Though property taxes in Huntington Township may go up slightly to help finance the township’s developing fire department, the department could be up and running for about $461,000 or less.
The Huntington Township Board met Tuesday morning to have a public hearing regarding its 2015 budget.
The Indiana Department of Local Government Finance approved $110,000 for the fire fund and $140,000 for the cumulative fire fund, Huntington Township Trustee Tim Guy told the board.
“That increase is for building a fire department,” Guy said.
In order to increase those funds three of the township’s five levies will need to be raised. The 2015 budget indicates a $10,000 levy for the general fund, up from $0 in 2014; $76,000 in the fire fund, up from about $56,000 in 2014; and about $34,000 in the cumulative fire fund, up from about $33,500 in 2014.
The general fund is levied to everyone in the township, board member Terry Miller said, while the fire and cumulative fire levies would be for those in Huntington Township but not for the City of Huntington.
Miller said property taxes would not increase greatly.
“Thirty thousand dollars is not a lot spread over all the township taxpayers,” he said. “The increase they’re going to see in their property tax is going to be like a couple dollars, if two dollars.”
Other funds dropped slightly, Guy said.
The township’s total budget for 2015 is about $453,000, up from about $300,000 in 2014.
Also at the meeting, Huntington Township volunteer fire department Chief Paul VonBank gave a presentation to the board detailing options for a fire station and the cost for equipment.
After discussion the board charged VonBank with getting additional estimates for its next meeting for a roughly 50x60 foot, three-bay fire station that would include an office and a classroom to train firefighters. VonBank presented one estimate at $190,000 to $220,000 at the meeting.
He also gave a budget on other expenditures needed to get the department up and running. VonBank said it would cost about $55,000 to equip 20 firefighters plus about $110,000 for airpacks needed to send the volunteers for additional training at a fire academy.
VonBank also found a used rescue engine and grass rig for about $40,000 and $39,500, respectively, for use by the department.
The total for the equipment and those specific vehicles, if the department is able to acquire them, is about $241,000, he said.
VonBank said it would take about six to seven months to train the volunteers and that the contractors he’s already talked to said it would take about four and a half months to build the station, after which the department could do medical and some fire runs.