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Brunswick County commissioners debate short‑term staffing aid and long‑term fire funding plan
Summary
Commissioners discussed Commissioner Thompson’s proposal to develop 24/7 paid staffing for rural volunteer fire departments and asked staff to produce alternatives and a timeline for countywide fire funding; no appropriation was approved at the meeting.
Commissioner Thompson urged the Brunswick County Board of Commissioners on June 16 to quickly develop interim measures to ensure minimum, standardized staffing at volunteer and rural fire departments while a longer‑term funding plan is prepared.
The topic drew extensive public comment and more than an hour of discussion among commissioners. Mayor Rich Holt of Southport and resident Jean Turner told the board municipal fire departments bear substantial costs when serving unincorporated areas; Turner said St. James has ordered a pumper and a ladder truck to serve its district and called current county fire fee compensation “very inadequate.”
“Every citizen deserves that in this county,”…
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