By Eric Curl
May 24, 2024 – Chatham County officials plan to establish a county-run fire department this summer by transitioning fire services personnel, equipment and fire stations from the current nonprofit provider.
Details of the planned transition were included in the draft 2024-2025 fiscal-year budget, which was presented to the county commissioners at their meeting Friday for review purposes.
Effective July 1, the county fire department will be created with 152 employees and the transfer of all equipment from Chatham Emergency Services, according to spending plan. The total fire department budget is reportedly $18.5 million, which includes two new fire trucks.
The county sent fire fee invoices totaling $15.5 million for the current fiscal year to cover the costs of CES, according to a financial report presented to commissioners on May 10. To help cover the anticipated costs of the new county fire department, the proposed budget includes a transfer of property tax revenue from the unincorporated Special Service District (SSD) of $3.5 million in lieu of increasing the fire fee.
Commissioners were scheduled to consider a conveyance agreement with CES in which the county would pay the nonprofit almost $4.7 million over a five-year period for vehicles and equipment. However, that agreement was removed from Friday’s agenda before the meeting, as was an agreement to lease the service provider’s fire stations for $1 per year.
County Manager Michael Kaigler said on Friday that there were “still working some things out,” regarding the agreements and declined to comment further regarding the transition plan.
“When we get through with the details I will,” Kaigler said.
The pending transition comes after the county entered an agreement in December 2021 for CES to provide fire protection services within the unincorporated areas the nonprofit historically served for decades. The county later implemented a fire fee to fund the services as an alternative to the subscription CES had been having difficulty collecting from property owners.
Last August, the county commission approved a resolution authorizing staff to develop and implement a transition plan to move fire protection services from CES, based on concerns about its ability to fund fire service operations without substantial budget increases, according to county officials at the time, as previously reported.
CES CEO Chuck Kearns was not available for comment on Friday.
The county budget is expected to be adopted on June 28 following public hearings that month. The property tax rates for the general fund, which service the entire county, and the SSD are proposed to remain at the current rates.
Upcoming Budget Dates
June 13, 2024
– 9:30 a.m. – First Public Hearing on Millage Levy
– 10:00 a.m. – Board Budget Workshop
– 6:00 p.m. – Second Public Hearing on Millage Levy
June 14, 2024
– 9:30 a.m. – Public Hearing on FY2025 Proposed Budget
June 28, 2024
– 9:30 a.m. – Third Public Hearing on Millage Levy & Budget and Millage Levy Adoption
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It makes complete sense for the county to transition in fire services from CES. The county will then have the legal authority to tax for the services in the entire county and not allow those refusing to pay for fire service in the unincorporated areas to avoid having to pay their bill for fire protection. People will refuse to pay a “fee” which they don’t understand, but they have to pay their property taxes or risk losing their property and it is not fair to others to allow them to receive municipal services which they refuse to pay for on some misunderstood basis.