Rome and Floyd County officials hope to finalize in January an agreement to share ongoing costs at the new fire headquarters and emergency operations center that opened last month on East 12th Street.

“We’ve got the basic premise,” County Manager Blaine Williams said. “Sammy and Noah will flesh it out.”

That would be Assistant County Manager Noah Simon and Assistant City Manager Sammy Rich, whose job is more complicated than just splitting the estimated $8,447 a month down the middle.

Construction of the joined buildings was funded through a $4 million earmark in the 2009 special purpose, local op-

tion sales tax. But the structures aren’t quite jointly owned.

The Rome-Floyd County Fire Department uses 11,784 square feet of the 23,887-square-foot complex, according to an analysis by architect Robert Noble.

The Emergency Operations Center’s portion, including a back-up 911 center and garage, occupies 10,794-square feet. Common areas — the lobbies, elevator and sprinkler room — make up the remaining 1,309 square feet.

The county is responsible for the EOC and 911 center. The city has responsibility for the section used by the fire department, although the county pays into the fire fund and shares the service.

Calculations must take that division into account, along with what it will take to operate and maintain a building that’s roughly the size of a Big Lots store or singer Celine Dion’s $29 million mansion on a private island in Quebec.

“What we’re looking at right now is for (Floyd County) to pay for the cleaning service and do the building maintenance, and for (Rome) to take care of the utilities and the rest,” Williams said during an informal discussion between city and county officials last week.

Including supplies, custodial services are estimated at $22,542 a year. Maintenance — carpentry, painting and work in the plumbing, electrical and heating and air systems — is penciled in around $33,420 annually.

The utilities category would include gas, electricity, water and sewer, phone and Internet services. Then there’s the mowing and landscape upkeep, the trash collection, pest control and incidentals such as the smoke detectors and sprinkler system.

All told, that is expected to add another $48,883 a year to the bottom line.

Rome and Floyd County elected officials are studying the financial projections and plan to discuss the cost-sharing proposal following a tour of the new facility early next year.