Keven Gilbert
The Americus Times-Recorder
PLAINS —
At a special called meeting Tuesday at the Plains Community Center, to approve an intergovernmental contract the Sumter County Board of Commissioners for fire and emergency services. The vote between the six Council members was split three-to-three; Mayor Boze Godwin voting to approve the contract, which broke the tie. Godwin said that in his 30 years as Mayor, it was one of the hardest decisions he has ever made.
In the hour preceding the vote, the Council heard from several residents who gave their opinion of the County’s proposed fees. Early on in the discussion, Mike Fennessey urged the Council to vote to approve the contract.
“The County has the deep resources and we will have that right downtown,” Fennessey said.
Unlike DeSoto and Andersonville, Sumter County has agreed put a manned station within the city limits of Plains that will have one full time firefighter and three inmate firefighters on duty 24 hours a day.
The views expressed by the public in attendance centralized on a debate between security and peace of mind vs. the apprehension of having to pay the per parcel/structure fee. One resident said that since talks of starting a County fire department began, she had been opposed to the idea of Plains joining in, but now she considers the partnership to be a good idea because of the peace of mind she will experience knowing that “fully qualified” firefighters will be in Plains.
Another citizen expressed her opposition to approving the contract, saying that “the Council is supposed to represent us and do what is in our best interest. We are in a recession and could lose our property if we cannot afford to pay the fee. I hope that you set aside your personal interests.”
Commissioner Rick Davis, who was on hand for Tuesday’s meetings addressed the issues of ISO ratings and the Board’s decision to charge a fee for fire services instead of a millage rate. Davis explained that under the millage plan for fire services, there were at least 240 parcels in the County that were not paying for the fire service they were receiving. Davis added that he favors a fee over a millage because the fire department is a service provided the County. In addressing the issue of ISO ratings, Davis contends that in the City of Plains, the ISO ratings should drop to a four or five.
“You can recoup some of the fee from insurance reduction,” Davis told the audience.
The contract that Plains is entering into with Sumter County contains the same fee structure as Andersonville and DeSoto. Before adjournment, Mayor Godwin told the council that his years of experience as a volunteer firefighter led him to his decision to put safety before financial concerns.
