Now that talks are back on about possibly merging the Demorest and Habersham County fire services, Now Habersham reached out to county manager Phil Sutton and emergency services director Chad Black for an update.
Black deferred to Sutton. The answers that follow are his.
NH: What is the current status of talks regarding a possible fire department merger?
Sutton: We have been asked by the Demorest City Council to prepare a report regarding how the City Fire Department could be merged with the Habersham Emergency Services Department. We are working on the requested report. We are attempting to gather information to present a report for consideration by the County Commission and subsequently to provide to the Demorest City Council.
NH: What would be the point/purpose of such a merger?
Sutton: Reduce expenses for Demorest, I presume.
NH: What are the potential benefits to county residents of a Demorest/County Fire Dept. merger?
Sutton: We will answer these questions when we prepare our report, which we will be working on over the next several weeks.
NH: What are the potential benefits to Demorest residents of a Demorest/County Fire Dept. merger?
Sutton: We will answer these questions when we prepare our report, which we will be working on over the next several weeks.
NH: Have you spoken recently with city officials in Demorest regarding this and, if so, which city officials have you spoken with?
Sutton: I received an email from the city manager requesting that we present a proposal to the City at one of their meetings in February.
NH: Have either of you spoken with officials in other municipalities within Habersham about possibly merging with their fire departments?
Sutton: Not recently.
NH: Has the county scheduled a time to publicly discuss its proposal with the Demorest council and residents?
Sutton: No. We must first prepare a report and discuss it with the County Commission.
NH: Are the terms of the proposal the same as they were last year?
Sutton: Last year we did not have terms or a proposal, only high level discussion points about some potential facts and issues which need to be considered before serious discussion could begin.
NH: Is it the county’s intent and/or desire to consolidate fire services throughout the county so that all operations are run by Habersham?
Sutton: This question presumes this is a county initiative which it is not. We were approached by Demorest. We did not approach them. No, we [do not] intend to consolidate other fire services unless a city wishes to initiate such a discussion.
NH: Is there anything you’d like to add?
Sutton: Not at this time.
Below are documents provided to Now Habersham by Habersham County regarding previous discussions. Terms and conditions may have changed.
Demorest Fire Service Tax District
