Redrawing a portion of Hamlet’s fire district may benefit some residents, although concerns were voiced Tuesday that more residents will be requesting the same.

Hamlet Fire Chief David Knight said the request was filed mid-2009 by homeowners on the western end of Fox Road. They live approximately 10 miles from the Hamlet fire station.

“So far no one has an issue with it,” Knight said at the council meeting Tuesday.

The biggest concern is residents requesting to swap districts, Knight said.

“We’re afraid of that,” Knight said.

Insurance rates are higher if a homeowner is more than five miles from a fire station.

Northside’s fire station is roughly three miles from Fox Road, according to Knight.

“There is concern over these fire lines,” Council member Bill Bayless said.

In all, 14 properties on Fox Road petitioned for absorption into Northside’s district.

Financially, the restructuring won’t greatly affect taxes paid to the city for the stretch of road they’d be losing.

“It’ll be around $600 to $700,” Knight said. “It won’t be a very large impact.”

In other matters:

Hamlet’s city council meetings have been off the air for over a year, but as of Tuesday’s meeting, they will be televised again.

At November’s council meeting, they agreed to allot $600 for the purchase of video and sound equipment for use during their meetings.

“Citizens should be prepared to see (the meetings) every month,” Hamlet Mayor Jeff Smart said which comes at no monthly fee to the city.

Employees of the city will tape the sessions which Time Warner will televise following the meeting. The meetings will not be televised live.

Smart assures that they will continue to make improvements to the system as things progress.

Approval was given for a policy allowing itinerant merchants to sell prepared food. The application lasts for 180 days.

The second year of Hamlet’s Small Town Main Street Project beings with a meeting scheduled for next week.

City offices will be closed Monday in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Staff writer Bryan Stewart can be reached at 997-3111 ext. 15 or by e-mail at bstewart@yourdailyjournal.com.