Haralson County Chairman Allen Poole says that he believes the county and city of Bremen are “not that far apart” when it comes to negotiating terms of a service delivery agreement; the issue, he says—is that, “Whether Bremen believes it is using county services or not… as a municipality, the services are available and it is their choice whether to use them or not.”
 
“I can assure you, the services that the county provides are open to any municipality in Haralson County,” Poole said Wednesday. “Now, if you do not partake of them… that’s a different point-of-view. But, it is the city’s discretion whether to utilize them or not.”
 
Bremen city officials had been seeking tax breaks from the county claiming that it has been paying for county services that the city provides for residents.
 
“They have chosen to provide a higher level of services than the county. These additional services are provided by city taxes,” Poole contends. “If we provide a Chevrolet… and you want a Cadillac… you have to pay the difference.”
 
Poole says that the county commission has to do what is best financially for the county as a whole and not specific groups living in specific municipalities.
 
“I think we have to address whether or not we have the same view on how we arrive at the cost of each service,” Poole says. “But at the end of the day, I think this gives us the opportunity to work together and let us all come up with a solution that would benefit all of the citizens.”
 
After meeting with Haralson County Tuesday, Bremen’s City Manager, Perry Hicks sounded unimpressed with service delivery negotiations; and stated “Without resolution of these issues, I fear that legal remedy will be sought.”