Residents urge Shenandoah County supervisors to fund fire‑rescue staffing, radios and ambulances at budget hearing

At a public hearing on the proposed fiscal 2026 budget and 2025 tax rates, Shenandoah County residents pressed the Board of Supervisors to add paid staffing, radios and ambulances for volunteer fire and rescue companies and to prioritize capital improvements for elementary schools.

Speakers described long response times in remote communities and urged the board to fund 24‑hour staffing in Fort Valley and additional paid personnel in nearby stations. Several speakers also urged the board to adopt a countywide 4% meals tax for unincorporated areas to generate new revenue without raising property owners’ bills.

The proposed budget, read at the start of the hearing, includes recommended tax rate changes and multiple operating funds. The county’s announcement cited Title 15.2‑25 and Title 22.1‑8 of the Code of Virginia and lists the general fund, Shenandoah County Public Schools operating and cafeteria funds, social services, the Children’s Services Act fund, parks and recreation, the landfill fund, water and sanitary district funds and other enterprise funds. The proposal also outlines recommended tax rates: an increase of 3 cents per $100 of assessed value for real property (from $0.64 to $0.67 per $100), a personal property tax rate of $4.11 per $100 for non‑farm vehicles, and the establishment of a 4% meals tax in unincorporated parts of the county. The board said the budget is expected to be considered for adoption at a special meeting scheduled for 2025‑04‑15 at 4:00 p.m.; no vote occurred at the hearing.

Residents and volunteer firefighters described operational shortfalls and costs.

Paul Hightower, a Fort Valley resident who said he lost his 2‑year‑old son in 2020, told supervisors that delays can be deadly. “Having the full staff would mean a lot to a lot of families,” Hightower said, urging county‑funded, 24‑hour staffing in areas that now rely on volunteers.

Speakers representing volunteer stations said equipment and operating costs have risen sharply. One volunteer asked the board to provide additional portable radios for New Market (reported at eight radios in the speaker’s remarks) so crews can call a mayday if a member becomes separated or incapacitated. The speaker described a countywide average of 18 to 26 portable radios per company and said New Market should be brought to that level.

Kelly Maze, a District 3 resident, asked the board to fund advanced life support positions including ALS captains, a training lieutenant, six relief providers and 24‑hour staffing in Edinburg. “Cutting urgent needs from fire and rescue isn’t our solution,” Maze said, and she urged the board to recognize the training staff’s role in certification and retention. Maze also said a new full‑time training position could reduce overtime expenses.

A Fort Valley resident who identified herself as Liwan described a personal call on 02/21/2024 when dispatch initially paged Fort Valley and the county’s fire and rescue, then held Fort Valley company out of the run; she said EMS arrived about 24 minutes after county dispatch and that her grandmother was unresponsive for roughly 49 minutes. She asked whether the county bases staffing on call volume or response time and cited the state standard the county had discussed about achieving 90% response in a county’s first response area.

Other speakers provided financial and operational details: one volunteer representative said their company currently supplies three ambulances to the county and a chase vehicle, and that the replacement cost on those transport units and related debt could exceed $1.2 million, with an additional $60,000 for a chase vehicle. That speaker requested being moved to the county’s combination EMS funding formula and asked to be awarded an itemized amount described in the remarks as $138,000.

Several speakers urged the board to approve the proposed 4% meals tax for unincorporated areas, arguing the tax would largely be paid by visitors and pass‑through customers on Interstate 81 and in touristic venues, not by most local property taxpayers. “Vote for that meals tax but make sure that the average Joe and Sally out here understands what it is,” one resident said.

Parents and school advocates also spoke. Kara Morozick, a Strasburg parent, described overcrowding at Sandy Hook Elementary: long lunch schedules, teachers eating in hallways and limited space for special‑education instruction. She urged the board to prioritize capital improvements for elementary schools and to fund architectural and engineering studies to address overcrowding and aging systems.

Supervisors closed the hearing after hearing multiple speakers and reiterated that the board and staff have spent many hours on the budget. The board’s presiding official said supervisors were taking the comments seriously and listed three priorities they heard from the audience: Fort Valley fire‑rescue staffing, school facility needs, and tightening the budget to limit tax increases. The board signaled it would consider the proposed budget and the public input at the scheduled special meeting; no final appropriation or tax rate adoption occurred at the hearing.

The hearing record includes multiple requests for specific funding or staffing changes, operational clarifications and calls for the county to pursue outside revenue and grants. Several speakers noted prior precedents in the county where a volunteer station later received county‑funded staffing following a high‑profile death; those speakers urged the board to act before another preventable loss occurs.

Looking ahead, the board will consider adoption of the FY2026 budget and the proposed tax rates at a special meeting on 2025‑04‑15 at 4:00 p.m., and may schedule additional budget work sessions before adoption.