The former chief of the volunteer Walnut fire department has posted a detailed account of how contract talks with the Town of Walnut broke down. He says the Board of Aldermen named Falkner Fire Chief Jackie Rutherford as interim chief of the town’s new department at its Nov. 3 meeting.
Brandon Wilbanks, who led the Walnut Volunteer Fire Department for nearly five years, shared the long statement on the Walnut Fire & Rescue Facebook page Thursday morning, Nov. 5. That evening the mayor held a public meeting at City Hall about the fire department changes. The town streamed the meeting live on its Facebook page, and the video runs a little over an hour.
Walnut Fire Department Contract: The Former Chief’s Timeline
Wilbanks wrote that he was laying out “all the facts of this situation as I know them” and that he was not posting out of spite. The points below are his account. The town has not yet published a detailed response to it.
Months of talks: The town asked for a written contract so the arrangement would be legal. Wilbanks said he agreed, and that no new contract had been signed in years.
Not a separate entity: Department officers disagreed with parts of a contract drafted by town attorney Nick Bain. They believed the volunteer department was its own legal entity. Wilbanks said they later found it was not. He met with Mayor Chase Wilbanks and Alderman Scott Pulliam and acknowledged the department was already part of the town.
Oct. 19 board meeting: Wilbanks said the volunteers were given two options. They could incorporate and sign the town’s contract, or the town could absorb the department. He said he agreed to sign as long as the volunteers kept the right to choose their own chief, and the town agreed. The town also wanted the department’s secretary-treasurer to sign, and she did not want to. Wilbanks said the town attorney suggested a fix: change the bylaws so the chief also held financial responsibility. He said Aldermen Scott Pulliam, Manse Pulliam, Josh James and Rachel Wilbanks voted to move forward that way.
Oct. 23 reversal: Wilbanks said that on his way to sign at the attorney’s office in Corinth, he got a call saying the board had changed course and again wanted the secretary-treasurer to sign. He said he called the mayor and an alderman and heard nothing more before the next board meeting.
Nov. 3 board meeting: According to Wilbanks, the board voted to end the partnership with the volunteer department and appointed Rutherford as interim chief of a new town department. He said he laid his radio on the counter and left.
Who Is Answering Fire Calls in Walnut?
Wilbanks said many residents have asked him who is now responding to emergencies. “I’m not really sure,” he wrote. He added that an interim chief has been appointed and that some members have chosen to keep responding as they normally would.
In its Nov. 4 statement, the town told residents that fire protection “WILL NOT LAPSE.” Town leaders said a written agreement was needed for accountability, financial reporting, insurance and the proper use of public money. They said the effort was not a personal attack on anyone. Tippah News has not independently confirmed Rutherford’s appointment with the town and will update this story when the board’s minutes or an official announcement are available.
What Residents Can Do
Emergencies: Always call 911 for a fire or medical emergency.
Watch the meeting: The recording of the Nov. 5 public meeting is posted on the Town of Walnut’s Facebook page.
Questions: Walnut Town Hall is at 621 Main Street, (662) 223-4405.
Board meetings: Fire department business is handled by the mayor and Board of Aldermen at their regular public meetings.
Jon Ross Myers is the executive editor and publisher of the Mississippi News Network, Mississippi's largest digital only media company. He can be reached at editor@tippahnews.com
