Charlotte County supervisors back phased plan, recommend $200,000 reserve to begin rescue-squad consolidation

Charlotte County Board of Supervisors members agreed at a meeting to begin a phased process to consolidate rescue-squad functions under county administration and to set aside $200,000 as a designated reserve to support the transition, though no formal appropriation was voted at the session.

The action responded to persistent staffing instability in the volunteer rescue squad: “In the last year, we had 17 out of 24 positions turnover,” a supervisor said during the meeting, citing high turnover, recruiting problems and the lack of consistent benefits as drivers of the proposal.

Board members said the plan must be phased and cautious to avoid disrupting reimbursement streams and licensure while improving leadership and administrative capacity. The board directed the personnel committee and staff to draft clear job descriptions, an organizational chart and policies of authority; to begin the licensure-change process that would consolidate separate EMS licenses and billing under a single county entity; and to start the administrative steps necessary to convert two current rescue-squad administrative staff to county positions beginning July 1, subject to hiring rules and required advertising.

Discussion and context

Supervisors and staff described a mix of operational and state-level complications that shaped the timeline. The board noted two years of state EMS turmoil after a widely reported embezzlement case that disrupted the state office of EMS and slowed licensing and reimbursement processes. That state-level reorganization means the county cannot immediately complete license consolidation even if it decides to proceed quickly.

Board members said leadership instability within the rescue squad — including long gaps between internal elections — contributed to recruitment and retention problems. Derek, a supervisor who said he had ridden on calls, described consistent feedback from squad members: “The biggest problem is we have no leadership,” he said. Other supervisors noted recent steps to stabilize management, including the election of Chris as the rescue-squad president and the appointment of EMS shift supervisors.

Key operational and timing details discussed

- Proposed designated reserve: The board discussed setting aside $200,000 in the upcoming budget as a designated reserve to cover one-time transition costs and seed recurring funding, and said the fund should be used for transformation expenses rather than routine maintenance (speaker: Supervisor (unnamed)). - Phased approach: Supervisors repeatedly rejected an immediate wholesale transfer of all members to county employment as impractical; they favored phased changes, station-by-station or stepwise role transfers, with extensive planning for payroll, benefits and licensure. - Administrative staff conversion: The board discussed making two long-serving administrative staff (identified in discussion as Sally and Megan) county employees with broader responsibilities for payroll, billing and collections; supervisors said the positions would likely require advertising and a formal hiring process under county HR rules. - Dispatch staffing: The board noted the budget includes four civilian dispatch positions; supervisors estimated 4–6 months for hiring and training to complete and said that training and cross-certification remain a near-term workload for current staff. - Billing/licensure timeline: Staff reported billing and Medicare/Medicaid enrollment processes would take months (an estimate of about four months was cited), meaning revenue continuity must be preserved while licenses and billing structures change. - Insurance/MOU: Supervisors discussed using a memorandum of understanding to allow rescue-squad members trained in firefighting to assist local fire departments while clarifying that EMS response remains the priority.

Directions given (not formalized as an appropriation)

Board members asked the rescue-squad personnel committee and county staff to: draft job descriptions and an organizational chart for rescue-squad administration; begin the process of consolidating EMS licensure and billing under the county license; initiate the administrative steps to convert two administrative staff to county positions with the understanding advertising and HR processes may be required; and identify recurring revenue sources so that ongoing personnel costs would be budgeted rather than one-off. Several supervisors described a likely multi-year timetable, with a full employee transition possibly two years out unless state and billing steps accelerate.

Votes at a glance

- Motion to approve the meeting agenda as presented — Motion made and seconded; voice vote: motion carried. (Mover: speaker who identified the motion; second: another board member; no roll-call tally recorded in the transcript.) - Motion to enter a closed meeting under Virginia Code § 2.2-3711(A)(1) to discuss candidates for county-administrator employment — Motion made, seconded, and a roll-call vote was taken; the meeting minutes record individual "Aye" votes for Supervisor Smith, Supervisor Davis and Supervisor Shook and the motion carried.

What remains to be decided

Supervisors repeatedly emphasized that designating the $200,000 reserve is a first step and not an appropriation; the board would still have to vote to appropriate funds later. The personnel committee will draft the job descriptions and bring proposals back to the full board. Supervisors also agreed to schedule a budget work session before the public hearing to allow additional discussion of the rescue-squad transition and related budget impacts.

Ending

Board members closed public discussion and moved into a closed session to meet with a Berkeley Group consultant about the county-administrator hiring process. The meeting record shows the board intends follow-up work sessions and further budget deliberations before making any binding financial commitments.