County Commissioner Richard Briggs has been working to site a Rural Metro Fire Hall in the Choto Road area. Today, the Knox County Commission will consider a PILOT, not a travel convenience store but a Payment In Lieu of Taxes for a fire hall behind the Weigel’s at South Northshore and Choto Road.

The rationale is that homeowners insurance is too high because a fire hall is too far away. Rural Metro is a for profit company that sell a yearly insurance policy that provides fire protection. If you do not have the Rural Metro insurance then the cost of putting out your home fire is much greater expense. The question is why should Knox County be deciding between one homeowner insurance type (ie. State Farm, Grange, etc) or Rural Metro? Why are Knox County tax dollars being used to assist Rural Metro and punishing all other homeowner insurance?

The argument that the nearest fire hall to the Choto Road area is at Kingston Pike and Campbell Station Road is flawed. There is a fire hall at Bluegrass Road and Northshore and another on Northshore Drive just a few more miles east of the Bluegrass station. Both of these stations can get to Choto without having to avoid the narrow underpass at Choto and Martel.

Is this PILOT just a use of our tax dollars to assist a private for profit company in Rural Metro while punishing other homeowner insurance companies?