[{"_1":2,"_110":-5,"_111":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,74,86,98],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":56,"_73":56},"mediaId",6288101,"mediaKeyId","2544746-e372801aff4ca03dfb5d0bbaa3b92954","parentId",2544746,"title","Fire and EMS present three staffing pathways; full county-employed fire/EMS would raise costs but increase coverage","audioSeconds",536,"startMs",4880000,"endMs",5416000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2544746-e372801aff4ca03dfb5d0bbaa3b92954&start=4880&end=5416","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2544746-e372801aff4ca03dfb5d0bbaa3b92954/thumbnail_4880000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6288101/Amelia-County/Virginia/Fire-and-EMS-present-three-staffing-pathways-full-county-employed-fireEMS-would-raise-costs-but-increase-coverage","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6288101-93c90a1be16b7ee6c3ad5037e836a55d/orig.mp4?Expires=1775380891&Signature=j817K5YoL86KhV29bv~5E1P363gdDTsdfEQk5fNxOrNRdL1lT79IachyC4D6NXA2A-xaY994ySo1y08yqaOpnSPp40yN9EPfstjfh~yWt7aS9yDvumLGB3vbJYju6qDFrMBsHIv~yvmubJLqiyGDwXK~6nUS5nu-YhUxiuUbJiluUZLiu9DpElxqqgbs3Iov2Dpup4hp2hjdS8p1knUAgvfP0xq8tQ7mws~QOQQQjGzWULfQBbA~FvXPkc4jtWl0mwAAfVPo8g~X9F3PjxkEBbKL-DaW6JUV6vugbq4uOvD3e5gSwtBAWjhomoJ2iT8v5au33ZDrb3NToyrmAQzbPg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","","date","2025-03-11T19:59:09.897Z","article","A Fire/EMS presenter (Neil, Fire/EMS staff member) told the board that call volume has increased and that the county sometimes relies on mutual aid or experiences excessive response times. “We have issues with the need for calling for mutual aid from our neighbors as well as times when we just have excessive response times,” Neil said.

Staff presented three staffed-coverage options and their FY26 cost implications:
- Option 1: Maintain the current mix of contract and county staffing (no additional county hires). Cost estimate: about $2,300,000. \"This is certainly the simplest ... It is the least expensive,\" the presenter said.
- Option 2: Transition to county-employed EMS-only personnel (would raise coverage from 336 to 384 hours per week); estimated cost just over $2.7 million. Staff noted this model would require managing federal overtime rules that limit many employees to 40 hours before overtime is due.
- Option 3: Transition to county-employed combined fire/EMS personnel (would provide about 504 hours of coverage per week; three crews operating 24/7 with fire/EMS cross-training); estimated cost about $2.87 million. The presenter said federal rules allow firefighters to work up to 53 hours per week before overtime would apply, creating some overtime savings versus an EMS-only county-staffed model.

Staff argued that the county-employed fire/EMS model (Option 3) would increase predictable local staffing, eliminate mid-year contract-rate increases, and allow the county to capture retirement-related supplements already paid by the county (VRS hazardous duty supplement). The presenter compared coverage to cost, saying that for about 23% more funding the county would get roughly 50% more coverage time compared with the current arrangement.

Revenue and billing context: staff reported EMS transport revenue and collection statistics for context: $482,000 billed for the year-to-date with a historical 12‑month billed amount near $919,000 and net collection around 62.2%; average cash per trip was about $438.

Next steps: staff said the options could be phased in over time, that close collaboration with volunteer fire departments would be required if county-employed crews are added, and that the board must weigh coverage improvements against additional ongoing operating costs when choosing how to balance the FY26 budget.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Amelia County Board of Supervisors FY26 Budget Session - March 11, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Fire/EMS staff presented three staffing options to supervisors that range from maintaining current contracted coverage (≈$2.33M) to a county-employed fire/EMS model (≈$2.87M) that would expand 24/7 coverage.","taxTitle","Amelia County, Virginia","taxId",30501,"location","headline","shortSummary",{"_33":75,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":76,"_41":77,"_43":78,"_45":79,"_47":80,"_49":81,"_51":82,"_53":83,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":84,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":85,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":56,"_73":56},6288105,"Board agrees to add small outside-agency line items and a $5,000 contingency to FY26 requests",2088,834000,2922000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2544746-e372801aff4ca03dfb5d0bbaa3b92954&start=834&end=2922","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2544746-e372801aff4ca03dfb5d0bbaa3b92954/thumbnail_834000.jpg","/articles/6288105/Amelia-County/Virginia/Board-agrees-to-add-small-outside-agency-line-items-and-a-5000-contingency-to-FY26-requests","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6288105-995a0e256e0e452c9f5e2aac5b689cc7/orig.mp4?Expires=1775380891&Signature=RB7app8gyEq9yqcTlnpJBaMkALFjPcRfvUOHOgRudk3QcUW6muf7Jldisem1bVI~qPfgMyqTK-MA2xxKuirjl8N~avAg6ezyQXFVt62x4TD0qr0htQ4XjuLpjQboP2udgFUL5btiMIEm3GjkSIFTcc2yB22BluX1nw3pF4sj9Gc5FkI-cKKMEPFUQcoaS5KlIu7NqOmaE0XnUI3YfMV-bvO-M69WdTLBoJbcPALpV~-z2uZIzhApqf3zEOrUDYke6YcswDESd0tcEZsmAEO7pS2r2av2VcBZg9bPfH~IOWO~lpN3Ve0hJNZdD6cZloxKkvkmNCWYfsEpV5t5TtcBGg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","During the budget workshop, the board discussed outside-agency requests and agreed to add three items to the FY26 expenditure request. \"The Amelia County 4 h, they sent their request in ... their request is for a thousand dollars. And then we also got 1 for Virginia's Crossroads ... their request is for $4,500,\" Mister Mundy, county staff member, told the board. After discussion, the board agreed to add the two requests and a $5,000 contingency fund for outside agencies.

