Article submitted by James Master, The Pilot News Managing Editor
If you live in Walnut or Green Township, you might have noticed a “City Tax” line item on your property taxes this year. Despite some rumors that have been going around the south-eastern part of the county, the Town of Argos is not collecting that tax.
“The DLGF (Department of Local Government Finance) does not have a title for a fire territory. So, it comes across on the tax bills as a City Tax,” said Argos Clerk-Treasurer Lisa Mullaney.
In March 2021, the formation of the Argos Fire Protection Territory (AFT) was approved. The fire territory raises money through an increase in property taxes to aid in paying for full-time EMTs and for necessary equipment for the EMS and the Argos Fire Department. The territory is governed by the Argos Fire Territory Board, comprised of one appointee from Green Township, one appointee from Walnut Township, one appointee from the Town of Argos, and the Fire Chief who is a non-voter.
Currently, board members include Charles Randy Snead, president of the board and appointee from the Town of Argos, Steve Wilhelm, appointee from Walnut Township, and James Fishburn, appointee from Green Township. Mark Dean serves as the Fire Chief.
After receiving multiple complaints concerning the “City Tax”, Mullaney contacted the DLGF and the Marshall County Auditor’s office.
“The Auditor’s office was like, ‘that’s how it came to us’, and that they were getting a lot of angry phone calls,” said Mullaney.
Mullaney wanted to stress that the Town was not taxing individuals that live outside the town’s jurisdiction and that the Town of Argos does not control the operations of the AFT.
The only thing that is approved by the Argos Town Council is the AFT’s annual budget. “All the Town Council does is look at that figure and say ‘yes the DLGF says you’re entitled to that amount of money, you have kept your budget under that amount so yes we will approve it with all of our budgets.’,” said Mullaney. She went on to explain that “because the Town of Argos is the ‘Provider Unit’ that’s why the City Tax is on there.”
If Walnut Township was the Provider Unit, then that township would have the say on how much is budgeted. The same for Green Township. “So, the DLGF would say with this tax rate, you’re entitled to $580,000 or something. And then the Fire Territory Board does the budget in July, just like everybody else, they present that budget to the Provider Unit, and the Provider Unit then looks at that and says ‘okay, you’re under your limits, so yes we’ll approve that with our budgets’,” said Mullaney.
According to Mullaney, it was agreed upon by the three entities that the Town of Argos would serve as the Provider Unit.
“We in no way, shape, or form dictate how they (the AFT) spend their money,” Mullaney said.
She said that since the full-time EMS has been implemented, no calls have been missed. Prior to that, EMS services from Plymouth, Bourbon, and Culver were aiding the town in calls from time to time.
Mullaney said that, after talking with a representative from the DLGF, “the City Tax is pretty much taking over what the township residents would have paid in Fire Cum Taxes. So, it’s going to be a little bit higher because of the territory tax, but you are no longer, the township residents, are no longer paying a Fire Cum Tax to the townships.”
She had asked the DLGF about renaming the “City Tax”, but was told that the DLGF does not have a line item for fire territories at this time.
The Argos Fire Territory meets every fourth Tuesday of the month in the Argos Municipal Building council chambers at 6:30 p.m.
