Obion County Tennessee residents within 5 miles of South Fulton have a new subscription based fire service that helps ensure fire fighters respond to all fires. The change comes after the city faced scrutiny for not fighting fires at homes where the owner failed to pay the fee. City commissioners voted three to two Thursday night to approve the ordinance. The new service still requires an annual $75.00 subscription and a response fee but those who fail to pay the annual fee will receive a $3,500.00 penalty if the fire department responds to a fire. City Commissioner Jeff Vowell voted for the ordinance.
“We felt like it still maintained the integrity of the system," said Vowell. "It is still punitive enough to non paying subscribers and yet it allows the city fire department to operate in a such a manner that doesn’t bring down scrutiny on the town.”
The city will also seek legal action against those non-paying subscribers if they fail to repay the response fee. Mayor David Crocker and Commissioner Charles Moody voted no on the ordinance, but declined to comment further. The ordinance takes effect immediately.
