Multiple Randolph County fire districts ask commissioners for tax increases to fund staffing and equipment

Several Randolph County volunteer and combination fire departments asked the Board of Commissioners on June 24 for modest tax-rate increases to hire paid firefighters, replace aging apparatus and maintain response times as development and call volume increase.

The requests varied by district but shared common goals: add paid personnel to reduce reliance on volunteers, buy or reserve capital apparatus, and sustain training and safety programs. "Volunteerism is down. Time commitments are up," Eric Hoffman, representing Eastside Fire Department, told commissioners. "What we're looking to do is add paid staffing to take some of that burden off" volunteers.

Why it matters: county fire districts provide the primary emergency response outside municipal departments. Several presenters said growth in the county, new residential and industrial development and overlapping calls require more on-duty personnel and newer equipment.

What departments asked for - Randleman-area / city-county cooperative requests: presenters described multiple housing and industrial projects in the Randleman/Sophia area and asked to raise their local tax rate from 15¢ to 17¢ (a 2¢ increase). The presentation estimated a 2¢ increase would generate about $131,000 under current projections and that hiring three full‑time staff would cost about $192,451 annually (salary and benefits). - Eastside Fire Department: requested a 2¢ increase to expand paid staffing; Eastside said paid staff currently supplement volunteers and that a penny in their district currently equals roughly $76,286. - Several other departments (West Sub/Westside, Level Cross, Franklinville, Pleasant Garden and others) requested 1¢–2¢ increases or smaller, district-specific rate changes to fund personnel, apparatus and station needs. One request from a newly formed New Central Piedmont Fire Department sought a 0.37¢ increase to support merged operations that will cover roughly 75 square miles and about 16,000 residents starting July 1.

Operational context and costs - Call volumes and overlapping incidents are rising: presenters cited historical increases (examples included a 119% increase since 2005 for one district and 26% increase over recent years) and frequent simultaneous calls that strain volunteer resources. - Equipment and apparatus costs have grown. Speakers gave examples: new engines priced in the range of $864,000–$1,000,000 and a quoted tower/aerial truck at about $1.9 million. Departments plan to keep older apparatus as reserves where feasible. - Staffing: several departments described hiring strategies that include recruiting unpaid volunteers and also paying for training and certifications. One chief described hiring noncertified entrants and sending them to academy training to create a local pipeline.

Quotes and attributions "Volunteerism is down. Time commitments are up," Eric Hoffman said of Eastside's staffing pressures. "We're running multiple calls at the same time," a Randleman-area presenter said, noting the district's recent growth and new commercial projects.

Next steps and fiscal notes Speakers asked commissioners to consider the requests as part of the larger county budget discussion. No formal votes on tax-rate changes were taken at the meeting; the presentations were part of the county's public budget hearing process. Several presenters said they will continue to coordinate with municipal partners — including city councils that annex property — on cost- and revenue-sharing issues.

Ending Commissioners heard the presentations during the county budget public hearing and closed the hearing after additional agenda items. Any change to tax rates would require statutory notice and formal action in later proceedings.