Committee approves sending revised rescue-squad and fire-service advisory commission ordinances to council, proposes reconstitution and $100 pay

Oconee County’s Law Enforcement, Public Safety, Health and Welfare Committee voted to forward revised ordinances for the Rescue Squad Advisory Commission and the Fire Service Advisory Commission to county counsel and the full County Council, with provisions to reconstitute membership upon passage and to include a $100-per-year stipend.

Mr. Myers, the committee member who brought the drafts forward, said the goal is for advisory commissions to report to this committee rather than directly to the full council. He asked the committee to allow commissions to be reconstituted following passage so members who previously declined to serve because they felt the commissions lacked leverage might participate. "I'd like a provision... that the advisory commission are allowed to be constituted upon the passes of this commission of these ordinances," Myers said.

Committee discussion covered membership selection, pay and meeting frequency. Members agreed to retain the current method by which rescue-squad districts select representatives rather than switching to council-district appointments. The draft reduced a prior requirement for more frequent in-person visits to each department and changed it to require commissioners to have contact with chiefs or departments at least once every six months, rather than quarterly; staff said they would reword the provision to avoid mandating physical visits to every department.

On compensation, members noted various existing pay schedules for other boards and commissions. The draft carries a $100 annual stipend for the advisory commissions, consistent with several other county boards; committee members discussed benchmarking pay across boards and recommended any broader pay changes be considered county-wide.

Action: a committee member moved to send the revised advisory-commission ordinances, with the discussed edits, to county counsel and to the full County Council; the motion carried. The committee directed staff to refine language about contact/visits and to confirm statutory or benchmarking implications before final council action.

Why it matters: Advisory commissions represent rescue squads and fire services across county districts; changes to structure, pay and reconstitution could affect participation and the commissions’ relationship to council oversight.

Details captured: the committee retained election/appointment methods currently used by rescue-squad districts, proposed reconstitution of membership upon passage, set a $100-per-year stipend in the draft, and reduced the frequency of required department visits to once every six months (to be clarified in draft language).