Riverdale pauses fire department closure amid backlash from residents

RIVERDALE, Ga. - The Riverdale City Council voted to postpone its proposal to close the fire department and hand the keys over to Clayton County after residents spoke out in a fiery meeting Monday evening.

"We need quick response. In addition to that, our firefighters need their job," said Terri Benn, a Riverdale resident of nearly 19 years.

Residents packed council chambers for the meeting, pleading with the council to keep control over the fire department.

"My grandmother had a stroke last year," one woman told council. "The EMS responded in a minute."

Part of the proposal includes leasing the station back out to Clayton County Fire and EMS.

Residents who spoke publicly said they had no idea about the proposal.

Many said they heard the news on social media. Others said they found out when firefighters knocked at their door.

Mayor Evelyn Wynn-Dixon expressed regret about how the meeting went.

"It could’ve went better," she said. "I’m going to tell the truth, it could’ve went better."

The council voted 3-1 to postpone discussion of the agreement with the county.

Mayor Dixon said it would save a lot of money for the small city.

"We will save pretty close to $15 million to fix other things in the city," she said. "I’m probably going to be in trouble when they look at this, my city manager and the other […] I don’t care. I’m 74."

The city manager she mentioned appeared to abruptly leave in the middle of the meeting, although many residents asked that he still present the proposal to the public before council voted on it.

"They should’ve got them on the phone, and they should’ve said, ‘You need to come back to this meeting, and you need to meet the people you work for,’" Benn said. "Because he works for us."

Mayor Dixon committed to organizing a town hall meeting in which members of the public could hear more about the logistics of the plan.

She committed to not putting the firefighters out of work, but she didn’t make it clear how they would be able to keep their jobs if the county took over.

She did not say when she planned on holding that meeting. FOX 5 will bring you the latest as we learn more.