Fort Oglethorpe City Council members and the Post Fire Department seemed finally to come to an understanding Wednesday about the future of fire protection in the city.
"We made more headway today than we have in six months," said Fort Oglethorpe Mayor Ronnie Cobb.
After about an hour of sometimes tense discussions, spokesmen for Post told the city they had drafted a proposal that would add one part-time worker to the city's staffing plan. They said if the city would agree to that, they would hand over all of their equipment and join the new department.
"The only difference in (the city's) proposal and the one you're going to see from the board is one person - that's it," Post member Larry Honeycutt told the council.
At the end of the meeting, the council decided to postpone a decision until Monday night so they could review the proposal in writing.
Both sides were encouraged.
"We hope to put this to bed," said Larry Jackson, a member of Post's board of directors.
Mr. Cobb said the new part -ime position, which would cost the city abut $12,000, would be a worthy concession to move talks along.
"We'll find that $12,000 if we have to bum it," the mayor said.
See Thursday's Times Free Press for complete coverage.