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Will Miller: Olive Township Trustee and Community Advocate
- Logan Foster
- Apr 21
- 4 min read
Will Miller: Olive Township's Republican Trustee and Community Advocate
Date: 04/18/25
Author: Logan Foster When you think about local government, it’s easy to fixate on City Councils, Mayors, and County Commissioners, leaving trustee's in the shadows of public awareness. But Township Trustee's, like Olive Township's Republican Trustee Will Miller are often the first line of assistance in a resident's time of need. Their work quietly holds communities together, playing a vital yet often underestimated role.
What Does a Township Trustee Do?
A Township Trustee oversees services and programs tailored to the needs of their specific community. At its most fundamental level, the Trustee's role spans three primary domains. These roles are managing fire and EMS services, providing emergency relief, and maintaining local cemeteries.
While these duties may appear straightforward, the challenges are anything but simple. Miller lays out the unique nature of emergency assistance under a Trustee's jurisdiction compared to larger state or federal programs. “Emergency assistance is different in the sense that there isn’t necessarily an income threshold,” Miller explains. “If someone comes into an emergency, such as a two-income household losing one breadwinner, we’re able to step in temporarily.” He recounts scenarios where families face unexpected medical bills, mechanical breakdowns, or sudden unemployment, underscoring the humanity central to a Trustee's role.
“I personally sit down with every applicant,” Miller shares. “We discuss their situation, and I provide tips like saving an emergency fund—even something as small as $500 to help bridge future gaps. A lot of people are unsure of how to make out a budget, so we help with that, too.”
A Unique Task Among Trustee's: Cemeteries
Another responsibility republican Trustee Will Miller highlights is managing cemeteries. Many township residents may not realize that maintaining these sacred grounds often falls under the Trustee's jurisdiction.
“There was a cemetery in our township (Olive Chapel Cemetery) that was privately run. The people running it aged out,” Miller says. “It’s hard to sell a cemetery. Not many people want just to go out and buy one.” When the cemetery’s private caretakers approached the township for help, Miller and his team stepped in. “We revamped the cemetery... we were able to put in paved roads... And then really fix it up, we have a lot of historical headstones that were really dilapidated, broken, toppled over. We were able to go in and get all of those repaired. We're going through the process of making sure the markings are all correct and putting all that information into a database."
A Voice For His Community
Beyond the official scope of his position, republican Trustee Will Miller has become a voice for his residents amidst the rapid development in Olive Township. He shared ongoing concerns about the Indiana Enterprise Center (IEC), an industrial development that’s raised tensions in Olive Township. “Many of us moved here for the country life and small-town feel,” Miller notes. “when the county wants to, you know, build up a section of our area, then we can get kind of defensive about that because that disrupts why we came to this area.”
One specific challenge has been balancing the needs of local taxpayers with the impact of industrial development projects, such as an Amazon data center being built in a Tax Increment Financing (TIF) district. This designation limits the tax revenue available for local use, forcing the township to work with the county on solutions to offset the strain.
For instance, the increased traffic caused by the development raises safety concerns, particularly for emergency services. “How are we going to provide firefighters and EMS personnel for the car accidents caused by increased traffic?” Miller questions. “because it's in a TIF district, we don't get those additional taxes... we need another fire station to be able to protect that area. It's not going to be an empty station. We also need fire trucks that cost a million dollars each. We can't afford to do this... [we are] working with the county to figure those things out.”
The tension between growth and maintaining the community’s character isn’t lost on Miller. “I understand the county's need for growth. We’re a part of that, and I’m not irrational about it,” he says. “We just want to see it done responsibly and respectfully.”
When Should You Call Your Trustee?
Miller stresses that a township trustee serves as the closest point of contact for residents during times of crisis. “Say your furnace goes out, and you don’t have the money to replace it. Or after a fire or flood, you’ve lost your home and have no family nearby to help. Give the Trustee a call,” he says. “We can bridge the gap until you secure other resources.”
Advice For Future Public Servants
Miller advises those considering public service to observe and learn before stepping into roles like his. “Attend public meetings. Learn the lingo. Find a mentor to ask questions,” he suggests. “There’s no ‘Trustee University’ to prepare you, but figuring things out one step at a time can make a huge difference.”
For more information on Olive Township and the Trustee's Office, visit their website.