County fire administrators and chiefs presented the newly formed Johnson County Consolidated Fire District 1 to the Board of County Commissioners, summarizing the consolidation’s financial structure, reserve balances and capital replacement needs.

Fire Services Administrator Jim Francis and Chief Todd Morley said the consolidation combines two prior districts into a larger service area of about 159.5 square miles and an estimated population near 48,000. Francis said the plan folds remaining fund balances from the predecessor districts into the new district while keeping outstanding bond debt with the original district entities until bonds retire.

Francis outlined preliminary figures: he said the combined ending reserves for 2026 are anticipated at roughly $4.8 million, or about 27% of the operating budget, based on projected transfers of approximately $2.7 million from one district and $2.3 million from the other into the new consolidated district. The leaders said the board intends to use reserve transfers to fund capital needs and to build a truck replacement account while maintaining service levels.

Chief Morley highlighted the consolidation as the primary accomplishment: “We are on the heels of completing a complex and historic integration of governance, operations, personnel, and identity into a single streamlined fire district,” he said. He and Francis said planned capital spending would include funding for three critical truck replacements and a $425,000 capital truck project account; the preference is to pay cash rather than issue new lease purchases or bonds.

Why it matters: Consolidation changes the distribution of debt and reserves across the county’s territorial map, alters mill levy calculations for different subareas (Francis noted variants for Gardner and for Spring Hill territory in Miami County) and creates a larger single operating district that county and city partners must coordinate with for future station siting, staffing and capital replacement.

Ending: Francis and Morley told commissioners they will present the capital ordering and reserve management plan in January and recommended early planning to place equipment orders given current lead times and pricing pressures.