Seven local boards unanimously approve fire territory merger in St. Joseph County

MISHAWAKA, Ind. -- After several of public hearings, seven local boards and town councils on Tuesday unanimously approved merging the Penn Township Fire Protection Territory with the Harris Township territory, creating a unified fire service across multiple communities in St. Joseph County.

The Osceola, Indian Village and Roseland town councils joined the Penn, German and Harris township boards in backing the plan, forming a seven-unit fire territory aimed at improving service and coordination.

The merger has been under discussion for more than a year, with some residents raising concerns about potential tax increases. Officials said those concerns are based in part on misunderstandings about how the changes would affect property tax bills.

“There’s been some misinformation out there about this doubling tax rates, but what this does is perhaps double one line item in your larger tax bill,” said Clay Township Trustee Sean O’Brien. “So, if you have a tax bill of $2,000, for example, and fire protection is $100 of that, what you’d be looking at is a doubling of that line item.”

Officials said the additional funding will help ensure competitive pay for firefighters and support recruitment efforts as demand for emergency services grows in the county.

“There has been an increase in call volumes that exceed 30 to 40% of our run volume,” Kilian said. “Our hope, in addition to recruiting, is that it’s also going to assist us in retraining our existing talent.”

Before the vote, several board and council members praised the existing fire departments and said the merger would strengthen their ability to serve residents.

“It’s important we don’t take for granted what happened here tonight,” O’Brien said. “Men and women from different political parties, from townships across the region, came together to envision something that was for the benefit of our residents.”

The merger will create a new fire department with new leadership, branding and equipment, though those decisions have not yet been finalized.

“The thing that absolutely is most critical isn’t what it’s called, it’s that it’s able to provide that service and be mission-focused first,” Kilian said.

In addition to approving the merger, councils and board members also voted in favor of establishing an equipment replacement fund to help ensure stable, long-term funding for the new department.