Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Safety Fire Funding topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
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,” Commissioner Thompson said, arguing that insufficient staffing could delay rescues or cause injury. Thompson described the board’s long‑range goal as developing a new funding mechanism in fiscal 2026–27 but said the county may not be able to wait until next July to address immediate staffing shortfalls.
Several commissioners supported the concept of changing how fire services are funded but opposed using one‑time fund balance transfers to create recurring payroll obligations. Commissioner Williams said he would not support using a $7 million one‑time draw from fund balance to create ongoing staffing costs without a firm long‑term funding path in place. Other commissioners warned that tapping fund balance could reduce reserves needed for disaster recovery or other one‑time needs.
Staff told the board they have been working with the tax department, legal counsel and the fire administrator to develop alternative funding scenarios and that the county aims to present several options to chiefs and municipal leaders by late summer and a recommended strategy by January 2026. The manager framed that schedule as necessary to allow municipalities time to incorporate changes into their budgets.
No motion to appropriate the requested $7 million for recurring staffing passed at the meeting. Commissioners agreed to prioritize the issue and directed staff to accelerate development of alternatives and a timeline for both an immediate staffing approach and a sustainable funding model for county fire services.
The board also heard that New Hanover County and Gaston County have approved a commercial PACE program (discussed separately) and that nearby jurisdictions are recruiting firefighters, which could affect local volunteer retention and hiring.
Commissioners asked staff to include chiefs and municipal officials in the late‑summer review and to return with a concrete timetable and proposed agreements for how any interim staffing support would be administered and evaluated.
The board moved on to other agenda items without taking a formal appropriation or adopting a final funding plan for fire staffing.
