Orange County supervisors agree to 4¢ levy for fire and EMS; combined tax rate reaches 62¢

Supervisor Nickel said the board would move the proposed fire and EMS increase from 5¢ to 4¢ to stabilize the separate fire and EMS fund and help retain staff: "we have confidence that we can get from the 5 to the 4."

The 4¢ levy, supervisors said, yields a combined county tax rate of 62¢ (47¢ for general purposes and 15¢ in the EMS fund). The board noted the equalized rate would be 58¢. Chair said to county staff, "make this work," signaling direction rather than a formal recorded vote.

Supervisors described a financing challenge driven by regional staffing shortages, turnover and overtime that have strained the fire and EMS fund. Ted, a county staff member, cautioned implementation will "require very focused attention over the remainder of the year," and recommended careful tracking of expenditures and timing of purchases.

Members discussed operational steps staff are taking to reduce overtime and balance shifts while bringing recruits from training into street duty. The group said those operational adjustments, plus delaying or timing some purchases, make the 4¢ increase feasible but not easy.

The board asked staff to return after six months with a budget review—either in a work session or a staff briefing—to chart progress and make adjustments if the county is not on track to meet the 62¢ target. That six-month review was presented as a direction to staff, not a formal vote.

No ordinance number or formal motion was recorded in the transcript; supervisors indicated consensus to proceed and tasked staff to manage the budget under the 4¢ assumption and prepare interim reporting.