Knox Fiscal Court discusses fire subscription fees

After tempers were rekindled over the fire subscription fee at last month’s Fiscal Court meeting, District 5 Magistrate Giulio Cima is ready to take action.

“They’ll be an amendment to the ordinance to determine what the effects are,” said Cima in reference to fire departments that either turn their report in late or do not submit one to the Fiscal Court at all.

As part of the ordinance, each fire department is to prepare a report each year for the Knox County Fiscal Court’s review. Each “shall provide a detailed Fire Department audited accounting report,” showing “all deposits made, including the source of each deposit,” reads the ordinance. These reports were due July 31. As of press time, only West Knox and Richland Fire Departments have turned in their reports to the Fiscal Court. Currently, there are no known reprimands for fire departments that do not submit the annual report.

When asked what the Fiscal Court will do concerning the fire departments that have not submitted their reports, Judge-Executive J.M. Hall said, “That will be something that me and the county attorney discuss…the Fiscal Court will have to just sit down. Right now, if you look at a copy of our fire fee, it doesn’t specify what happens if they don’t turn them in.”

Hall further elaborated that a couple fire departments have said their reports are done, they just haven’t made it to the courthouse to turn them in.

“We’re going to give them a call, get this in and look at what the possibilities are. In order to change it, it would have to be an ordinance amendment. I’ll talk to the Fiscal Court members and see what they want to do,” continued Hall, who said he hopes to accomplish all of this within the next month.