Last week: Should Canton and Cherokee County combine fire departments?
Last week the AJC reported on a smoldering issue in Cherokee County — should the county and the city of Canton institute a merger of city/county fire operations? Last year, county leaders pushed a proposal for consolidation which would include two new fire stations in Canton, but the idea ran into city council criticism.
Most recently, Mayor Gene Hobgood has proposed the county staff a new city fire station to be built in the Laurel Canton area of northwest Canton. Under the plan, county firefighters would move from a nearby dilapidated station which needs replacing. The city would save operational costs and the county wouldn’t have to build new facilities.
Doubters, including City Manager Glen Cummins, claim the savings would be neglible, because Canton would wind up with the same number of firefighters under the plan. He also says the city/county blend would present logistical and scheduling problems.
The mayor estimates annual savings of $750,000, the city manager figures closer to $100,000.
Here are some of the reader responses from ajc.com, Facebook and email:
Anytime a city gives up control of a basic service like fire and emergency services, the citizens are at the mercy of some distant entity. The Canton Fire Department does a very good job and the city is well run. The mayor’s real goal is to eliminate the city and merge it completely into the county. He needs to retire from his post and allow other, more visionary leaders to work with the citizens of Canton.
-Pistol 66
So, the city would only save $100,000? That is only a few pennies in the eyes of a politician, folks.
-Scam watcher
As residents of Soleil Laurel Canton, we have been anxiously awaiting the building of the new fire station that has been talked about for several years. Now we’re hearing conflicting information on who will run and staff the station. We are under the impression that since Canton is paying for the facility they would run it. The bottom line is that we are delighted to have the station in our “back yard.”
-Dale and Jim Waltz
Mark Woolsey for the AJC
DeKalb County residents may not have enough fingers – and toes for that matter – to count all the problems plaguing the state’s fourth largest county. And while the population continues to grow, according to the most recent Census data it has risen from 707,401 in 2012 to 713,340 in 2013, the harmony appears to be diminishing.
Some of the most recent issues making headlines include:
- The criminal proceedings against suspended CEO Burrell Ellis ended in a mistrial after the jury proved too divided to reach a verdict. To date, District Attorney Robert James has not said yet whether he will retry Ellis.
- Commissioner Elaine Boyer pleaded guilty in federal court to criminal charges that arose after The AJC reported on irregularities in her use of county money.
- County police over-reported crime stats that helped secure more than $2.3 million in federal grant funds. An audit reviewed three grants from Community Oriented Policing Services totaling more than $4.5 million received by the county between July 2009 and September 2013. The money was to hire entry-level police officers and support efforts to reduce child endangerment, but the audit could not account for $783,186.
Some have argued that it’s time to go back to the drawing board and the best way to fix these messes is from the head down. Has DeKalb’s CEO form of government proven the wrong fit?
We want to hear from you, metro Atlanta. Is it time for DeKalb County to abandon its current leadership structure? Or do the problems have nothing to do with that?
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