Miss Youssef, budget staff member, confirmed she had incorporated outside-agency totals into the FY26 draft but said staff will provide a detailed spreadsheet showing last year’s approved amounts and the proposed FY26 amounts for clarity.

Actions recorded from the meeting (board consensus, no formal roll-call vote recorded): the board instructed staff to add $1,000 for Amelia County 4-H, $4,500 for Virginia Crossroads (tourism) and a $5,000 contingency line item to the outside-agency column of the FY26 expenditure request. Staff said they will incorporate the amounts into the next spreadsheet and circulate the reconciled figures to supervisors.

Why it matters: outside-agency allocations are part of the discretionary portion of the county’s operating budget. Staff said they will try to locate where last year’s outside-agency dollars were coded so the board can see true year-over-year increments before final decisions are made in the proposed budget.

Staff follow-ups requested by the board included supplying a line-by-line reconciliation of outside-agency funding between FY25 and the FY26 request and placing the updated materials on the county website and in the board packet.","Supervisors agreed during the budget workshop to add $1,000 for Amelia County 4-H, $4,500 for Virginia Crossroads tourism and a $5,000 contingency line for outside agencies; staff will incorporate those amounts into the FY26 expenditure request and provide a reconciled spreadsheet.",{"_33":87,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":88,"_41":89,"_43":90,"_45":91,"_47":92,"_49":93,"_51":94,"_53":95,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":96,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":97,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":56,"_73":56},6288111,"Amelia County staff present FY26 spending request that exceeds projected revenue by about $3.6 million",3764,620000,4384000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2544746-e372801aff4ca03dfb5d0bbaa3b92954&start=620&end=4384","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2544746-e372801aff4ca03dfb5d0bbaa3b92954/thumbnail_620000.jpg","/articles/6288111/Amelia-County/Virginia/Amelia-County-staff-present-FY26-spending-request-that-exceeds-projected-revenue-by-about-36-million","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6288111-958390ab8f8401efb0ff694e5660a7db/orig.mp4?Expires=1775380891&Signature=dJftC6O4mq-MLXA5uhJm0NAKaMAS2wHCl9JUhjoY-PoxFvkxdZu-an~xrf-Q-UWy10Wnqnh1qVjdhYOKPfcpfgWrSMf9Rs38dtuu2jqg2xoMRTigGdxrcf3aN9ScykoRJHGKTqH88rPmfgk3nsgSOOQaYbTeDCyok16t9Q1-iovPNmpT-Wdu28MkR39OrOZnIWdeNTwPv9kK0oupwYfT-kmJSPUcsTArLr8TNm2oSgjTO5GKJNJ4pA2pyg2LXWtvFxk3za2rxHCk45MDFEyCO3o7FvtL4ZHcjHaFr9vIinCwNHgjLDVIgLfCciZnbi8W6CoTIXOzXqQlgWzPoMpsqA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Miss Youssef, budget staff member, told the Amelia County Board of Supervisors at a Feb. budget work session that the county’s FY26 spending requests currently exceed projected revenues by several million dollars. “The total increase for the year is about 4,600,000, representing about 18.4% relative to approved FY ’25 budget,” she said, and later summarized that with CIP included the county faced a roughly $3,600,000 shortfall.

The shortfall arises because staff’s current expenditure requests across operating funds and proposed CIP equal nearly $30 million while the preliminary FY26 revenue estimate sits near $26.6 million, Miss Youssef said. “Now the revenue will be at 26.6 close to 26,700,000.0. With that, it’s still not enough to cover the ask for all the expenditures that I have walked you through,” she told the board.

Why it matters: staff said public safety and public works are the largest drivers of the requested increases. Personnel costs — including salaries, a 3% COLA assumption, vacancy-related hiring and higher retirement (VRS hybrid) contribution rates — and rising health-insurance and workers’-compensation bills were principal upward pressures.

