't take his clothes off, didn't change, didn't. But it's not the uniform when he got on an ambulance.	01:12:23
	No, that means he may have left from that fire scene because he was clear from the tasks that he was doing to go to a different	01:12:29
	call.	01:12:32
	That's what that means.	01:12:35
	So.	01:12:37
	And that happens very regularly.	01:12:38
	So not not through the, not through the ambulance under.	01:12:40
	Yeah, which what you're saying is he was EMS on a fire truck?	01:12:44
	And then went to.	01:12:48
	On a fire truck of the fire then went to the EMS calling a fire truck. No, didn't clean it either one. Yeah, either one out. So	01:12:50
	let's just say you you have dual role.	01:12:54
	You have.	01:12:58
	Of your squad that is operating, let's just say they're doing grit.	01:12:59
	Or something like that and they're softening the target.	01:13:02
	They're doing all the stuff They're they're.	01:13:05
	Can be in smoke, they can be in a whole bunch of different areas. They may actually have to go in and do some work, but.	01:13:07
	At some point as the incident starts.	01:13:12
	Coming down a little bit, you start freeing up units. What happens when that call comes in, when they're on their way to quarters	01:13:15
	or they're still there at the scene and they're able to clear?	01:13:19
	You know, this, this, this also this dual role, what we don't talk about with that.	01:13:23
	Is that what happens when those squads are tied up fighting fires?	01:13:28
	They're not available for medical calls.	01:13:31
	So if you're dealing with a limited number of ambulances.	01:13:34
	And they're tied up on a fire because their dual role and they're working on the fire scene.	01:13:37
	That's taking away from the ambulances that you have available to respond to medical calls.	01:13:41
	Yeah, if you were pulling people off, anyone said to break the fire out, Yeah, we don't do that.	01:13:45
	Well, for the record, for those who are just watching the rooms full of firemen tonight, yeah, smells great in here.	01:13:50
	So all is well.	01:13:57
	Fireman being dirty, it was just making a.	01:14:02
	In general, deprecating themselves because he's probably had to show it up like that. I have, yeah.	01:14:05
	On multiple occasions.	01:14:10
	I just saw my appreciation of the fire department.	01:14:12
	That, you know, all right, Nobody, nobody needs it until you need it.	01:14:15
	Would I just want to make?	01:14:19
	Just one quick statement. I have 0 fire background.	01:14:21
	I started my service.	01:14:26
	At the private ambulance service.	01:14:27
	The very first eighteen day EMT class in the state of Indiana.	01:14:29
	And on the 7th paramedic in the entire world.	01:14:33
	A whole 5 board certifications through an international board.	01:14:36
	So.	01:14:40
	I I don't necessarily agree that fire based paramedics provide better care than someone who's not fired.	01:14:41
	So I just want to make that clarifying.	01:14:48
	OK.	01:14:53
	I'm going to look for.	01:14:54
	Mutual motions of adjournment here real quick, is it?	01:14:56
	We have.	01:15:00
	We have representatives from both the unions here. I wanted to see if they had anything or are we going to take any public	01:15:00
	comment?	01:15:03
	As well.	01:15:06
	Any of the union representatives have anything they want to say tonight?	01:15:07
	Can I Can I add something?	01:15:13
	And I I'm gonna step way out of my bounds here now, but.	01:15:14
	I know Georgetown is going through negotiations on their union.	01:15:18
	The first step may be to call Highlanders Union.	01:15:20
	Just to clarify, we are not currently in negotiations.	01:15:24
	That's that's not correct.	01:15:27
	False information in sorry.	01:15:29
	Dinner. Any other public comment?	01:15:33
	No other public comment.	01:15:36
	All right. Seeking motions to adjourn.	01:15:39
	Motion to adjourn I always make.	01:15:42
	Thank you everybody.	01:15:46
	International.	01:15:49