The last time Peachtree City and Fayette County went head-to-head over the issue of tax equity, a court-appointed mediator was assigned to settle the matter.
The city eventually dropped out of that lawsuit, which was filed in 2000 but dragged on for more than two years after The Citizen challenged a judges decision to close the proceedings to the media.
Four years later, neither the city nor county appears willing to compromise in the latest standoff, this time over funding of emergency medical services.
Both sides agree they probably have no option but to head back to court.
The City Council will discuss the matter tomorrow night.
Last Thursday, a majority of the County Commission rejected the citys latest request to establish a special EMS tax district, which would exempt city property owners from paying county EMS tax.
The city long ago established its own EMS, while Fayette County EMS serves the entire area outside Peachtree City, including Fayetteville and Tyrone. The county and city have a mutual aid agreement to answer a call when backup is requested, but Peachtree City EMTs do not automatically respond to emergencies, even if just outside the city limits.
Mayor Steve Brown says the city shouldnt have to pay for something it doesnt use, calling the arrangement double taxation.
Brown estimates the city pays about $256,000 to the county for EMS each year, and gets nothing in return.
County Commission Chairman Greg Dunn agrees something should be done.
Nobody up here wants the people of Peachtree City to be double-taxed, but I dont think this is the way to go about rectifying that, Dunn said, pointing out that the county and city budget for EMS differently. That makes it hard to draw straight comparisons on costs and services, he said.
A consolidation of the two departments is the only answer, Dunn suggested, resolving the tax equity concern and providing better service for everyone in the long run.
A private consultant hired by the city last year came to the same conclusion, but the City Council shelved the $17,000 report without acting on it, claiming it was full of errors and failed to grasp the complexities of the planned community.
Now, they refuse to consider a merger at all.
Peachtree City loses in every option proposed except creating a tax district, said Brown. Not one commissioner disagrees that the city is being unfairly taxed for services we dont receive.
But Thursday, commissioners were outraged when the county legal staff came down on the side of Peachtree City and recommended moving forward on setting up the tax district.
Reading from a prepared statement, Peter Pfeifer, the only commissioner who lives in Peachtree City, said he doubted the accuracy of the citys facts on the matter.
We have the opinions of the Peachtree City Council, Pfeifer said. I do not like something as important as Emergency Medical Services and my taxes to be determined by their opinions.
Herb Frady, a former Peachtree City mayor, said he didnt understand the citys motivation. When the city got its first ambulance in the early 1970s, it serviced the entire western half of the county with no turf battles, he said.
We all got along a lot better at one time, but we havent acted that way too much lately, Frady lamented.
Causing more division was a concern of A.G. VanLandingham as well, who said he feared the EMS tax district will open the door for other special tax districts, for recreation, libraries and the like.
Like it or not, were all part of Fayette County, he said.
The sharpest words of the night, however, came from Linda Wells, who offered that Peachtree City may be the crown jewel of Georgia, but that Fayette County is, in fact, the crown.
Peachtree City couldnt exist in another county, and it wouldnt exist without Fayette County, she declared.
Directing her comments at Brown seated on the front row, she added, You might as well take your marbles and go home, or go ahead and secede from the county.
If we get sued, we get sued, Wells said. Im not going to support this.
Dunn tried to steer the debate back toward a more harmonious tone.
Fayette County is not a very big place, and weve got a lot of duplication of services, the chairman said. Weve got a sheriffs department, three police departments and three fire departments. At some point, were going to have to look at consolidating some of these things.
Frady said he would support a merger of the fire and EMS departments countywide, but Brown indicated later that wasnt going to happen.
The bottom line, Brown said, is that the county and city already have a special tax district arrangement for fire coverage.
If they have a problem with the EMS district, why are they doing a fire district? Brown asked. It doesnt make any sense, its just illogical.