Staff highlighted several specific drivers and options. The presentation split the $4.6 million increase roughly into $2.8 million in personnel and about $1.9 million in nonpersonnel operating costs; vacancies accounted for a large share of the personnel increase. Miss Youssef also noted an uptick in sales-tax revenue estimates and compensation-board revenue that together improved the FY26 revenue projection by about $200,000 compared with an earlier draft.

To close the gap, staff proposed choices rather than a single prescription: shift some emergency-services items from operating to capital, phase-in hiring for vacant positions, consider phased COLA implementation, and revisit outside-agency and vehicle requests. County staff told the board they were preparing a balanced proposed budget for delivery to the board in early April and would return with a line-by-line proposed version showing the administrator’s recommended adjustments.

Board members asked for additional follow-ups: clearer line-item spreadsheets that match the slides, a reconciliation of how outside-agency totals compare to last year’s approved amounts, and a detailed breakdown of positions that are new versus previously budgeted but unfilled. Staff agreed to provide those materials and to refine the slides and spreadsheets for the next meeting.

The session continued with department presentations later in the meeting, including Fire/EMS staffing options and the sheriff’s FY26 request, which staff said will inform how the board prioritizes the remaining pieces of the budget.","County budget staff told supervisors the operating-and-CIP requests for FY26 total roughly $30 million against estimated revenues of about $26.6 million, leaving a gap of roughly $3.6 million; staff recommended several balancing options including shifting some emergency-services items to capital and phasing vacancy fills.",{"_33":99,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":100,"_41":101,"_43":102,"_45":103,"_47":104,"_49":105,"_51":106,"_53":107,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":108,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":109,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":56,"_73":56},6288097,"Sheriff asks to unfreeze one position and add two deputies; dispatchers’ state pay change not included in current draft",439,6461000,6900000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2544746-e372801aff4ca03dfb5d0bbaa3b92954&start=6461&end=6900","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2544746-e372801aff4ca03dfb5d0bbaa3b92954/thumbnail_6461000.jpg","/articles/6288097/Amelia-County/Virginia/Sheriff-asks-to-unfreeze-one-position-and-add-two-deputies-dispatchers-state-pay-change-not-included-in-current-draft","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6288097-f92e1c48f72bed07f739073307659cad/orig.mp4?Expires=1775380891&Signature=M8p6QjsvJndgwFhWntVFih9KJxnAo5cqKJ6BSxr8z96FZv4e~t12Uty-5YpZoW1ZCLTR34LmDZzOPlp~xNWFawK460Gx5zNLYDrbcnsEyPPjLXzlMc2DecaSKk5yBZ9zjSfLqEmjWccrB9Pif~u22IXhnBJNgmjgWyIoj69sDx8TxvFUl1WY433S4DOHDNoOuGrXAAFpeMyWOBu0nPOBE4zKPMa66dvqAO7ewn~R4zPNHTIQvWxVH4iPjRnliDPBBuUJsY9Z-1einKNIaP6cu11wB9jERgr4diDbZz9Wf~zTEv1EkzRwtlQROcFKXtGYcomOlUo46~3Bdlth63OhsA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The sheriff and sheriff’s staff presented their FY26 request during the budget workshop, focusing on personnel and vehicles. The sheriff said the department is seeking to unfreeze one previously frozen position and to add two additional deputy positions; together with a pending retirement, that would increase the department’s authorized patrol staffing to about 30 officers if approved.

“The 3% was figured into these figures that that you have there. Also, the state is given a 1 time 1.5% bonus ... The 6% increase that the state has given to the dispatchers was not figured into these figures,” the sheriff’s presenter said, noting the state action affects compensation for state‑funded dispatch positions and would create uneven pay if the county did not match for locally funded dispatchers.

On equipment, the sheriff said the FY26 request includes multiple patrol vehicles. Staff explained the vehicle total on the front page reflected seven vehicles (five replacements plus two tied to new positions). The sheriff emphasized that vehicle replacement remains critical for officer safety and recruitment, and he asked for a list of current vehicle years and mileages to guide replacement decisions.

Staff and the board discussed options for how to treat the state-provided dispatcher increase: staff said the state’s change applies directly to comp‑board positions and that the county could either absorb the parity cost for county-funded dispatchers or use vacancy and timing strategies to implement bonuses when state money arrives.

Next steps: staff will factor the state dispatcher action into updated budget materials and provide line-by-line position lists (new and unfreeze requests), vehicle inventory with mileages and a reconciliation of how the sheriff’s requests affect the overall FY26 spending gap.","The sheriff asked supervisors to unfreeze one position and add two deputy positions (three personnel changes once a retirement is accounted for), requested vehicle replacements and noted the state’s 6% dispatcher increase was not factored into the figures staff presented.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Fire and EMS present three staffing pathways; full county-employed fire/EMS would raise costs but increase coverage

Board agrees to add small outside-agency line items and a $5,000 contingency to FY26 requests

Amelia County staff present FY26 spending request that exceeds projected revenue by about $3.6 million

Sheriff asks to unfreeze one position and add two deputies; dispatchers’ state pay change not included in current draft