Update to an earlier report: This article includes new information about a story we previously covered. Read our earlier report.
Chatham County commissioners voted unanimously Monday, Nov. 2, to withdraw their request for the Georgia Supreme Court to reconsider its fire-fee ruling. District 7 Commissioner Dean Kicklighter said the move could save residents more than $1 million in interest while the county moves toward repaying about $30 million.
The court ruled that the former fire fee should have been treated as a tax and ordered repayment to current and former residents who paid it. Chatham County Attorney R. Jonathan Hart said interest on the judgment accrues daily. He estimated that a 30-day month adds about $225,000 in interest.
The commission’s vote is the county’s decision to drop its reconsideration request; it does not establish when or how residents will be paid. The county is waiting for the court’s order, and officials have not determined a repayment process.
Kicklighter said commissioners plan to give residents a detailed presentation about the decision and its implications at their next meeting. No date for that presentation was specified.
Yolonda Harris
News Now Georgia
