Commissioners hear unified fire tax plan; chiefs warn 11.73¢ may not meet staffing needs

County staff presented a unified fire tax funding methodology and the FY27 budget schedule, and multiple fire chiefs urged commissioners to re‑examine whether the recommended rate meets departmental needs.

Staff reported the FY26 single‑rate equivalent at just over $49 million (13.24¢), a revenue‑neutral FY27 estimate just over $52 million at 9.19¢, department requests totaling just over $74 million, and the manager’s recommended FY27 figure of $62,977,963 (11.73¢). The staff presentation identified salaries, benefits and capital needs as the principal drivers for the FY27 request and set the following next steps: presentation to the commission (this meeting), a budget public hearing on May 19, and budget adoption scheduled for June 2.

Several fire chiefs addressed the board during the budget discussion. One chief (speaker 6) told commissioners, “Two weeks ago, you took a vote that changed 50 years of how the fire service was funded in this county,” and urged commissioners to review the presentations and verify that the proposed allocations will achieve stated goals, noting some districts currently have zero full‑time paid staff and warning that one full‑time firefighter per station is “unacceptable.”

Another chief (speaker 11) used a highway analogy to argue the recommended 11.73¢ level places “guardrails” on the long‑term plan and asked the board to consider a higher rate to preserve staffing and capital needs; he said chiefs’ maintain estimate to hold current service levels was nearer 14.73¢ and described two lanes vs. four lanes as a planning analogy.

Staff responded that the unified model is intended as a multi‑year process and that July–October work with departments will refine year‑2 and beyond implementation details; in some cases staff proposed phased additions (for example, initial allocations that add two or three positions in year one and then expand staffing over subsequent years). On a specific example, staff said the 11.73¢ scenario would fund three full‑time firefighter positions for the Broad River district in the first year (with part‑time supplementation) to enable two firefighters on shift using a phased approach.

Chiefs asked that commissioners reach back out to departments before adoption to confirm whether the recommended funding will meet local needs. Staff reiterated that reserve funding and some capital reserve contributions were not fully funded in year one in order to limit initial tax impacts and that the methodology prioritized a 7.7% salary increase target for FY27.

The commission was advised that work sessions from July to October will focus on long‑range financial planning for the unified fire tax district and that departments will continue to meet with staff to refine needs. The budget public hearing was set for May 19 and budget adoption for June 2. Commissioners and chiefs agreed to continue discussions and to circulate comparative documents that show district‑level impacts under different rate scenarios.