Cook County Commissioners on Tuesday corrected a numerical error in the proposed FY26 budget that had shown volunteer fire run payments at $7.50 per run; the court confirmed the intended rate is $17.50 per run. The court also discussed but did not approve a county-wide stipend this year, and reviewed ambulance/tanker purchasing options tied to state grant timing.

The correction came after county officials realized the packet contained the wrong figures from a prior meeting. County Judge (name not specified) said the intent was to fund run payments at $17.50 rather than the lower amount that had appeared in meeting materials. That change will increase per-run payments when departments submit their run counts and claims.

Why it matters: volunteer fire departments in the county rely on per-run reimbursements and occasional stipends to cover operating costs for volunteer crews and aging apparatus. Commissioners said FY26 is likely too tight to cover the full stipend the departments requested, but they proposed a smaller, interim payment and emphasized pursuing grant reimbursements and match funding where possible.

Details of the discussion included three threads: per-run payments, a requested per-department stipend, and capital needs for vehicles and radios. Several volunteer chiefs attended. Kyle Patterson, chief of the Kalisburg Volunteer Fire Department, described recent call volumes and submitted numbers to the court, saying, “I can show you one that’s got 553 runs, $8,200.” Commissioners and chiefs agreed run revenue varies widely between departments.

Departments had asked the county for a $3,000-per-department stipend; a commissioner suggested the county instead give $1,000 per department this year if possible and revisit larger stipends later. Commissioners emphasized that FY26 “is probably just not the year” for a broad stipend because the budget projects very limited new revenue; one commissioner estimated the county would net about $69,000 in new revenue and cited large increases in mandatory costs such as insurance.

Capital needs were also raised. Chiefs and commissioners described a long-running effort to replace a tanker that had been quoted as roughly $360,000 several years ago but now had estimates over $550,000. Several chiefs said they had used grant writers and paid match or application costs out-of-pocket. Commissioners advised departments to submit all eligible grant-match reimbursement requests under existing contracts so the county can process reimbursements.

The court also noted recent county spending on radio upgrades and support: roughly $696,000 was cited as radio upgrade expense this year and commissioners said total county spending related to fire departments approached about $900,000 when combined with other lines, though some figures discussed were approximate and dependent on final run-volume reports.

Discussion vs. decision: commissioners corrected the per-run number in the record and expressed support for the $17.50 per-run rate. They did not take a formal vote on a stipend; the court left a stipend decision for future budgets pending revenue improvements and further information about grants and reimbursements.

Next steps: commissioners asked fire chiefs to submit any outstanding run-volume documentation and grant-match claims for reimbursement, and advised continued coordination through chief meetings or a county association to increase competitiveness for multi-department grant applications.