Gaston County adopts FY2025 budget with targeted changes and approves 11.5¢ fire tax after staffing warnings

Gaston County commissioners voted to adopt the FY2025 budget on May 22, approving a package of one-time appropriations while directing the county manager to place 30% of the sheriff's FY2025 budget into a controlled hold account pending further review. The board also adopted a resolution setting the county's FY2025 fire-protection tax rate for contract districts at roughly 11.5¢ after hearing urgent testimony from volunteer chiefs and the county's fire commission.

The budget motion, made on the floor by a commissioner and carried 6-1, included three stated adjustments to the manager's recommended plan: restoring the sheriff's part-time salary funding to FY2024/FY2025 requested levels, appropriating $1,300,000 from the county's self-insurance fund to implement a telehealth/prescription/hospitalization savings program for current and retired employees on the county health plan, and appropriating $2,100,000 from the capital improvement fund balance for Chromebook placements requested by Gaston County Schools. Commissioners described those as one-time appropriations that would not change the recurring tax posture.

Why it matters: The fire-tax decision and the budget's shifts respond directly to repeated testimony about staffing and response reliability in the county's contract volunteer fire departments. Commissioners framed the tax and the one-time school and benefits investments as steps to preserve public safety and essential services while balancing pressure to hold the overall tax rate near 59.9¢.

Public testimony set the tone for the debate. Joshua Brown, an assistant chief with a volunteer fire department, told the board: "We need this to be able to keep up with growing county and the increase in the call for service each and every day" and warned that insufficient funding could leave trucks unmanned when 911 calls arrive. Cody Thomas of Gastonia recounted recent incidents in which a dispatched secondary department failed to put a unit on the road because of lack of staff: "They never put a truck on the road." Those accounts were echoed by fire leaders in the meeting.

Chief Hunter (various services director) described the operational strain bluntly: "The current operational status of our contract fire departments is in jeopardy, and it does present a critical threat to the public." Rob Smith, chairman of the Gaston County Fire Commission, said volunteer recruitment has dropped sharply and that county departments are "not funded enough to be able to suit them out with better gear, better apparatus" or to staff stations reliably.

Several commissioners said the chiefs' descriptions changed their positions. One commissioner summarized the shift: after reviewing costs and hearing chiefs' testimony, "I've had a change of heart" and would support the tax increase despite reservations about raising rates on taxpayers. Another commissioner said the proposed increase would bring professional staffing closer to the county's rural districts and reduce the inconsistency in service residents currently receive.

On the FY2025 budget process, staff and several commissioners flagged a problem in the part-time salary accounting that inflated the appearance of cost increases: some half-time positions were listed at full-time salary levels in the budgeting software. Finance and department staff agreed to research and correct the figures. The record shows commissioners pressed for finance to verify the part-time/half-time line items before final implementation.

Votes at a glance: The board recorded votes of 6 in favor and 1 opposed on both the adopted FY2025 budget (including the stated adjustments) and on the resolution to set the fire-protection tax rate (11.5¢ for contract fire districts; certain municipal districts were set at zero as noted in the resolution). Earlier in the meeting the board approved two rezoning requests (REZ-175 and REZ-176) after unanimous votes and approved a consent item to direct opioid settlement funds toward a medication-assisted-treatment program (year 1 local share $39,000; total program cost referenced at $1,047,985).

What happens next: The board authorized staff to revise the Gaston County budget ordinance to reflect the approved tax rates and budget amendments. Commissioners also directed the manager to report back on the sheriff's budget hold and requested follow-up information from finance on the corrected part-time salary figures. The county will implement the fire tax rate and associated budget ordinance revisions over the coming weeks.

Sources and attribution: Quotations and on-the-record claims in this report come from the meeting transcript and are attributed to the speakers listed on the meeting record: Joshua Brown (assistant fire chief, public commenter), Cody Thomas (public commenter), Chief Hunter (various services director), Rob Smith (fire commission chairman), Dr. Eagle (county manager) and commissioners as recorded in the minutes. Several commissioners urged staff follow-up on personnel accounting and asked for further briefing on the sheriff's budget hold.

The meeting concluded after routine appointments and staff updates; the board set its next regular meeting date and adjourned.