Fulton and city locked in dispute over fire service overtime invoice

Sandy Springs and Fulton County are locked in a dispute over how much Sandy Springs should pay for the service of county firefighters who served the new city under contract during its first year.

Fulton contends Sandy Springs owes $2.2 million for overtime that the city refuses to pay. It may end up in legal action.

Sandy Springs reportedly has time records of firefighters who worked under the contract, which the city maintains supports its claims. The city is open to the idea of having an audit done to settle the score.

Fulton Fire Chief Larry Few said the county was forced to pay huge amounts of overtime not originally accounted for in its deal with Sandy Springs. This happened because firefighters left the county department when it became apparent Fulton’s four new cities would take over emergency services and county jobs would go away.

When Sandy Springs became incorporated, state lawmakers required Fulton to provide transitional services under contract. Those relationships have now been severed.

Fulton commissioners have asked county staff to try again to resolve the dispute during the next couple of weeks.

City names Hospitality and Tourism as marketer

Sandy Springs Hospitality and Tourism has been named as the official Destination Marketing Organization (DMO) for the city of Sandy Springs.

The designation was made official at the May 6 Sandy Springs City Council meeting. As the city’s official DMO, Sandy Springs Hospitality and Tourism is charged with increasing tourism to the city and improving its public image as a destination location for tourists.

During the same meeting, Mayor Eva Galambos presented a proclamation recognizing the week of May 10-18 as National Tourism Week and thanked Kym Hughes for her leadership with Sandy Springs Hospitality and Tourism. Hughes is the executive director of the organization.

“The travel industry contributes substantially to the City of Sandy Springs’ cultural and social well being,” Mayor Galambos said. “Every citizen benefits from travel and tourism.”

For more information about Sandy Springs Hospitality and Tourism, visit www.visitsandysprings.org.