Miami County staff asks commissioners to approve $5 per‑call increase for volunteers starting 2026

Rural fire coordinator Mark Whalen asked the Miami County Board of County Commissioners to approve a $5 per‑call increase in volunteer pay for the Babe, Rose, Wyoming, Fontana and Lewisburg volunteer departments, raising per‑call pay from $35 to $40 beginning Jan. 1, 2026.

Whalen told commissioners that Lucas (county staff) had built the additional funds into the proposed 2026 budget and that an addendum to a preexisting contract requires the county to match city pay increases; that addendum was signed by the prior fire board, Whalen said. "Last pay increase was approved actually in early 2023 ... we made it retroactive to 01/01/2023," Whalen said.

Using 2024 run numbers, Whalen said there were 463 Miami County Fire District 1 calls for the three departments and that the increase would amount to about $50 per call in aggregate (an approximate $23,000 increase for call pay) plus roughly $5,000 for training and activities, for a total additional volunteer pay of "just a little over $28,000 for 2026," based on 2024 statistics. Whalen added that the change would standardize county volunteer pay at $40 and match city pay where cities have already agreed to the increase.

Commissioners asked practical questions about training billing and how call response varies by time of day and by station; Whalen said required trainings generally include two sessions a month and that Fontana operates as a stand‑alone station with its own schedule. No formal resolution or vote was taken during the study session; Whalen said Lewisburg and Osawatomie typically ask the county board to sign a resolution approving the pay change and that both cities had already included the increase in their 2026 budgets.

Ending: The county staff placed the increase in the draft 2026 budget and asked the board to adopt a resolution at a future meeting; no formal action was taken at the study session.