00;00;00;00 - 00;00;23;06
Thomas Ouellette
Last February, five townships voted to join the South Madison Fire Territory and adopt a tax levy of $0.80 per $100 of assessed value to fund it. Then in April, Senate Bill one capped new fire territory tax levies at only half that amount. South Madison Fire Chief Chris Nodine says the language specifying new territories landed the expansion in a gray area.

00;00;23;08 - 00;00;38;03
Chris Nodine
We were already established for fire territory, but we were merging with other fire territories, so we were waiting for the legal language to come about whether or not we could get our tax rate because we were already existing territory, Nadine says.

00;00;38;03 - 00;01;00;22
Thomas Ouellette
The Indiana Department of Local Government Finance recently gave the expansion and its 80 cent tax levy the green light, because the territory had already been established. The new territory will include Adams and Stoney Creek townships and the towns of Marksville, Lapel and Ingalls. Nodine says local fire departments in the territory will soon see better staffing, retirement benefits and faster response times.

00;01;00;24 - 00;01;02;24
Thomas Ouellette
Thomas Ouellette, IPR news.