Commissioners edge closer to resolving debate on fire service

June 05-- Jun. 5--HENDERSON -- Proponents of breaking up the Vance County Fire Department and using its staff to reinforce some of the county's volunteer fire departments appeared to gain the upper hand in the County Commissioners' budget talks Tuesday.

But taxpayers in rural Vance County could still face an increase in what they pay in fiscal 2019-20 fire district taxes, as commissioners more or less agree with the idea of adding paid part-time staff to each of volunteer departments.

The extra money is needed, even if county disbands the VCFD and turns its district over to a new volunteer department, because there aren't reserves enough to be sure of covering the cost of bringing the part-timers on board while the larger transition unfolds, some commissioners said.

Given the many complications of the transition, a tax increase in the short term is "the only way I can see it work," Commissioner Gordon Wilder said.

The increase of the district tax -- paid only by those who own property outside the Henderson city limits -- now appears likely to clock in at 2.5 cents per $100 of assessed value, rather than the 2.3-cent rate County Manager Jordan McMillen initially proposed.

The additional tenths cover the added cost of subsidizing two "border" volunteer departments, Epsom and Drewry, to the same degree as their counterparts that are based and work entirely in Vance County.

McMcMillen's budget request favored giving the Vance-only departments $100,000 each, and the border departments $67,500 each on the grounds that Epsom and Drewry are based in and answer most of their calls in Franklin and Warren counties, respectively.

But Vance's volunteer firefighters' association favored equal funding across the board, even though the border departments also get money from their home counties.

The broader staffing discussion also affects the border departments.

A 2.5 cent rate increase to the rural fire levy translates into an extra $25 on the tax bill for the owner of a $100,000 rural property.

Commissioners across the board want to add part-timers during the day to the volunteer departments to improve their response times and insurance ratings. Most are in line for two, though Epsom's chief has said his department only needs one.

Where commissioners differ is on breaking up the Vance County Fire Department, and reassigning its current staff to the Bearpond and Hicksboro volunteer departments so each has paid firefighters on hand 24/7.

A plan Commissioner Dan Brummitt, a proponent of the break-up, gave officials Tuesday envisions starting that process when the new budget goes into effect July 1. The first step would involve converting the Vance County Rescue Squad into a volunteer fire department to cover the Golden Belt fire district on the edges of Henderson.

The transition would proceed incrementally as the volunteer departments hire part-timers, Brummitt's proposal said. The VCFD's staff would fan out "on a shift basis," one group moving out ahead of a second. The new volunteer department would also get a complement of full-timers, like Bearpond and Hicksboro. Officials reckon each would have two full-timers a shift.

The break-up proposal has been on the table since the fall, but Tuesday indicated that it may now have majority support. Commissioner Leo Kelly signaled that he likes the idea of using the county's resources to ensure 24/7 paid staffing at three departments.

Brummitt's plan assumed that officials could launch the program without raising the fire district tax, by combining revenues from the existing levy and the county's general-fund allocation to the VCFD with a draw-down of about a $421,000 reserve of past years' surplus fire-tax proceeds.

But McMillen said the county will start "burning through" that reserve as soon as the volunteer departments start hiring part-timers. He also noted that the volunteers have indicated they're interested in applying the reserve to capital expenses, for equipment purchases, maintenance and the like.

The manager's been firm since last year in saying that it'll cost the county more to add part-timers, and proposed an increase of the fire district tax accordingly.

Supporters of breaking up the Vance County Fire Department contend there's enough slack in the budget to keep its staff of full-timers on the payroll and hire part-timers for the volunteer departments, too.

Wilder and Kelly both wanted a cushion, in the form of additional fire-tax proceeds, to see the county through the transition.

The extra levy would have to remain in place for fiscal 2019-20, but it's possible if officials can find efficiencies via the transition that they can "get the fire tax lower," Wilder said.

Brummitt said he doesn't believe a fire tax increase is "in the best interest of the community." But Wilder, despite his mention of potential efficiencies, also said he doesn't know if it's possible to hold the line because Vance County currently pays firefighters less than some surrounding communities do.

In other budget discussions, McMillen said he and his staff think it's possible to balance the county's general fund budget without a countywide tax increase while adding six positions -- three deputies, a lieutenant and two detention officers -- to the Vance County Sheriff's Office.

The manager's requested budget had included money for just two additional deputies, but commissioners indicated they want to reinforce new Sheriff Curtis Brame's force. Some tax-base additions, the use of savings for a parks-repair project, and the elimination of a planned increase for the rescue squad all go into making up the difference, according to the county staff.

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