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Cheatham County approves multi-year fire-service contracts, limits solicitation language for Pleasant View VFD
Summary
The county legislative body approved multi-year contracts with Ashland City, Pegram, Kingston Springs, Pleasant View and Harpeth Ridge to provide fire, emergency first-responder and rescue services, including staffing reimbursements and an amended clause restricting solicitation wording for Pleasant View Volunteer Fire Department.
Cheatham County's Legislative Body voted May 19, 2025 to approve a set of multi-year fire-service contracts with municipal and volunteer departments that take effect July 1, 2025.
The measures, approved by roll call vote 11–0 with one member absent, rescinded prior April 21 approvals and replaced them with updated contracts that set annual service fees, staffing reimbursements and distribution formulas. The County will also make an annual $200,000 distribution administered by the County Fire Chief, allocated in the contracts as $55,000 to Ashland City, $27,500 to Kingston Springs, $27,500 to Pegram, $55,000 to Pleasant View and $35,000 to the county Fire Association.
The contracts and Exhibits set specific service-fee schedules (first-year amounts shown): Kingston Springs — $231,781.36; Pegram — $269,416.71; Ashland City — $247,677.79; Pleasant View — $544,875.71; Harpeth Ridge — $3,322.29. Several agreements include separate staffing-reimbursement exhibits that specify maximum quarterly or annual reimbursements for two firefighters (or in Pleasant View's case, four firefighter positions distributed across two stations) to reduce rural response times. Those staffing reimbursements are subject to annual appropriation by the Cheatham County Legislative Body and to reporting requirements in the contracts.
The Pleasant View Volunteer Fire Department contract was amended in the county motion to add a revised Section 12 that restricts solicitation language. The revised language states that the PVVFD “will not charge or solicit any subscription or fire service fee, excluding fees billed to insurance companies for services actually rendered,” and requires that any solicitation for donations to residents clearly read that donations are voluntary and that response to emergencies is not affected by donating. The contract requires PVVFD to provide the County Fire Chief a copy of any solicitation at least two weeks prior to distribution and authorizes the county to issue public communications clarifying the voluntary nature of donations.
Commissioner B.J. Hudspeth moved approval of the contracts as amended; Commissioner Diana Lovell seconded. The roll call tally recorded 11 Yes, 0 No, 1 Absent. Contracts include terms through June 30, 2029, payment schedules (50% payable by Jan. 15 and 50% by March 15 each year), penalties for late payments, audit requirements, insurance and indemnity language, and requirements to participate in NIMS and to submit Tennessee Fire Incident Reporting System (TFIRS) reports.
County Mayor Kerry McCarver and County Attorney Michael Bligh were listed in the meeting record as participants in contract-related remarks; Bligh said he would work on contract paperwork and invited questions. The contracts are on file with the county; implementation will proceed according to the payment and reporting schedules contained in each agreement.
