Cusseta-Chattahoochee signs one-year fire-tower agreement with Georgia Forestry Commission

The Unified Government of Cusseta-Chattahoochee County approved a resolution on June 4, 2024 authorizing a one-year Fire Tower Agreement with the Georgia Forestry Commission.

Under the agreement, effective July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2025, the county will pay the Georgia Forestry Commission up to $4,738.58 per contract period in consideration for Forestry providing fire-tower personnel and detection services in Cusseta-Chattahoochee County. The contract specifies Forestry will select and employ temporary fire-tower operator(s) assigned to the county unit and that, where those staff are unavailable, other full-time employees may be used. The hourly rate for full-time employees will not differ from the fire-tower operator rate, and either party may terminate the agreement with 30 days' written notice.

The commission adopted a resolution authorizing the chairman to execute the agreement. The action was presented in a motion and recorded in the minutes; the agreement text and resolution are part of the official file.

Why it matters: The agreement formalizes county-level funding for wildfire detection and adds a defined, capped payment in the county budget for the service, improving local coordination with the state Forestry Commission.

Next steps: Forestry will submit documentation of the assistance to the county as required by the agreement; county staff will process payments and monitor coverage during the contract year.

(Reporting based on the June 4, 2024 minutes and the Fire Tower Agreement text included in the meeting packet.)