Information from WYSH Radio
Earlier this week, the board of directors of the Claxton Volunteer Fire Department voted against having a paid membership program like their counterparts in Andersonville.
The Andersonville Volunteer Fire Department’s subscription plan has drawn widespread and withering criticism, but this week, Claxton voted against charging residents and businesses in their coverage area for their services.
Information from WYSH Radio
Last week, the Anderson County Commission voted to get the ball rolling on an audit of the Andersonville Volunteer Fire Department.
Earlier this year, the department announced it was switching to a subscription-based service due to a lack of funds so severe, officials said, that the AVFD might have to close without the subscription plan.
The county has a 40-year lease with the AVFD for the land where the new Belmont Fire Station is being built, and part of the lease agreement calls for the department to be audited each year. The matter was referred to the Commission’s audit and budget committees for consideration and further discussion.
Information from WYSH Radio
An overflow crowd of Andersonville residents unhappy about the Andersonville Volunteer Fire Department’s subscription plan jammed the hallways on the third floor of the Anderson County Courthouse on Monday to express their anger and frustration over the new fees scheduled to go into effect on Jan. 1.
The fire department says it needs an increase in revenue or it will have to close its doors. But many citizens call the subscription plan “extortion.â€
Earlier this year, the department’s board of directors voted to implement the plan after donations continued to lag far behind budgetary needs.
Terry Frank
Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank has asked the Andersonville Volunteer Fire Department to postpone its controversial proposal to switch to a subscription-based plan.
The AVFD currently relies on donations, but Fire Chief Jeff Bagwell has proposed switching to a membership-based department on Jan. 1. Residents would pay a tax-deductible fee of 0.08 cents per square foot. The fire department would still respond to all fires, but non-members would be billed for service, Bagwell said in an Oct. 22 letter and list of frequently asked questions.
The first hour of a response to a structure fire could cost $1,900, Bagwell said.
“Fires could result in several thousands of dollars,†he said.
The Anderson County Commission will have a public hearing on Monday, Dec. 10, to hear citizens’ concerns about the Andersonville Volunteer Fire Department’s proposal to start a subscription/membership service.
The public hearing will start at 7 p.m. in Room 312 of the Anderson County Courthouse at 100 N. Main St. in Clinton.
The Andersonville Volunteer Fire Department says it will switch to a subscription-based operation beginning Jan. 1 due to a lack of funds, according to WYSH Radio in Clinton.
Fire Chief Jeff Bagwell says that a financial analysis of the department showed that if it did not change its operating plan, it would have to close down within three years, the radio station said.
The AVFD serves about 9,000 residents in a 68-square-mile area that also includes almost 60 businesses, four schools, several marinas, and an industrial park, WYSH said.
Memberships will be voluntary, and the subscription cost will be based upon the size of the home or business at a rate of eight cents per square foot. Officials estimate that the annual subscriptions will range from $150 to $200 but will be tax-deductible.
Currently, a very small percentage of homes and an even smaller percentage of businesses contribute to the department, WYSH said. After March 1, 2013, the department will begin charging non-subscribers for responding to the scene of a fire or an emergency medical call.
WYSH said Bagwell is scheduled to be a guest on the radio station’s “Ask Your Neighbor†show in a couple of weeks, and they plan to discuss the issue with him.
Andersonville is an unincorporated community in northeast Anderson County.
This story brought to you through an agreement between Oak Ridge Today and WYSH. See more local news headlines on the WYSH website at http://www.wyshradio.com/local_news.html.
