Tupelo Fire Service Doubled

Tupelo, Miss. (WCBI) -Newly annexed residents of Tupelo will get double the fire protection but pay double for it as well.

At issue are the county fire protection districts.

State law says, even when an area is annexed from county to city, the fire protection districts still have a right to serve those areas and collect taxes and fees from the property owners.

That’s exactly what Lee County volunteer firemen plan on doing until a deal is worked out to cede control of the district to the city.

Meanwhile 911 dispatchers are sending both Tupelo firemen and the county departments to each call in the affected areas until a compromise is reached.