Canton Abruptly Cancels Fire District Public Hearings

The city of Canton abruptly canceled two scheduled public hearings to discuss a controversial fire district tax, and scheduled a press conference to discuss the matter at 10 a.m. today.

"It appears that the chosen method to create funding for the fire district may not be appropriate," city clerk Susan Stanton said in an email to local media outlets. "So the city and council have to regroup and rethink the matter."

After weeks of passionate pleas from seniors, heated exchanges from the council dais, and repeated jeers and interruptions from the crowd, the  voted Aug. 2 to the  of a  that critics fear will erase a decade of voter-approved senior tax exemptions.

When , he said he would seek an opinion from Attorney General Sam Olens on the legality of implementing the ordinance.

This morning, Hobgood will discuss the findings of that opinion, according to a separate, two-sentence statement from the city that was sent out early Tuesday evening.

The city did not release Olens' opinion on Tuesday. Asked for any correspondence that would explain the cancellation of the public hearings, Stanton said "there isn't any such correspondence."

Return to Canton-Sixes Patch after the press conference for an update.

"There is a great likelihood that public meetings will still be held, just not" at 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. Thursday as previously scheduled, Stanton said.

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