By Randall Higgins
Cleveland Bureau
CLEVELAND, Tenn. -- Bradley County will pay a bit less than $1.75 million to Cleveland this year for fire protection in the five-mile fringe around the city limits, a fact-finding committee calculated Wednesday.
An ad hoc committee of three county commissioners and three City Council members held its second session. The committee is gathering facts for both bodies as they approach a decision on future fire protection.
The county pays the city for fire protection in the fringe area. The contract ends in 2009 and requires a year's notice of either body does not wish to renew.
The county payment is pegged to the national consumer price index, City Manager Janice Casteel said. The 2008 fee will be set after the new CPI is made public sometime after Dec. 31, she said. Since the five-year contract began in 2005, the county cost has increased about $100,000, she said.
Committee Chairman Richard Banks said the panel seeks numbers it can post on the city Web site as well as give to the government bodies.
The committee figured the combined city and county fire and rescue cost is about $11.7 million.
"Could we compare that to other communities of a similar size?" Mr. Banks asked.
"We could, but we might be comparing apples and oranges," said County Commissioner Ed Elkins, pointing out that local services are supported by a tax base that may be different elsewhere.
"I would guess about 90 percent of all counties in Tennessee have all-volunteer fire departments," City Councilman George Poe said.
There are a number of variables, County Fire Chief Dewey Woody and City Fire Chief Chuck Atchley told the group.
Last spring, the city began bringing vehicle rescue equipment to all reported traffic accidents with injuries. Chief Woody said the county's next equipment purchase will have extrication and fire service combined, "the same as the city."
Other services, such as arson investigations by the city, also could affect contract talks, Mr. Poe said. He guessed most arson cases occur in the fringe area.
The committee will meet again in January.
E-mail Randall Higgins at rhiggins@timesfreepress.com
Population served by fire departments
* Inside city: 38,627
* County fringe: 28,364
* County rural: 26,547
* Total: 93,538
Source: Ad hoc fire committee
