Pay deal reached for Nakina Fire & Rescue workers

By DEUCE NIVEN

    Employees of Nakina Fire & Rescue’s ambulance service, unpaid since last March, will soon be getting their paychecks, Columbus County Commissioners were told Tuesday.
    Department members selected a new board during a called meeting nearly a year ago, a vote challenged by the old board.
    A lawsuit filed late last year puts the question of who is in charge before a judge, and could be decided soon.
    Employees left unpaid by the battling boards asked county commissioners for help last month, and early this month. They instructed County Attorney Mike Stephens to contact lawyers for both sides to try to find a way to get the workers paid.
    Those attorneys have reached a deal that will allow the county to send property tax proceeds to a Whiteville CPA, who will pay the workers while the court case moves forward, Stephens said.
    “These people who need to get paid are going to get paid,” Stephens said. “Hopefully it’s resolved, and the court can handle the rest of it.”