Officials broke ground in October for the Statesboro Fire Department's Station 3, which is under construction. The city is considering a “fire fee” that would help fund fire department operations, not the construction, which is sales-tax funded. (Courtesy City of Statesboro) City staff members and a consultant brought City Council a framework last week for a fee to residents, businesses and nonprofits to fund the Statesboro Fire Department at its current staffing and expected growth and partly offset what would otherwise be a nearly 4-mill projected cost in property taxes. One year ago, the council had approved a $60,000 contract with the engineering and planning consultant firm Goodwyn Mills Cawood, or GMC, to conduct a feasibility study for implementing a fire service fee. It would be billed to all or almost all city service customers within Statesboro, including tax-exempt properties. That same week, in late January 2025, negotiations broke down between city and county officials for renewal of a longstanding intergovernmental agreement under which the Statesboro Fire Department provided service to areas of Bulloch County outside the city limits within five miles of the SFD’
