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Fire Fees will Go Up May 1st

Carthage will raise the fees it charges for fire response calls outside the city limits.

The city currently charges $450 per hour for the first hour and $400 for each additional hour.

The new fee will be a straight $600 per hour.

Mayor Jim Nightingale calls the increase “justifiable” and will help the city pay for upkeep on the fire department's vehicles.

He said, “The problem is they (trucks) set. They don't run them a lot and we have to keep them up.” He called that cost “unbelievable.”

The city will spend $58,000 to refurbish one truck.

The trucks also have to run their engines to power equipment. They can easily burn $300 worth of diesel fuel on a single call.

The new fees will take effect when the city's new fiscal year begins May 1st.