Grant: Council Has a Duty To "Examine All Viable Options" For Fire Services

Editor’s note: the following is a letter to the editor written by Canton City Council member Bill Grant in response to a letter penned by former Council member Pat Tanner.

Dear Ms. Tanner,

Thank you for your letter regarding fire services and the optional joint venture between the city and county on the northwest Canton Fire Station. Like you, I and the rest of the Fire Services Committee, are strong advocates for the Canton Fire Department and our fire fighters. Like you, I am also a strong advocate of spending the city taxpayers’ money wisely, ensuring the highest possible quality of services at the lowest possible cost.

To be clear, this particular matter has not come up before. This option has nothing to do with consolidation, and both the city and county has agreed that consolidation is off the table. We stated this in person at our joint meeting where the general terms of a memorandum of understanding were discussed proposing the city continues to build and maintain ownership of the station and the county relocates their operations from Station 9 to avoid building another fire station in the same general vicinity.

This option only applies to this one station and has no implications for our existing fire services or two current fire stations.

I think you will agree that our current Fire Department has been short staffed for far too long and this option, if approved by the Council, would still ensure the ability to hire up to nine new firemen that are budgeted for this year. Whether or not these firemen are located in the new station or serve to improve staffing and coverage in our existing two stations, this will only have positive ramifications for the quality of fire services we offer to our citizens.

And yes, I agree this matter should be put to rest, and that is why I called for an up or down vote on whether or not to proceed to negotiate with the county on an acceptable agreement for this joint venture or abandon the option all together.

Either way, we need to move forward, but in the interim, it is our job as (a) council to examine all viable options, and the Fire Services Committee voted unanimously, supported by other Council members, to discuss this possible option with the county in a civilized and respectful manner.

Personally, I am pleased to participate in a more open forum and productive dialog with the county. Working collaboratively and professionally with our colleagues and fellow citizens on the Commission should not be misconstrued as misplaced allegiance.

Ms. Tanner, rest assured I am working fearlessly in the best interest of the citizens of Canton – those who elected me, placed their trust in me and support my desire to approach these challenging issues without bias or preconceived solutions.

As always, I value, respect and appreciate your opinions on this and all other matters that impact the future of our great city, and I thank you for your passionate engagement.

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• Canton, Cherokee Leaders Continue To Negotiate Laurel Canyon Fire Station
• Hobgood: ‘Turf Protection’ Has No Place in Canton Fire Services Talks

Photo credit: Patch file