Columbus Township Trustee Office
1333 Washington Street • PO Box 1256 • Columbus, IN 47202
Phone 812-372-8249 • Fax 812-372-6705
About Us
Mission Statement:
The Office of the Columbus Township Trustee will operate in a courteous and professional manner. All persons dealing with this office will be treated respectfully and courteously by the Trustee and staff while following both the State Law and the Township Assistance Guidelines as adopted by the Township Board.
Office Hours:
Monday thru Friday
8:30 a.m. - 12:00 noon
1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Township Trustees
The position of Columbus Township Trustee is full time, serving a four year term.
Indiana law requires that the Township Trustee provide essential services to the residents of the Township. Because of its "grassroots" structure, the Township Trustee system is designed specifically to quickly meet the needs of the individual in an emergency.
Township Board -
Assisting the Trustee in managing this very localized form of government is an elected three-member Township Board that also serves a four year term. Among its duties are:
- Adoption of the annual budget
- Serving as a Board of Finance
- Approving township contracts
- Approving guidelines that direct Township Assistance
Township Assistance
Overseeing the poor and distributing Township Assistance is a primary duty in many townships. Trustee assistance is temporary, BY LAW.
The trustee is charged to care for the poor by the most economical means available and at the same time is charged to be sure that the necessary needs of an individual or family are met. The applicant must show that they are unable to provide those needs through personal effort and that they have exhausted all other means.
This office cooperates with Horizon House for service to the homeless and transients, and with the Bartholomew County Medical Assistance Program to provide non-narcotic medicines to needy Columbus Township residents. These collective efforts assist in keeping costs controlled while delivering needed services. The advantage the Trustee's system has over other forms of welfare is the freedom to discern whether or not an individual has and is willing to put forth that person effort to help themselves.
(Title 12 of IN Code)
Burials
Burial Assistance is available from the Township Trustee when no other means of payment are available. The trustee, according to IC Title 12, is to oversee the burial of the indigent.
Assessing
In townships with a population under 10,000, the trustee is also the township assessor and is responsible for assessing the real and personal property within their township. Personal property is assessed yearly and consists of mobile homes and tangible personal property of an individual, business, or farm. Real property is assessed during a reassessment period with new buildings being added yearly.
Due to its population, Columbus Township is served by a duly elected Columbus Township Assessor.
Financials
Each August, the trustee prepares and submits a budget for the incoming year to the three-member Township Board for approval. As the Chief Financial Officer of the township, the trustee pays and records all claims for township expenses and salaries and is responsible to keep accurate records and follow all the financial guidelines set out in Indiana Code.
In January of each year, the trustee presents to the Township Board an annual report which shows all receipts, expenditures, investments, and debts. The approved report is then published in local papers for public inspection.
The Board Member elected as the President of the Township Board of Finance monthly, checks and signs of on the township financials to ensure that no improper expenditures are being made.
Fire Protection and Emergency Services
Township Trustees are, by Indiana law, charged with the responsibility of providing fire protection and emergency service for the areas of the township not incorporated into a city or town. Columbus Township contracts annually with the East Columbus Independent Volunteer Fire Department to provide these services. (IC 36-8).
Cemetery Maintenance
According to IC Code 23-14 the trustee is to provide care and maintenance for abandoned cemeteries located in Columbus Township.
Fence Disputes
When a dispute arises between two land owners regarding placement and maintenance of line fences, the township trustee is to make a determination according to Indiana law 32-10-9. (As of July 2003, one of the properties must be of agricultural use.)
Livestock Claims
If livestock is killed or damaged by unknown dog(s), the owner of the livestock may file a report with the trustee who investigates the claim. If valid, the trustee reimburses the owner for the loss from the dog fund which receives its monies from the dog tags sold each year by the Trustee and Assessor within the township.
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