A sales contract for a new fire station in Bulloch County was met with concerns over rushed decision-making and cost Tuesday night ahead of a split vote to purchase the five acre property.
On Tuesday’s county commission agenda was a real estate sales contract with Keith and Patricia Copeland for 5.07 acres on 2600 Highway 301 South for a purchase price of $1,750,000, but the total project cost is estimated by county staff to clear $2.6 million to provide fire coverage to approximately 140 new structures.
Up for consideration by commissioners was a proposal to move Fire Station 13 to the proposed property south of Interstate 16, which includes:
- a 9600 square foot building
- 8 roll out bays
- 8-inch thick concrete flooring throughout the building (made for heavy equipment)
- 5 acres of land
The end goal would be to establish the new station location, house a Bulloch County Fire Training Facility, Logistics (warehouse), and be the future site for a staffed fire and EMS station. This, county staff said, would move Bulloch County closer to the long term plan of 23 fire stations.
Ahead of the discussion by commissioners, Chairman David Bennett offered a PowerPoint presentation on the county’s position in considering the property.
Highlights from Bennett’s presentation:
“If we are not providing public safety that is effective, our local government is failing.”
Bulloch County’s population has grown by 1,000 people every year for the last two decades and the Georgia Department of Community Affairs expects the population to increase by 1,000 people per year for the next twenty years.
Many areas of the county do not have any fire protection. The system is a system of have and have nots.
- Moving Fire Station #13 south on Highway 301 avoids duplication of services (between #13 and Register) while capturing properties that currently do not have fire protection.
- Affords more training space, which allows the county to maximize points toward the overall ISO
- Allows for future development into 24/7 manned fire/EMS stations, improving response times in the southwest part of the county
- Allows county to use assets at the current Fire Station #13 to open another fire station in the southeast part of the county where there is currently no fire protection
- The ISO Fire Suppression Rating Schedule recommends at least 2 acres for training (to maximize points for ISO)
- Bennett’s presentation said the current Station 13 covers 583 homes and 409 mobile homes (of which half of the mobile homes are covered by the Register station, which overlaps the current station only 3.8 miles away)
- The new station would cover 227 homes, 197 mobile homes, 4 gas stations, 1 motel, 1,584,742 sq/ft of Industrial Buildings
Funding
- The item was not budgeted in the FY 2026
- Businesses in the industrial park are paying fire taxes, despite receiving tax abatements
- County financial advisors recommended a 10-year lease-purchase option through ACCG at 4% or less, according to County Manager Chris Eldridge
- The debt service would be able to be funded with SPLOST
Questions & Comments from Commissioners
“It would have been nice to get this before the meeting tonight,” Commissioner Newkirk said of the proposal details, stating he had no idea the county was considering borrowing more money.
He said the slideshow also implied that the industrial park was not already covered by Station #13, but it is. He asked how many new residents are being picked up by the change in location, which staff said amounted to roughly 96 stick built homes and 45 mobile homes.
Newkirk asked how much the financing will cost over 10 years. County CFO Kristi King said the county planned to borrow $2 million and with financing costs, the project would come to $2.6 million. County Manager Chris Eldridge said the bays need to be insulated and heated and it leaves room for other improvements, which is why more than $1.75 million is needed.
Newkirk brought up the 50 acres the county purchased in Portal last year as a potential location for the training facility, mentioning the property was sold as a multi-use option for various departments and needs. Fire Chief Ben Tapley said his concern is the close proximity to residential areas for training facilities.
“I feel like we’re being pressured into this, rushed into this,” Newkirk said. “And the numbers just don’t add up. And I know you want more and I understand that for your department…I think we need to chill out on this. I think we need to table this.I think we need to rethink this because this is all brand new material that I just got when everybody else got it and I don’t know how we’re supposed to make a, vote on this, of $2.6 million over 10 years with ten minutes worth of paperwork in front of us.”
Chairman Bennett said he wasn’t sure if the intent was to vote on the matter or not on Tuesday night, but it had to be presented to the public. “There were some options that were just not clear up until Monday,” he said.
Eldridge added he can’t tell a private property owner to ‘hold on’ for sixty or ninety days. “It was an opportunity the chief brought to us, it’s not just for fire. It’s for EMS, we’re looking at the future of Bulloch County and this is a way to look ahead and not just today.” He said the county moved quickly because things change quickly if they know government’s looking around.
Commissioner Ray Davis added that ‘if you snooze, you lose.’ when it comes to real estate. He said the county needs to prioritize lowering ISO ratings. He then asked county attorney Jeff Akins if commissioners could add conditions for another fire station in any motion on the financing for the new property. Akins said commissioners wouldn’t be voting on the actual financing Tuesday night. That, he said, would happen after a public hearing. Tuesday’s decision for commissioners was the sales contract with the property owners.
Akins then added that he had just ahead of the meeting provided commissioners with a revised sales contract that included a provision that the county will obtain an appraisal and if the appraisal is more than 10% below the purchase price, then the county would have the option to cancel the purchase without liability.
Akins said the property owner had already verbally accepted the contract, but it was not binding until commissioners voted to approve it and it was signed.
Ultimately, a motion was made to approve the contract, which passed 4-2 with Conner and Newkirk voting NO. Commissioners Davis, Mosley, Rushing, and Simmons voted YES.
