MADISON TOWNSHIP — The Madison/Harrison Township merger meeting previously scheduled for March 27 has been canceled, at least for now.

Madison Township Advisory Board Chairman Angela Turley said Friday afternoon, the state had asked that all public meeting be canceled due to the CV-19 virus.

The Madison Township board was supposed to meet with the Harrison Township Fire Board to vote on creating a fire territory between the two townships.

A meeting held March 12 of the two boards with residents of Madison Township did not go well, as many residents voiced their opposition to the merger.

On Friday, March 13, late in the afternoon, Madison Township Trustee Scott McDonough announced the meeting was canceled and a decision on creating the territory would not be made until next year.

According to Turley, the board will have to wait until their next meeting, whenever that will take place, to discuss the next steps. She was in favor of creating a focus group to do more research on the matter.

Madison Township board member Larry Ellis said he understood the ban on meetings, given the current health crisis, but he had heard the state attorney had advised their attorney the time requirement set by law had not been met going back to the March 12 meeting.

State law says the meeting must be advertised 10 days ahead of time. Several members of the audience alleged the meeting had been advertised nine days in advance, not the 10 required by law.

Ellis said he wanted the board to formally vote to end the matter, which was not done. By tabling the matter, it could be brought up at a later date without being advertised, he said.

Ellis said he had done some research into the establishment of a fire territory. He could not find any benefits for Madison Township residents. He said he had concerns at the lack of assets the Harrison Township Volunteer Fire Department would bring to the proposed fire territory.

~ By Keith Rhoades | Reporter | Published March 20, 2020 in The Reporter Times