Cherokee County Approves Canton Fire Consolidation

CANTON, GA -- The merger between two fire departments in Cherokee County is now official.

County commissioners approved a 50-year agreement with the city of Canton to merge its fire department with Cherokee County Fire and Emergency Services.

Canton leaders approved the deal at its Sept. 2 meeting while the board signed off on the plan at its Tuesday, Sept. 20 meeting.

County Manager Jerry Cooper said Cherokee Fire Chief Tim Prather will soon begin appointing members of a transition team to kick off the merger.

"We are in the process of drafting the retirement MOU (memorandum of understanding) and should have completed in the next few weeks," he added.

• See also: Canton Approves Fire Consolidation With Cherokee

The agreement stipulates:

• Canton will compensate the county by each May the equivalent to the current millage rate, provided that such rate shall not exceed the rate charged unincorporated property;
• Canton will continue to collect fire impact fees and transfer that revenue to the county;
• Canton will retain ownership of the downtown fire station and lease a portion of the station to the county;
• Canton will transfer ownership of the vacant land located in The Bluffs to Cherokee for a future fire station;
• Canton will transfer ownership of the South Canton fire station to the county;
• Canton will pay the county $1.25 million towards the design and construction of the Laurel Canyon/Great Sky area fire station, which the county will construct;
• Canton will transfer ownership of fire equipment/apparatus to the county;
• Cherokee will transfer ownership of the former Jones Building to the city; and
• Cherokee will transfer ownership of roughly 45.12 acres of land located on Old Doss Lane to Canton for a future park. The deed will have a reversion clause if the city discontinues using the entire tract of land for a park;

The agreement outlines that Cherokee County will begin providing services to the city of Canton. Other parts of the agreement include the city of Canton maintaining authority and control over fire marshal services provided by its fire marshal and fire inspector and Cherokee County ensuring an ambulance squad is assigned and deployed from the future S.R. 140 and Laurel Canyon/Greaty Sky fire stations.

The Canton Fire Department was established in 1916, making it the oldest in the county. According to the city of Woodstock's website, the first recorded volunteer fire department in that city was founded in 1947.

Cherokee County's first career firefighters were hired in 1973 for the Oak Grove Fire Department's tax district along Bells Ferry Road, Prather said.

"There have been several department name changes since that date, but...the Oak Grove Fire Department was the first career department and was still supported by volunteers," the chief added.

The Little River community followed with approving a referendum to establish the county's second fire tax district in that area. The rest of unincorporated Cherokee County approved the third and final referendum establishing a fire tax district in the late 1990's, Prather added.

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Image via Cherokee County Fire and Emergency Services