The repressed Indiana Fire Board is looking for legal steps to drive the fire area forward

Members of a Utica Fire Board that were Suddenly removed this week before a vote to create a fire area With Jeffersonville, legal steps are looking for. If you are successful, it is possible that the vote could still happen this month.

The Commissioners of Clark County unanimously voted on Wednesday for the removal of President Joe Jarles, Kelly Khuri and Randy Leverett from the fire protection district of Utica Township. You have called a new member that far.

The day before a planned meeting with the city council of Jeffersonville Adopt the new fire areawhich would have strengthened fire protection in Jeffersonville, the reporting according to Utica and Utica Township strengthened and ems.

Jarles said the board members believe that this was “an illegal and inappropriate dismissal” and that they are progressing with legal steps.

“And we have the feeling that we will prevail,” said Jarles on Thursday after a meeting that was intended to vote with Jeffersonville. “We think the law is on our side. We believe that the case law is on our side. “

Bryan Glover, President of Clark County County, said early Thursday that he was confident that her actions were legal. “We know that we were in the law,” he said. Glover repeated this Friday when he was asked about the plans of the board members.

“The district commissioners are 100% confident in legal advice, which we received from our district lawyer at 25 to 30 years of age,” he said. “We felt that we did what we have to do to do that, absolutely legal and absolutely correct.”

As written, the fire area's proposal criticized some local officials who had concerns that they would lower them in their tax revenue. Others questioned the large area budget and why they had to include the EMS reporting. Clark County's government administration currently merged with the Heartland Ambulance Service to cover the entire district.

The district previously recorded the new Chapel EMS, which the former sheriff of Clark County, Jamey Noel, operated. He is currently serving time in prisonincluding for theft from the new chapel. Officials in Clark And Floyd The counties brought new EMS providers when the Noel examination progress.

Jarles said that Noel's actions, including theft of fire engines, have meant that the municipality of Utica does not have enough money for effective fire protection. Jarles and the other board members have tracked down information about what Noel did and where their equipment is. He only said this week that they had identified a ladder truck worth $ 400,000 that was stolen. They are also involved in legal disputes against Noel and others.

“There were many hard -working time and research,” he said. “We would hate the citizens of Utica and Clark County and now even in New Albany Township to regain this money.”

Jeffersonville has been serving the area as part of an automatic auxiliary contract since last year. Followers say that the fire area would enable better protection.

At the meeting on Thursday, when the city council of Jeffersonville originally planned for the vote on the area, the President of the Council, Evan Stoner, said that he was disappointed with the measures by the commissioners, but the communities had to work together to ensure that public security was a priority.

“While this decision is undoubtedly a setback, I remain confident that all representatives of River Ridge, Mayor, city managers, headmaster, district commissioners and members of the district council who worked during public hearings remain loyal to their word that they are ready and willing to solve meaningful services in order to solve our fire gaps and deal with the long -term.

Dustin White, the council member who Brought the idea for the fire area last yearhe said he hopes that the removed board members will take legal action.

“I would welcome that,” he said. “Because what happened to them is unfair. It is disrespectful. “

Until the end of the month, the companies have time to approve an area so that it comes into force next year.

“I hope that what I call, the legitimate members of the Utica Township Fire Protection Board, have a lawsuit and have a judicial order that confirms their legitimacy as board members,” said White on Thursday after the meeting. “And then we can do a meeting and do it.”

The reporting on southern Indiana is partially financed by Samtec Inc., Hazel & Walter T. Bales Foundation and the Caesars Foundation of Floyd County.