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Cheatham County volunteer fire chief warns new contract cuts donations, says department would start year in the red
Summary
PJ Duncan, a volunteer who said he has served about 34 years with his department and recently has been paid as the fire chief, told the Cheatham County Commission on May 12 that proposed contract language would remove his department's ability to solicit donations and immediately cut roughly $50,000 from its annual revenue.
PJ Duncan, a volunteer who said he has served about 34 years with his department and recently has been paid as the fire chief, told the Cheatham County Commission on May 12 that proposed contract language would remove his department's ability to solicit donations and immediately cut roughly $50,000 from its annual revenue.
Duncan said the department has long used donations that explicitly note the donor's taxes support emergency response and that losing the solicitation option would push the department 'in the red day 1.' "If we sign this contract, we're gonna be in the red day 1," Duncan said. He told commissioners his board of directors was likely to refuse the contract if the solicitation language remained.
Why it matters: Duncan told the commission the cut would compound existing operating shortfalls: the department ran about $30,000 short in 2024 and faces an estimated $120,000 shortfall next year if the department had to cover capital replacement costs (fire stations, trucks, SCBA gear). He said those replacement costs, if required in the budget, would add approximately $592,000 annually.
County discussion and next steps: Commissioners and other officials discussed the distribution of fire-tax funds, reserve accounts for fire services, and the implications of removing solicitation language from contracts for rural fire districts. County officials noted the county had previously voted not to allow solicitation in a recent revision but that commissioners could revisit or place a different proposal on the agenda. At the end of the discussion the commission agreed to put the matter back on the next county agenda for further action and to allow the parties to negotiate; no formal contract approval was recorded in the transcript.
Context and constraints: Duncan said the department raises grant money and donations to cover equipment purchases and that volunteer staffing levels and geography increase costs compared with jurisdictions that operate primarily from municipal departments. He also said some rescue/response costs are billed to insurers but that insurance reimbursements do not cover all expenses.
Quotations from the record are limited to speakers who appeared in the workshop. Duncan described the department's finances and contract concerns in detail; he said the proposed change would remove the "option for us which takes another $50,000 right off the top." Commissioners discussed scheduling additional negotiation and whether the county should reallocate funds in the short term; no formal vote adopting a new contract was recorded in the transcript.
What the record does not show: The transcript did not record a completed vote on any revised fire contract, the full text of the proposed contract, the name of the counterparty who drafted the disputed solicitation language, or a final fiscal calculation adopted by the commission. Specific motions (mover/second) and vote tallies on any county action about the solicitation language were not provided in the transcript.
Looking ahead: Commissioners directed staff to place the solicitation/contract item on an upcoming agenda for further consideration and possible action, and several commissioners said they expected the county to continue negotiations before signing any contract.
