Bulloch County Commissioners will meet Tuesday with Statesboro City Council members and Statesboro Mayor Bill Hatcher to discuss fire protection services.
"The subject expected to come before the meeting is discussion and/or action related to the provision of fire protection services in Bulloch County and the City of Statesboro," said Bulloch County Clerk Marcia Collins in a statement released Thursday.
The meeting will be held in the jury assembly room at the Bulloch County Judicial Annex at 11 a.m.
Bulloch County Commissioners voted last December to end an agreement with the city to pay 25 percent of the city's fire budget in exchange for the city providing fire service to citizens living within a five-mile radius of the city limits.
The decision came after city officials requested the county to increase the amount paid to 43 percent. County leaders did not agree with the amount, and Bulloch County Manager Tom Couch said city leaders would not negotiate the terms. The impasse led to the county commissioners voting to end the 1985 agreement and form a county fire department.
Statesboro City Manager George Wood said in previous interviews the county's decision violated the terms of House Bill 489, which concerns relationships and shared responsibilities between governmental agencies.
Couch has said the original 1985 agreement includes an escape clause that allows either party to withdraw from the agreement.
County commission meets Tuesday
Before the meeting with Statesboro city officials, the Bulloch County Commission will hold a meeting at the Bulloch County Annex beginning at 8:30 a.m.
Commissioners are expected to approve bids for t-shirts and uniforms for the Statesboro-Bulloch County Parks and Recreation and to approve resolutions regarding qualifying fees and property conveyance.
Commissioners will also discuss and possibly take action regarding a bid for a tractor for the recreation department; purchase of equipment for Emergency 911; and changes to the February calendar and meeting dates for that month.