Habersham County staff will explore the possibility of consolidation of city fire services with Habersham County through a meeting with city representatives.
No action will take place during the staff-level meeting this month.
A study will be conducted by an independent consultant, with opportunities for input and feedback throughout the process.
The County said in a release explorations of consolidation aim to create faster response times, lower ISO rates, and decrease the tax burden on city and county residents by reducing the duplication of services that occurs in some areas covered by both city and county response.
“We want to look at how we’re delivering fire services through the county, and study potential savings to taxpayers in the county and its cities that provide fire protection either by a staffed department or a contract with another city,” Habersham County Emergency Services Director and Chief Jeff Adams said.
The potential consolidation could also eliminate situations in which county units must drive through the city in order to serve isolated pockets of county homes and properties.
“We anticipate that the results of the study will provide valuable insights into how consolidation could be structured to serve the best interests of both the city/cities and the county,” said Habersham County Commission Chairman Ty Akins.
County Manager Alicia Vaughn explained the meeting will not be a quorum of any elected body, and the meeting will be limited to staff, management, and no more than two representatives from any government council or commission.
“Looking at service delivery is one of the most important responsibilities we have as a local government,” Vaughn said. “The cost of equipment is going up constantly and delivery time for new apparatus is significant, meaning if a department has a truck go down, it must rely on its neighbors to fill the gap until a new purchase can be funded and produced.”
The municipalities of Baldwin, Clarkesville, Cornelia, and Demorest currently provide fire services with paid personnel, while the Town of Tallulah Falls has a volunteer department.
Alto contracts with Baldwin for fire protection, while Mt. Airy contracts with Cornelia.
While no city is required to participate in the meeting or study, Vaughn highlighted that the more cities that do participate, the more comprehensive the results may be.
“We want to stress that before any decisions are made, the media will have the pertinent information,” Akins said. “Any actions will take place in meetings open to the public, but we have to get the information to determine whether this is a path worth pursuing.”
