In the event of an emergency, you and your neighbor might be getting help from different services.By PAUL WEBER It was a low-profile agreement hammered out by Columbia's city manager and two fire chiefs nearly 15 years ago. At the time, most residents didn’t know about it. City firefighters learned about it from news reports after it was already a legal contract. Signed and dated Nov. 22, 1994, the city’s territorial agreement allowed the Boone County Fire Protection District to retain its tax base by giving it responsibility for areas annexed by the city since 1994. The agreement was also intended to keep annexation moving in an orderly fashion and prevent duplication of fire and emergency services. Now, the city is backing away from the territorial agreement. City Manager Bill Watkins, among others, said the city can no longer afford it. Watkins has also said he no longer wants the Fire Protection District alone to respond to calls in the territorial agreement area. Watkins and Fourth Ward City Councilman Jerry Wade have heard concerns from residents in some city neighborhoods where emergency coverage is shared by the fire district and the Columbia Fire Department. Residents of two neighborhoods have told the city that because they pay city taxes, they want city fire service. They raise the issues of fire district response times and availability of medical equipment. Now, there seems to be a sense of urgency to settle the matter. If the contract isn't renegotiated by the end of January, Wade points out, there may be no pact, meaning the city will tell the county it will stop participating in the current agreement. |
MIKE PITTMAN /Missourian
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