Fort Oglethorpe has rejected Catoosa County’s fire service delivery strategy.
“We can’t agree to this. The county isn’t going to deal with Post Volunteer or City Manager Ron Goulart,” Councilman Harold Silcox said.
The unanimous vote was no surprise.
“The content of this proposed agreement is what we were told by the county several months ago,” Mr. Silcox said Monday night. The proposal is for the city to provide fire department services within its limits with Catoosa Fire and Rescue providing service to the remainder of the county.
Fort Oglethorpe has been in partnership with Post Volunteer Fire and Rescue, which has two fire stations outside the city limits. Both departments answer calls in the larger area of western Catoosa County, and have been under contract with the county to cover those unincorporated residential areas.
Three months ago, county commissioners voted to end payments to Post and Fort Oglethorpe on May 15, and said the three needed to work out an agreement.
No agreement been reached, but the county may buy more time.
During a special called meeting Tuesday evening, county commissioners voted 5-0 to approve a proposal to continue paying Post Volunteer the $18,000 monthly payments for another two months.
The payment would keep Post Volunteer covering areas outside Fort Oglethorpe’s city limits using manpower from Post’s Fire Station No. 8 on Old Mill Road and Fire Station No. 10 on Mack Smith Road.
“We need Post’s help on the west end of the county,” Commissioner Ken Marks said after the vote. “We have said we would not rush things, and are hopeful that something can be worked out in the extra 60 days.”
Post Volunteer’s board must approve the county’s offer, and it must do so before the Thursday funding cutoff deadline announced by the county early this year.
A recent major development in the months of debate over a fire service merger proposal was the hiring last week of Catoosa Fire Chief Chuck Nichols, the county’s first full-time fire chief.
“The appointment of the new county-wide fire chief seems to have been well-accepted,” Mr. Marks said Tuesday.
The county vote came after about one hour of executive session attended by commissioners and Chief Nichols, County Attorney Skip Patty, County Manager Mike Helton and Finance Officer Carl Henson.
Fort Oglethorpe has not figured out yet how it will replace the nearly $15,000 monthly that the county will end Thursday, or whether the city will have to get by without Post Volunteer’s assistance.
Mayor Ronnie Cobb said the county’s unilateral action may be questioned in terms state law designed to avoid duplication of service.
“We can assure our citizens we won’t be without fire service in the city,” he said. “If that requires the mayor and council to join firefighters on runs, so be it.”
City Manager Ron Goulart told the City Council on Monday the county had been negotiating intensely with the Post Volunteer board of directors.
“I recommend you reject the proposed fire service delivery agreement,” Mr. Goulart said.
Councilman Steve Brandon, a Post Volunteer firefighter, said because of the county’s actions, the Insurance Services Office Class 3 rating that Post Volunteer brings to the unincorporated areas it covers will eventually change.
“Businesses in those areas will get drilled big time with higher insurance premiums,” he said.
