Marion Township has contracted with the City of Marion Fire Department to provide fire services to the residents of Marion Township.
(Iowa Code §359.42 and §28E)
The Marion Fire Department takes pride and ownership in serving our community by protecting life and property through rapid response, community risk reduction, and emergency preparedness. Whether the emergency is fire, illness, trauma, hazardous material release or special rescue, the Marion Fire Department maintains a trained staff and equipped vehicles to meet this responsibility.
Emergency Medical and Related Services
The Marion Fire Department provides advanced (paramedic) emergency medical services to anybody in the City of Marion and Marion Township who dials "911" to request an ambulance or physical assistance. Each apparatus is staffed daily with a minimum of one paramedic and two EMTs.
Fire Suppression
The Marion Fire Department provides fire suppression services to protect the residents of the City of Marion and Marion Township and their property. Their professional firefighters serve from three fire stations with two engines and one tower ladder operating front-line. Marion Township has purchased and provided to the Marion Fire Department two Fire Engines and a brush truck for use in fire suppression.
Marion Township takes pride in maintaining Crabapple Cemetery, Martin Creek Cemetery, and Prairie Chapel Cemetery with care and respect, ensuring a peaceful and well-kept final resting place for loved ones.
Township Trustees serve as fence viewers, and have statutory authority to hear and decide all questions related to matters that are a part of a fence controversy.
(Iowa Code §359.17 & §359A.2A)
If the statutory process for resolving fence disputes is invoked, a four (4) step process is involved:
Step 1 - the complaining landowner must make a written request to the other landowner for the erection of a fence.
Step 2 - if Step 1 does not resolve the matter, the complaining landowner must make a formal request to the Township Trustees to resolve the dispute.
Step 3 - the Township Trustees must give five (5) days written notice to all adjoining landowners that are liable for the erection or maintenance of the partition fence concerning time and place of the hearing.
If both parties have agreed to submit the fence viewing to the Township Trustees, they may sign a waiver of notice.
Step 4 - the fence viewers meet and issue a written order that allocates responsibility for maintenance or erection of the partition fence.
The fence viewers are to divide responsibility for building and maintaining a partition fence equally between the parties regardless of which party gains primary benefit from the fence construction. As mentioned above, the decision of the fence viewers is binding. However, a landowner can appeal to the local district court by filing a notice of appeal within 20 days after the fence viewers render their decision, and by filing an appeal bond. Generally, the court sets the amount of the appeal bond at the Trustees' estimated cost of fence repair.
Absent an appeal, landowners must construct or maintain their assigned portion of fence as decided by the fence viewers. If a party fails to comply with the decision of the fence viewers within 30 days, the disaffected landowner can request that the fence viewers build or maintain the fence, and the Township Trustees may direct that the actions ordered be performed by a third party or parties, and send a written notice to the defaulting landowner concerning the costs and/or expenses that will be assessed. But, the party requesting the fence viewers to do so must pay a deposit to cover the fence building expense, which will be reimbursed upon collection from the defaulting landowner. When the fence work is completed, the landowner in default will have ten (10) days to make the required payments. If payment is not made, the Township Trustees will file a certification of costs to the County Treasurer, and the amount will be assessed as property taxes on the disputed property.