Alpharetta and Johns Creek are considering an agreement that spells out what both cities would do in the event of a hazardous waste spill.
Alpharetta’s City Council meets tonight and is expected to discuss the issue. Under the agreement, both cities would pool resources for manpower drawn from their individual fire departments. Alpharetta will oversee planning, equipment and training for both cities, creating a larger pool of responders for each city.
The memorandum of understanding drew attention in July when Johns Creek officials accused Alpharetta’s mayor of using the document for leverage to expand his city’s police jurisdiction into a Johns Creek park.
Johns Creek Mayor Mike Bodker and City Council member Beverly Miller said Alpharetta Mayor David Belle Isle told them his city would not sign the agreement unless Alpharetta police can patrol Ocee Park in west Johns Creek. The park, acquired when Johns Creek incorporated in 2006, is surrounded by a residential area of Alpharetta and was the subject of a feud between the two cities last year.
Belle Isle neither denied or admitted to having the conversations, but he said there are sometimes misunderstandings when two cities discuss shared services.
James Drinkard, Alpharetta assistant city administrator, said the memorandum has nothing to do with whether or not the city would respond to hazardous material spills in Johns Creek.
“It doesn’t affect whether we’d go or not,” Drinkard said. “We’d have gone before.”
Alpharetta has received more than $283,000 in grants since 2004 to pay for HazMat equipment, well over half of that through federal and state emergency management agencies. The grants obligate it to respond to calls for assistance issued by the Georgia Emergency Management Agency.
Today’s City Council meeting begins at 7:30 p.m. at City Hall.
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