During a budget hearing Friday, the county commission agreed to decline a request from fire Chief Chuck Nichols to add about nine firefighters to the Keith Station, which serves a rural stretch in the northeast part of the county. Right now, the Keith Station is staffed with volunteers who don't respond to emergencies as quickly as full-time employees do.
The commissioners didn't want to fund the change because Nichols will retire at the end of the year. That means they need to bring in a new chief who might have a different vision for the department than Nichols does, and that vision might not include boosting the Keith Station staff.
Instead, the commissioners decided to add about $200,000 to the county's general fund. Most of that money is set aside for the new chief to play with, once he or she creates a plan for the fire department — like, say, adding more full-time employees.
"Depending on who it is, if it's an in-house chief or an out-of-house chief, it's going to take a while to figure out the operations and all," Commissioner Jeff Long said. "Put it in our [fund]. If we need it next year, we've got it."
Commission Chairman Keith Greene agreed: "We ought to budget some money to rethink some things and give the new chief some leeway."
Nichols' original proposal would have increased the fire department's budget $500,000.
The commission's tweak will save residents some money, though they still are facing a property tax increase of about 10.6 percent. In addition to the money set aside for the new fire chief, the county is adding $500,000 to create a state court and $300,000 as a "cost of living" increase for employees.
The current version of the budget sits at about $25.6 million — a $1.1 million increase from last year's. The commissioners are still considering changes, though. They are waiting to hear whether Magistrate Judge Raymond Wells is going to retire. If he is, the commissioners may not replace his position in the budget because Catoosa County has three other magistrates.
The commissioners also are debating whether to continue funding the Northwest Georgia Joint Development Authority, which recruits businesses into the area. The county gives $98,000 per year to the authority, Greene said, and he doesn't think it has helped them land any businesses. The authority has asked for $114,000 from Catoosa County this year.
The commissioners will meet again to discuss the budget Aug. 29 at 4 p.m. Then, on Aug. 31 at 6 p.m., they will vote on whether to approve the property tax increase.
Concerning the fire department, Nichols told the commissioners that fully manning the Keith Station would provide better safety for the residents in that area. Catoosa County has seven fire stations: three run by volunteers and four by full-time employees.
The "career stations" always have firefighters on duty waiting for emergencies. On average, they respond to the scene in seven minutes and 54 seconds.
The volunteer stations aren't always manned. When they hear emergencies, volunteers have to report to the station, grab equipment and drive to the scene. On average, they get there in 13 minutes and 16 seconds.
Of the three volunteer stations, only the Keith Station is built with enough space and amenities to house employees at all times. Under Nichols' proposal, the county would have staffed the station with nine firefighters — divided into three, eight-hour shifts.
"Ultimately," Nichols said, "it boils down to response times."
County Manager Jim Walker asked the commissioners to set aside about $20,000 for recruiting Nichols' replacement. Some of that money would go toward bringing in recruits and a panel of experts who would advise the county commissioners on the best candidates.
If the commissioners hire a chief from out of town, Walker said, they will also need to provide money for moving expenses. Walker also wants to increase the chief's annual salary from $72,000 to $80,000, based on how much money other chiefs in the region make.
"Our current fire chief is not paid commensurate with his peers," Walker said.
Contact staff writer Tyler Jett at 423-757-6476 or tjett@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @LetsJett.
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