Habersham County officials are reviewing their options for providing emergency services to the south end of the county now that Baldwin is terminating its automatic aid agreement.
The Baldwin City Council unanimously voted on May 14 to terminate the agreement that took effect on April 7, 2003. The agreement covers fire and first responder calls in the unincorporated areas of Habersham County south of Level Grove Road to the Hall County line.
Baldwin will continue to provide mutual aid in emergency situations when the county requests it.
In a statement issued Thursday, Commission Chair Victor Anderson says, “The Habersham County Board of Commissioners, County Manager, EMS Director and Fire Chief are evaluating options to provide seamless coverage and protection for the citizens and businesses effected by Baldwin’s decision.”
The agreement requires a 90-day notice of intent to terminate.
Increased call volume and costs
An increase in call volume and costs associated with first response calls prompted the council to bow out of the long-standing agreement.
“When the 2003 agreement went into effect, the call volume was much less for all areas affected by this agreement,” says Baldwin City Administrator Jerry Neace.
In 2017, Neace says about 11% of the total calls that Baldwin responded to were in the unincorporated areas of the county. “In 2003, that may have been 10 or 11 calls for the whole year. In 2017, it was nearly 100 calls.” Most were medical calls, not fire-related.
Responding to those calls costs the City of Baldwin over $50,000 per year, according to Mayor Pro Tem Jeff Parrish. He says that figure is based on the city’s latest estimate.
“With continued increasing cost and liabilities the city can no longer afford to offer ‘free’ service to people who do not live in Baldwin,” he says.
Parrish points out that the city must pay the county for services it provides, including animal control and 911 fees.
“The City of Alto, and Banks County both pay Baldwin for fire protection services since they do not have a fire department in the areas we cover for them,” he says. “I’m not sure why Habersham County expects Baldwin citizens to continue to pay for unincorporated citizens in Habersham County to receive fire service.”
End date and options
The current automatic aid agreement will end on August 12, 2018. Neace stresses the change will not affect mutual aid which is mandated by state law [O.C.G.A. 36-69-3, the Georgia Mutual Aid Act].
“When there is a need for mutual aid and called upon, the City (of Baldwin) will bring the resources available to assist any department,” he stresses. He says the city council is open to discussing the issue with county officials and they are “hopeful to reach an amicable and fair resolution prior to August 12th.”
Anderson says Habersham County officials are now evaluating their options.
“Baldwin presents a significant challenge to developing a fair and equitable service plan with their unusual city boundary and location,” says Anderson. (Approximately 25% of Baldwin lies within Banks County).
Anderson says he presented a possible solution “with the intent to begin discussions that could lead to a mutually agreeable service plan” but it went nowhere. “I was informed that the Council and City Administrator unanimously agreed that they were not interested in discussing that option and would prefer to just terminate the agreement,” says Anderson. He adds, “With this response from Baldwin and the limited time, we are evaluating all options including, but not limited to, some form of agreement with Baldwin.”
Anderson says county leaders “understand and appreciate” Baldwin’s budgetary constraints and have already committed to changes that can “significantly decrease the number of calls they receive.”
County Emergency Services Director Chad Black and Fire Chief Jeff Cain are expected to present options for county commissioners to consider during the board’s work session on May 21.
