Chatham County drops appeal of fire fee ruling, clearing way for refunds

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - Chatham County property owners could eventually see some money back after the Georgia Supreme Court ruled the county’s unincorporated fire fee unconstitutional.

The county charged the fee to unincorporated residents to fund fire and emergency services between 2022 and 2024.

Official reacts to ruling

Sen. Ben Watson, District 1, said the county is required to return the money.

“They’re required to give the money back, right? I mean, that was theft by taking, so to speak. It was inappropriate from the get-go. You would want to get your money back and then to do it appropriately.”

County drops appeal

County commissioners initially planned to appeal the decision but have decided to drop the appeal.

Commissioner Brian Hussey said dropping the appeal allows the county to avoid hundreds of thousands of dollars in monthly interest. He said it also clears the way to refund roughly $35 million to residents.

“If you go through the appeal process, then the state is going to start charging an interest of the unpaid amount, and that interest could mount up to $200, $225,000 a month. So we decided to withdraw our appeal and move forward with refunding the money that the state has asked us to do.”

Refund details unclear

Hussey said that while the money must be returned, the exact formula and how much goes toward attorney fees remain unknown. He said it is also unclear how much residents will get back or when they will get it.

“No time soon. No time soon. This is a process, it’s going to take a while. I would think that people look out a year’s, you know, timeframe, maybe a little longer.”

Hussey said the county commission plans to release an official statement next week on the next steps for residents.