Nottoway supervisors open hearing on countywide fire and EMS districts as residents warn of staffing, tax pain

The Nottoway County Board of Supervisors held a public hearing on proposals to establish countywide fire and emergency medical services districts and the option of future tax levies, drawing residents and emergency personnel who warned that staffing shortages risk lapses in 9-1-1 coverage while others urged transparency about tax impacts.

The proposals would create a countywide fire district and a separate EMS district so levies could be set for each if the board decides to do so. Board leaders said establishing the districts is a prerequisite for imposing a levy later; a county official told the room the process would be discussed at a public work session scheduled for May 8 with a possible public hearing on the budget May 22 and budget adoption May 29.

Residents who spoke at the hearing described daily hardship and questioned whether property owners alone should shoulder a levy for services used by everyone who travels through the county. Christian Romano, a certified EMT and Crewe resident, urged supervisors to prioritize care: "Our community deserves reliable advanced emergency medical services. We deserve to know that when we dial 911, help will arrive timely, equipped, and fully prepared to save lives." Abby Messer, a lifelong Nottoway resident and volunteer, said, "it's extremely unfair for people that own property to be the only ones to have to carry the burden," and described the risk of losing a family home if taxes continue to rise.

Speakers from the emergency-services community emphasized that volunteer staffing has fallen and that the county currently relies on a very limited EMS capacity. Chief Tomer told the board, "32 calls in a few days. It tells itself," summarizing recent operational pressure. Pete Morrison, an EMS veteran, said of the sector's finances: "Fire and EMS ... is not a business. If you're going into fire and EMS to make money, you might as well throw your money down the toilet because it is an absolute money loser." Several speakers described times when the county had only a single designated 9-1-1 ambulance available and noted that the level of care on that unit can vary between basic, advanced and paramedic staffing.

Board member Miss Norton said the county’s options are limited under state rules: "The Code of Virginia dictates what we have to do as far as emergency services. We have to provide 911." Norton also clarified the levy under discussion would be applied to both real estate and personal property (vehicles), not real estate alone.

Speakers asked for more transparency about how any levy would interact with money currently allocated in the general fund. One resident asked whether existing appropriations (he cited roughly $400,000 in current budget support for fire and EMS) would be reduced if a levy were adopted; board staff said detailed numbers are still being worked and would be presented at the upcoming work session. A county official also noted an item in the draft budget showing a multi‑million-dollar school grant that can appear to inflate the budget when readers look only at headline totals; the official said that $6,000,000 line item is a school grant and not related to emergency services funding.

Supervisors outlined steps and next meetings. The board requested staff and partners present multiple options at the May 8 work session, including a planned presentation by a group called Emergency Services Solution, and indicated they may hold a formal public hearing on the budget and levies later in May. A series of procedural motions to close the public hearings on the fire district levy and on the EMS district were moved, seconded and approved at the meeting.

Speakers repeatedly noted the tradeoffs facing rural counties: volunteers are declining, daytime coverage is especially vulnerable, and paid staffing carries a large ongoing cost. Several board members suggested the county may need to move toward more paid, ALS‑level staffing for units; at least one supervisor said making all ambulances ALS units should be the long‑term goal. Others pressed for clear, line‑by‑line public information on what any levy would pay for and how it would affect existing county appropriations.

The hearing closed with supervisors saying they would return with firm numbers and multiple funding options in the coming weeks so the public can review proposals before any vote.