<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=3Phfme_1H2zx5G800" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3Phfme_1H2zx5G800" width="1560" height="900" ><figcaption>Fall Creek Township is one of several in Madison County. (Map: The Madison County Cemetery Commission)</figcaption></figure>A citizen led effort in Madison County is aimed at protecting Fall Creek Township from a forced municipal merger. As IPR’s Thomas Ouellette reports, local leaders are looking at reorganizing with the town of Pendleton.A new state law signed last March will soon identify what it calls “failing” townships and force them to merge with another town or township. Some parts of Indiana want to get ahead of being forced, so they can craft their own terms.A township is considered as “failing” with a state-created score sheet with 10 different criteria. Included is measuring how large or small a township’s budget is and knowing if it actively manages fire protection or emergency medical services. Points are awarded for smaller budgets, smaller responsibilities, and fewer assistance to the community. If a township scores four or more points, it is designated for a merger.Tandy Jones is one of the Fall Creek Township residents leading a reorganization committee. She says the plan is for Pendleton and Fall Creek to form two different municipal agreements.“We need to be proactive. This is not a merger. I can’t emphasize this enough. It’s not an annexation,” she said. “We’re not going to be under the rule of Pendleton. We’re going to be under the control and the guidance of a service agreement,”Jones says, under a forced merger, Pendleton would have the final say on the details of the reorganization. That means things like tax rates and firearm codes could change for township residents without any negotiation.“I wouldn’t want somebody in town being able to shoot their guns, right?” Jones said. “I live out there with cornfields around me, and there’s no reason why I shouldn’t be able to shoot our guns, right?”Under a proposed rural reorganization agreement, Fall Creek Township would become part of Pendleton.Several public meetings will take place before a reorganization is finalized. The first is on November 17 at Pendleton Heights High School.Thomas Ouellette is our reporter and producer. Contact him at thomas.ouellette@bsu.edu.</div></body>

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A citizen led effort in Madison County is aimed at protecting Fall Creek Township from a forced municipal merger. As IPR’s Thomas Ouellette reports, local leaders are looking at reorganizing with the town of Pendleton. A new state law signed last March will soon identify what it calls “failing”...

Fall Creek Township and Pendleton considering reorganizing together to avoid state-forced merger

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A citizen led effort in Madison County is aimed at protecting Fall Creek Township from a forced municipal merger. As IPR’s Thomas Ouellette reports, local 

Fall Creek Township and Pendleton considering reorganizing together to avoid state-forced merger

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