NEWS
Edgewood adopts ordinance, town to continue receiving fire, EMS services from Santa Fe County
Residents relieved services will continue for foreseeable future, ending impasse
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More than 6,100 Edgewood residents won鈥檛 have to worry about whether they will receive help if a fire or medical emergency occurs, for a while.
On Tuesday evening, the Town Commission voted 5-0 during a special meeting inside the town hall chambers to adopt an ordinance pledging gross receipts tax revenues to pay for the town鈥檚 portion of the joint powers agreement with the Santa Fe County Fire Department for fire and emergency medical services.
Dozens of meeting attendees applauded the decision.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 the best news I鈥檝e heard today,鈥� Edgewood Mayor Mike Rariden. 鈥淚n fact, in quite sometime.鈥�
In late April, the town and county reached an agreement in principle to preserve the original payment structure that caused commissioners to rethink their 20-year partnership.
As part of the new agreement, Edgewood will pay monthly $10,000 payments for technical support, donations of surplus fire materials and machinery and capital for continued operations for 18陆 years, totaling $2.27 million.
The new agreement came after the town and fire department announced in early April they were ending their prior joint powers agreement, stemming from a legal dispute over payments.
That deal was to set expire after June 30.
Gregory R.C. Hasman is a general assignment reporter and the Road Warrior. He can be reached at ghasman@abqjournal.com or 505-823-3820.
