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Fire protection, Officials agree on extension Melodie Phelps News Editor City and county officials seemed to be on a friendlier ground Monday, following some tense moments at a special called meeting of Wayne County Fiscal Court on Friday afternoon. Fire protection will continue for county residents in spite of the fact that a new contract has not been agreed on yet. Magistrates met Friday to discuss the new proposed contract with the City of Monticello for fire protection. The current contract expires next week. Mayor Thurston Frye, Fire Chief Steve Ferrell and several current and newly-elected members of City Council were at the session. The central issue during the meeting was the amount of money the county would pay the city for continued fire protection for the next four years. Currently, county government pays $88,000 annually for fire protection. The new contract approved last week by City Council would see that increase $16,000 a year to $104,000. After discussing the contract for more than an hour Friday afternoon, the meeting ended abruptly when Frye said that the contract would expire December 31 and there would be no extension until a new agreement was worked out. At that point, County Judge-Executive Bruce Ramsey called for a motion to adjourn and fiscal court members left the meeting room. Monday, Frye and Ramsey issued a joint statement which noted that there would be no interruption of fire protection to county residents while a new agreement between the city and county can be worked out. ³We are both confident that a new agreement will be worked out that will provide the best fire protection available,² stated a news release issued from Frye and Ramsey. ³We will continue under the old agreement until a new one is completed.² Magistrates questioned how the figure of $104,000 was determined as compensation for the new contract. Frye referred to the last six budget years for the fire department, noting the increases that have occurred during that time period. District Four Magistrate Wade Upchurch questioned if the Susie Fire Department, the first rural fire department established in Wayne County, was given any consideration during this contract period. City officials indicated that was not factored in. ³Theyıre a fire department and theyıre trained,² said Upchurch. Ferrell noted that his department automatically provides mutual aid for the Susie Fire Department, since they need two water sources to battle a structure fire. The rural department currently has one water source and the city department provides the second water source. The discussion then turned toward developing a formula which equitably divides costs between the city and county for any inflation in the fire department budget. Add a comment |
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