LIBERTY — Summit Volunteer Fire Department officials are looking to take in some 30 Amite County residents in the department’s coverage area, potentially leading to lower insurance rates for homeowners.
However, Amite County supervisors scoffed at the proposal Monday, questioning the costs of the arrangement and citing problems with similar partnerships formed with other out-of-county units in the past.
Amite County Civil Defense Director Sam Walsh told supervisors he is working with Summit Fire Chief Stan McMorris to add some residents to the Summit fire department’s district.
About 30 residents within five road miles of the new Summit fire station on Highway 98 requested to be included in Summit’s district, dropping the homes from a Class 10 rating to a more favorable Class 8. The change could save homeowners as much as $300 on insurance premiums, Walsh said.
The additions would affect residents on Huckleberry Lane and parts of Womack, Chisholm and County Line roads.
The area is covered by Smithdale and Mars Hill fire departments, but Summit’s new station is closer.
“It would be a benefit to these customers,” Walsh said. “But it is going to be a bit of legwork and doing.”
Amite County would have to pay an unknown fee to Pike County for the services. Normally, the amount would be based on the difference in millage, but Amite County gives half a mill to fire protection services while Pike County gives 2 mills.
The unknown cost of that fee, which will be determined once county and fire department officials determine exactly who needs to be covered, drew some skepticism from supervisors.
“It’s saving (the residents) $300, but what if it costs us $5,000?” District 5 Supervisor Max Lawson asked.
“If it’s saving them $300 a year, why should we be spending money for it?” asked District 4 Supervisor Butch Graves, whose district includes the area. “If you get there, you get there, and if you can’t, you can’t. They’re benefiting from it. The county isn’t benefiting from it.”
Walsh said the fee would be based on how many homes are in the area and how far they are from the station.
“What they (Summit fire officials) need to know right now is to find out how many residents it will be to find out how much to charge,” he said.
McMorris said such fees are usually paid by tax millage increases, but he would rather charge the county an annual rate to make things less complicated.
“Normally, there has to be some type of payment to us for that, and we’re looking at a fee for service instead of increased millage,” McMorris said in an interview after the meeting.
Board president Jackie Whittington said he recalled a similar arrangement with other out-of-county fire departments that did not work out well.
“That was the biggest mess-up with Wilkinson County,” Whittington said. “My phone rang off the wall.”
He said the board plans to table the issue until Walsh retires in December and is replaced by Grant McCurley. Once in office, McCurley will look further into the matter.
“It’s a fairly straight, simple thing,” McMorris said, adding that the proposal also would require approval from Pike County supervisors. “If the two boards of supervisors agree, it’s a done deal as I understand it. Hopefully we can get that done.”
