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Cheatham County approves multi-year Ashland City fire contract and increases county fire funding
Summary
The county approved a three-year contract with the Ashland City Fire Department, established annual primary payments (about $184,144 for 2022-23) plus a supplemental payment for Pleasant View coverage, and authorized a $200,000 annual distribution to rural fire departments; commissioners also raised the annual increase in other fire contracts to 3.5%.
Cheatham County commissioners voted June 27 to approve a multi-year contract with the Ashland City Fire Department (ACFD) to provide fire protection, emergency medical first response and rescue services to the Ashland City Rural Fire District and to accept supplemental arrangements for adjacent rural coverage.
The contract sets annual primary service fees listed in the contract exhibit: $184,144.17 for July 1, 2022—630 and then scheduled increases (3.5% annual). It also includes a supplemental payment from Pleasant View district funds (listed at $40,331.42 for 2022-23) to supplement responses in the Pleasant View Rural Fire District. Separately, the commission directed an annual $200,000 county distribution to the County Fire Chief for allocation among rural departments and the county fire association; Exhibit A in the contract specifies proposed allocations (for example, $27,500 to Ashland City, $27,500 to Pleasant View share, $30,000 to the Fire Association and smaller shares to other districts).
The motion to approve the new Ashland City contract passed by roll-call vote (recorded as 10 yes, 0 no, 2 absent). Commissioners also approved an amendment to other county fire contracts to increase their annual escalators to 3.5% (Resolution 10), a measure the board said keeps contract inflation tied to rising costs.
Why it matters: the contract clarifies first-responder responsibilities across rural parcels, updates the countypayments to reflect cost increases, and funds a county-managed distribution intended to support smaller volunteer and rural departments. Under terms recorded in the minutes, Ashland City will respond as first responder to specified life-threatening calls on portions of the Cumberland River and to calls inside a mapped rural response area.
Contract details recorded in the minutes (Exhibit A): - Primary service fee (ACFD) for 7/1/2022—6/30/2023: $184,144.17; subsequent year figures scheduled with 3.5% increases. - Supplemental Pleasant View fee for 2022-23: $40,331.42. - Annual county distribution to fire departments (total $200,000) to be administered by the County Fire Chief; example allocations listed in the contract exhibit.
County Mayor Kerry McCarver and other officials said the changes are intended to ensure reliable rural coverage and to help volunteer and municipal fire departments address rising operating costs.
What comes next: The county will disburse the contract payments according to the schedule in Exhibit A and the County Fire Chief will distribute the $200,000 annual fund as directed by the contract. The contract term runs July 1, 2022 through June 30, 2025, and the contract includes standard audit and reporting requirements for the city fire department.
