Welcome! Vernon Township is located in the northwest corner of Hancock County, Indiana. Our office represents the historic main street town of Fortville, the growing town of McCordsville and the adjacent unincorporated rural community with majestic round barns and bountiful fields. 

Township Status Report as of January 22, 2020

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As the towns of McCordsville and Fortville develop and grow, Vernon Township is working hard to provide efficient and effective services. We are studying comparable townships and seeking the best models as we evolve our programs and operations to match our changing landscape.

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Our leadership staff is part-time but incredibly productive with limited resources.  Our team includes Deputy Trustee of Finance and Administration – Amanda Fronek, Operations Fire Chief- Kent Helpling, EMS Chief- Kiely Culberson, and Community Services Director – Stacy Nielsen.

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Fire and Ambulance Service
The Township is at a very important juncture in our history transitioning from all volunteer fire to a professional fire department. We are operating with 20 - 30 year old apparatus and started the year with two volunteer fire stations. There have been many changes and there are many more to come.

• Formed Vernon Township Fire Department (VTFD).

• Opened the first Vernon Township Fire Station (#3) in Fortville for operations in May and conducted grand opening on September 7.

• Contracted Fortville and McCordsville Volunteer Fire Departments as part of VTFD.

• Hired part-time and paid per run firefighters for 24/7/365 coverage at Station #3 – Fortville effective October 1.

• Operating Firefighter I and II training program for 19 trainees.

• Brought Ambulance service in-house January 1, 2020.  This step estimated to save the Township approx. $140,000 per year over outsourcing.  ALS certification is complete.

• Formed Vernon Township Fire Task Force engaging key community leaders and public safety officials in planning for the future of fire and ambulance service.

Property Management
Our goal is to optimize use of Vernon Township properties while ensuring that taxpayer dollars are spent in the most efficient ways. We have made major changes but still have several other options to consider over the next few months.

• Moved the Vernon Township Office to old SEALS ambulance office.

• Sold two excess properties (104 Main Street and 726 W. Broadway) to help pay for the first debt payment on the new station.

• Partnered with Mt Vernon Schools on parks and cemetery clean up and beautification projects.

• Replaced rusted swing set in Old School Park - McCordsville.

• Multi-year renovation completed at McCordsville Cemetery.

• Investigating lease/sale options for the Medical Center Complex and additional land behind the new fire station.

• Exploring option to transfer Hampton Fields to the Town of Fortville and Old School Park to the Town of McCordsville.

• Requested Special Legislation to reset Vernon Township Fire and EMS tax rate to match our growth rate and communities with comparable populations.

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Township Assistance and Community Engagement

As the township grows and becomes more prosperous, we are working to establish better community communications. We also see a change in financial pressures for those people who face serious economic challenges.

• Created a website and Facebook page.

• Introduced Honor Flag program in partnership with Exchange Club of Hancock County during Memorial Day and Veterans Day.

• Partnering with local non-profits to assist those in dire circumstances.

• Establish community garden in partnership with Mt Vernon FFA to support our citizens and provide fresh food options to local food pantries.

• Offer educational and training opportunities.

• Offer complimentary volunteer registration software to local non-profits.

• Establishing official policies and support requirements for organized leagues using township ball fields.

Finance and Administration
We are exploring every option to improve our financial and operational capacity to support 24-7-365 Fire and Ambulance Service to Fortville, McCordsville and unincorporated Vernon Township.

• Centralized the financial management of the fire budget.

• Hired new financial advisor, Michael Reuter and conducted internal financial workshop.

• Completed 2020 Budgeting workshop and process.

• Growing our support contract with Green Township – Madison County.

• Applying for a variety of grant applications.

We have more responsibilities than fire and ambulance and sadly, we have starved some of our other funds (parks in particular) in order to maximize our public safety efforts.

Partnerships
We are working with McCordsville, Fortville, Hancock County EMA/911, our surrounding mutual aid fire departments, Mt Vernon Schools, Hancock Regional Hospital, NineStar, Hancock County Economic Development, Love Inc, our 5 Food Pantries and many others to bring improved programs and services to Vernon Township. If you or your organization are seeking partnerships that help create a stronger community, please reach out to us.

 Wish to learn more about Vernon Township?
I encourage you to review this website and visit our Facebook pages at:

Vernon Township - Hancock County https://www.facebook.com/vernontownshipindiana/ 

Vernon Township Fire Department  https://www.facebook.com/VernonTownshipFD/

And if we can ever be of assistance, please contact our office and we will do our best to assist you.

Sincerely,

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Florence L. May
Trustee (effective January 1, 2019)
Vernon Township, Hancock County

317.485.7327 x 5

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