Westfield Washington Township Trustee Jamie Goetz Mills has only been in the township’s lead role since the start of 2024.
But at the helm, she is working to educate the community on just what they can expect out of their township government.
In Indiana, one of the main roles for townships is to provide assistance — something that was previously known as poor relief, a term Goetz Mills would prefer not to use.
“If you are in a time of crisis, and you do need immediate assistance, we’re here to help,” she said. “That is our core. We are here to help the community. We want to help people get through that immediate crisis, but we’re also going to be alongside you because we want to be able to prevent that from happening in the future.”
By state law, township assistance includes items such as housing and utility aid for low-income families, plus funding assistance for food and health care needs.
In addition, Westfield Washington Township also offers programming, such as youth education enrichment, fitness, hobbies and training for youth and adults and language classes. The township also provides maintenance for a handful of cemeteries and operates MacGregor Park and its 3.6 miles of trails on Ind. 38.
The township engaged in a strategic planning process in 2023 to help shape the direction of the township offices and offerings over the next several years.
“We’re a connector. We’re connected with the city. We partner with them a lot. We have a lot of nonprofit partners who we connect to,” said Chelsea McCarty, marketing manager for Westfield Washington Township. “A big part of the township that people don’t know is that connection piece, that we put our hand in a lot of different pots to strengthen partnerships and engagements.”
Goetz Mills also said the township has been working closely with the city as Westfield continues to grow.
Westfield Mayor Scott Willis has been clear that his administration is focused on growing Westfield, which could include expanding the city’s borders to encompass the entirety of the township’s borders.
Should that happen, the city would take over some of the township’s responsibilities to the residents, but there would still be work for the township to do.
“It is about the growth that we need as a city, and that really is from a tax base as well,” Goetz Mills said. “So, if you look at what is incorporated in the city, there needs to be some well thought out responsible annexation within the township as well as within the townships that touch us so that we can grow responsibility. How do we bring more business in, because we have to flip our tax base (from majority residential to majority commercial/industrial). That will probably not happen within (Willis’) tenure as a mayor. But I do think there will be some annexations.”
Goetz Mills added that the kind of expansion that would stretch Westfield’s borders would likely be a long process but said Willis and the Westfield City Council are working toward thoughtful, strategic growth, which includes significant collaboration between the city and the township.
Township offices will be relocated to the new Westfield Washington Library building in June.
Westfield Washington Township residents can find information or register for programming at westfieldwashingtontwp.us.
