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Fire chief outlines $25.9M budget, urges increased funding for station repairs and fleet needs
Summary
The fire department presented a $25,935,321 budget, described 11,316 incident calls since Oct. 1, 2024, and urged more funding for maintenance of 21 stations, fleet repairs and long-term facility upgrades funded through the city's modernization tax.
Chief Thomas Jackson presented the Jackson Fire Department’s budget to the City Council and said the department’s current budget level is $25,935,321, with roughly 93 percent of that amount earmarked for personnel costs and 7 percent for operational needs. The chief told the council the department operates 21 stations, 12 engines, six ladder trucks, five rescue units and one mini unit and covers roughly 111.72 square miles.
Why it matters: Council members said facility and fleet maintenance affect firefighter safety, response reliability and morale. Several members called the maintenance allocations in the presented budget inadequate and asked the administration to identify additional funding sources.
Incident volume and operations: Chief Jackson reported 11,316 incident calls from Oct. 1, 2024, through the recent reporting period, including 3,100 medical calls, 501 “smoke scares,” 292 structure fires and 151 vehicle fires. He said medical responses vary by call type, typically send one unit for most medical incidents and sometimes two units for bariatric or higher-acuity responses. He explained that a fire apparatus unit may carry two personnel for a pumper and three personnel for an engine or rescue.
Facility maintenance and modernization tax: Council members asked where station-repair funding is located. A line-item discussion referenced a facilities-maintenance figure that the council read as about $73,238 for station repairs; several council members said that amount is insufficient to maintain 21 stations. An administration representative told the council the mayor intends to set aside modernization-tax funds for facilities and said that work will be tracked within the modernization fund rather than directly under the fire-department budget. Council members said the council should also reflect that commitment in its budget deliberations.
Fleet and apparatus: Council members and the chief acknowledged an ongoing need to maintain and, where necessary, replace apparatus. The chief said the current apparatus remain in serviceable condition but that the administration is seeking additional funding sources to address longer-term needs.
What’s next: Council members asked the fire department to provide more detailed breakdowns of facility-maintenance needs and equipment procurement options. The council discussed coordination between the mayor’s modernization-fund plan and the line items available to the fire department during budget adoption.
