FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — A dispute over the cost of fire services at Fulton County’s Charlie Brown Airport could leave the county looking for another emergency response option before its own fire department is ready.
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Fulton County currently pays the City of South Fulton about $450,000 a year to provide fire services at the airport.
But South Fulton now wants about $1.7 million, a significant increase that has caught county leaders off guard.
“It’s just shocking,” Fulton County Commission Chairman Robb Pitts said.
South Fulton City Council members voted unanimously to end the fire services agreement at the end of the year after receiving a recommendation from the city manager.
In a statement, the city manager said the county had not agreed to fully fund the services and that South Fulton needs to ensure its resources are not overextended or diverted from the residents it serves.
Pitts said the county had agreed to pay more but South Fulton wanted additional funding.
“They needed more money, we had agreed to pay more money. They wanted more still,” Pitts said.
Charlie Brown Airport is home to prominent companies including Home Depot, Coca-Cola and Norfolk Southern.
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Fulton County recently spent $2.4 million to build a new fire station at the airport. The county’s own fire department is expected to come on line in about six months.
Until then, the county is looking for temporary coverage.
Fulton County is in talks with the City of Atlanta, which has a fire station about two miles from the airport, as well as neighboring Cobb County.
However, Pitts said the county’s preferred option is to reach another agreement with South Fulton.
“Maybe as a courtesy they will allow us to, well, we would extend the contract for another four or five months,” Pitts said.
South Fulton says the airport has become busier and requires more services.
The airport administrator says the facility now handles about 239 flights a day.
Fulton County says the airport handled 164 flights a day in 2018 — 75 fewer flights per day than it handles now.
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