Haywood County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to send a request for the redistricting of the Lake Logan/Cecil Fire Service District to the General Assembly for action.

Lake Logan is requesting that the area south of U.S. 276 that is presently in the Center Pigeon Fire and Rescue District be included in their fire district.

Ted Carr petitioned the board for the action on behalf of the Lake Logan VFD. Carr presented a petition which he said represented 73 percent of the landowners in the area. Carr said that out of 270 people contacted only 10 opposed the proposition.

Bob Brannon of the Save Lake Logan Committee also supported the revision. Brannon said that with the new Episcopal Church camp and conference center planned for Lake Logan, he felt the Lake Logan VFD would have to take on greater responsibilities and that expanding the district would allow them to expand their resources.

Lake Logan lost a considerable amount of its annual fire tax revenue when the Lake Logan land previously owned by Champion and Blue Ridge Paper was purchased by the church, the Boy Scouts, and state and the U.S. Forest Service. The land that once contributed to the rural fire department’s tax base is now owned by groups who don’t pay property taxes.

Jim Morris of the Center Pigeon board of directors said that he didn’t want to see Lake Logan VFD lose any funds. However, he encouraged commissioners to also examine the extent of the services offered by Center Pigeon. He noted that while Center Pigeon offers fire, rescue and first responder services, Lake Logan offers only fire and first responder.

Morris said there is no animosity toward the Lake Logan VFD. He said the facts would speak for themselves when the issue went before the legislature. Morris said redistricting would be a “lose-lose” situation for citizens presently served by Center Pigeon.

County attorney Chip Killian said that it is debatable whether the General Assembly would choose to realign the districts. He said that it would be more likely if the board showed strong support, but he noted that Center Pigeon’s rejection of the proposal could weigh heavily.

Center Pigeon and Lake Logan were created under two different state laws. Under the law that Center Pigeon was chartered under in 1956, two-thirds of the property owners must approve any redistricting and both fire department boards must approve the redistricting. The laws under which Lake Logan was created states that expansion may occur only if 100 percent of affected property owners agree to the switch.

A letter from Center Pigeon VFD to the county says that the “removal of any district in the present Center Pigeon Fire and Rescue Protection District into the Lake Logan/Cecil Service District ... would haunt us in the years to come.”

Commissioner Bill Noland said that it was an issue that needed to be resolved and made a motion to send it to the legislature. The board unanimously approved.

 

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