Pittsylvania County Fire and Rescue Commission members on March 20 discussed the status of a local fire-billing ordinance and asked an appointed committee to prepare a proposed fee schedule for review at the next meeting.

Commissioners said fire-billing authority may exist in county code but that a fee schedule has never been adopted, preventing departments from implementing collection. ‘‘To my knowledge, it’s in there. I’ll check again, but I thought we just had to set the rates. It never had been done,’’ a county staff member said. Commissioners recalled the county attorney had been asked to verify whether an ordinance exists and whether it requires amendment before adopting rates.

The commission requested that the committee—previously appointed and said to include at least the presenter, Mr. King, and Tommy Volk—work with the Fire and Rescue Association to draft a fee schedule that roughly aligns with neighboring localities. The commission asked staff to provide clarification on the ordinance before the next meeting and asked the committee and association to bring a proposed schedule for commission review.

The item was informational and directional; no ordinance change or fee adoption occurred. The commission directed the committee and association to return with a proposed schedule and legal clarification at the next meeting for formal consideration.

The commission also discussed consulting neighboring localities’ rates to avoid dramatic differences and noted that some local departments view fire billing as an optional revenue stream rather than a mandatory charge.