This story was first published by the Indiana Daily Student.
On Nov. 3, voters in Ellettsville and Richland Township, both in Monroe County, will face a referendum question on their ballots asking if the town and township should reorganize and merge into a single government.
If passed, the township government would no longer exist, consolidating instead into the reorganized town of Ellettsville on Jan. 1, 2027. The small part of Ellettsville within Bean Blossom Township will also become part of the reorganized town, but the rest of Bean Blossom will not.
According to Ellettsville’s website, pressure for reorganization comes from the state, as it pushes to eliminate redundant layers of government by consolidating townships with other local entities.
In a statement published on Ellettsville’s website, township leaders say they support the merger because they “believe now is the time to take charge of the future, find ways to operate efficiently, and develop economically so that future generations will stay and prosper here.”
The reorganized town would provide services previously handled by Richland Township, including emergency aid and cemetery maintenance, on top of current town responsibilities like police, utility service and street maintenance.
The merger plan, however, encountered a challenge when Monroe County commissioners in December said they would consider adding Richland Township to the county fire protection district, prompting change around the two entities’ fire services.
On the ballot
The referendum question reads:
“Richland Township of Monroe County, Indiana and the Town of Ellettsville of Monroe County, Indiana have each adopted a Plan of Reorganization that provides for the consolidation of Richland Township into the Town of Ellettsville as a single governmental unit that will be governed and administered as a town with a seven (7) member elected Town Council. Shall Richland Township and the Town of Ellettsville reorganize as a single political subdivision?”
Voters will choose “yes” or “no”
The Ellettsville Fire Department has an annual contract to provide fire protection — including rescue and first-response services — throughout Richland Township.
If the referendum passes, the department’s services and response area will remain the same. Property taxes to fund those services, however, would increase to meet the department’s need to expand its staff.
If the referendum fails, an alternative fire protection plan will take effect instead on Jan. 1, 2027. Ellettsville and Richland voted to adopt a fire territory, a legal agreement between two governments to provide joint services indefinitely, earlier this year.
One difference between the two fire department plans, Ellettsville Town Council member William Ellis said, is that property taxes will increase more under the fire territory agreement than under reorganization.
Ellettsville and Richland residents have expressed confusion in public meetings and on social media over the adoption of the fire territory, Ellis said, with some questioning its motivation.
But Ellis said adopting the fire territory was simply an effort to keep control of fire protection services at the local level. Specifically, he said it was intended to block Monroe County from adding Richland Township to the Monroe Fire Protection District.
When Monroe County commissioners indicated they were considering adding Richland Township to the county’s fire protection district during the December meeting, Ellettsville officials were concerned, Ellis said. In that same meeting, the commissioners incorporated Bean Blossom Township to the county fire district effective Jan. 1, 2027.
When under a fire district, townships don’t directly operate or fund fire protection and emergency medical services, according to Indiana law. Instead, the district takes over administration and provides its own staff and resources.
County commission president Julie Thomas said the board was concerned Bean Blossom Township, which borders Richland Township, had an inadequate level of fire protection. The commissioners added Bean Blossom to the county fire district in a unanimous vote.
Struggles with rural fire protection are a problem all across the state, Trent Engbers, a professor of public administration at the University of Southern Indiana, said. Funding adequate protection is especially challenging in sparsely populated areas.
Rural townships can address these challenges by relinquishing authority to a fire district or entering joint service agreements between townships, he said. However, Engbers said when fire protection decisions are made at a district level, townships have less control over funding and taxation.
With the addition of Bean Blossom Township, the Monroe Fire Protection District now services all townships inside the county except Richland.
When Monroe County commissioners said last December they intended to consider adding Richland Township to the district too, Ellettsville and Richland officials were opposed, the B Square Bulletin reported.
Ellis said such a move was unnecessary because Ellettsville and Richland Township are more densely populated compared to other rural areas. Richland has a population density of 428.7 people per square mile, while neighboring Bean Blossom Township has 81.2 people per square mile.
He also said the area’s current fire protection is already a “well-oiled machine.” Ellettsville could lose up to half its funding for the fire department, which currently comes from Richland Township, with the loss of the township to the county fire district, Ellis said.
If Richland Township was added to the county’s fire protection district, Ellis said Ellettsville residents could then see cuts to fire services or a rise in taxes to replace lost funding.
Ellis said he had no doubt district fire services would be “phenomenal,” but a fire district is a more expensive option and gives over control to the county. Ellis also said he understood public confusion and frustration with the ordeal.
“We had no plans on doing a fire territory. This was completely driven by what the county had done,” Ellis said.
The referendum will pass only if a majority of voters in Ellettsville, a majority of voters in Richland Township and a majority of the combined population vote “yes.”
Ava Campbell is a student reporter with the Indiana Newsroom, a learning lab designed to give IU students practical experience in community journalism and provide news coverage to areas where reliable local news is limited or nonexistent. It is funded by a grant from the Community Foundation of Bloomington & Monroe County and is housed at The Media School.
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