Clark County Commissioners Jack Coffman, Connie Sellers and President Bryan Glover, and (Aprile Rickert / LPM)In a meeting Wednesday, the Clark County Commissioners voted to remove all three appointed members of a Utica board to stop creation of a fire territory many local officials have opposed. The Utica Township Fire Protection District board was scheduled to meet Thursday afternoon with the Jeffersonville City Council to adopt a fire territory covering Jeffersonville, Utica and Utica Township. It would also provide EMS service.Movement toward the fire territory started last year amid the criminal investigation of former Clark County Sheriff Jamey Noel, who previously ran a company that provided emergency service to much of Southern Indiana.The territory would come with a high price tag and call for a rise in property taxes for some. Officials representing other taxing units, like municipalities, say it would also have meant big hits to their budgets, taking away tax revenue they use for operations.Clark County Commissioners President Bryan Glover told LPM News there were a “multitude of things that led to the vote.” He referenced the officials that spoke out at public hearings and other meetings leading up to the expected vote this week. Clark County government was among those entities expected to lose out on the revenue, according to financial analysis.“There was just an outcry from every municipality and every taxing entity that felt that this was being done in a way that wasn't cost effective and was going to damage other parts of the county,” he said.Glover said those public comments didn’t seem to convince voting members of the two boards, who appeared poised to approve it this week.“And I think it was the only way to stop this territory from going into effect,” Glover said.The latest members who were unseated Wednesday — President Joe Jarles, Kelly Khuri and Randy Leverett — were all appointed in 2024 by Clark County Commissioners, during the investigation of Noel. The makeup of the commissioners has not changed since 2024.Glover said the commissioners were not happy with the fire board’s support of the fire territory. He had concerns that there had not been enough background research done to support their decision, including analysis to determine how much service should cost.The commissioners appointed just one new fire board member at their Wednesday meeting – Welby Edwards. Glover said it will be a few weeks before the other two are in place.That means it’s impossible to have a quorum at the Thursday joint meeting. Jeffersonville City Council President Evan Stoner said early Thursday the meeting will still happen, but the former board members won’t be formally recognized, as he said he believes they were lawfully removed. He said there would be a statement and council comment, but no public comment time.“It appears that it’s dead for this year,” Stoner said Thursday of the fire territory, adding that he had expected it to pass with the previous board in place.Stoner said under state statute, the entities had an April 1 deadline to approve the territory for it to go into effect next year.Charlestown Mayor Treva Hodges has repeatedly voiced opposition to the territory plan as it was written. She said, shortly after the commissioners’ vote Wednesday, their action validates what she and others have been saying about threats to the tax revenue in other localities.“None of us are against fire protection for Utica and a fire territory might be the right solution,” she said. “We've just been begging for Jeffersonville and the Utica fire board to slow down and take a look back at that budget.”Stoner said he also hopes all the officials pushing for a solution are still ready to have that conversation. He added that the residents of Utica and Clark County need to hold the commissioners accountable for EMS service. The county currently contracts with Heartland Ambulance Service to cover all the municipalities. They previously contracted with New Chapel EMS, which Noel operated.After Wednesday’s meeting, Stoner said commissioners hadn’t acted consistently.“If the commissioners would have put this much energy into conducting proper oversight…when Jamey Noel was stealing millions from taxpayers, maybe we wouldn't be in this position,” Stoner said. “It's kind of crazy that we're trying to put public safety first and trying to ensure that our residents are protected, and now they are stopping this process at the 11th hour.”Jamey Noel pleaded guilty last August to 27 felonies including theft and tax evasion. He’s now serving time in prison.Glover said the Utica fire board is autonomous — making their own decisions. But they’re also appointed and removed by the commissioners.“And when something like this comes to our attention, we have to take action,” he said. “...You start talking layoffs, and you start talking about hiring freezes and things like that, we had no other choice but to take action.”The Jeffersonville City Council is scheduled to meet at 4 p.m. Thursday at City Hall.Coverage of Southern Indiana is funded, in part, by Samtec Inc., the Hazel & Walter T. Bales Foundation, and the Caesars Foundation of Floyd County. ...read more read less