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Nottoway supervisors hear detailed case for EMS funding as volunteer ranks shrink
Summary
Emergency services leaders told the Nottoway County Board of Supervisors that volunteer shortages, rising vehicle costs and rising call volume make a new EMS revenue source likely necessary; staff will return with options ahead of the budget process.
Nottoway County supervisors on Jan. 16 heard an extended briefing from Emergency Services Director Mister Hyde on staffing, equipment costs and funding options for ambulance and fire coverage, and discussed the possibility of creating a dedicated EMS tax.
The discussion came as Hyde described shrinking volunteer ranks across local fire and EMS companies, rising equipment costs and a recently awarded grant for emergency medical dispatch that will require local matching funds. “We need additional money to these departments so y’all can move forward,” Supervisor Rourke said during the discussion.
Hyde told the board the county is already relying on paid services and that losing those would sharply reduce the system’s capacity: “If you take that component out, you pretty much don’t run,” he said. He described three big cost drivers: personnel, apparatus and radio/dispatch systems, and noted recent grant activity. “We received a letter on Jan. 2 that we’re receiving $3,300,581 on emergency medical dispatch,” Hyde told the board, and added that the award is structured as a matching program that will require local funds for implementation and maintenance.
Board members pressed Hyde and County Administrator Bowen for timeline options and examples from neighboring localities. Hyde said Prince Edward County’s EMS levy produces roughly $360,000 a year, which the board discussed as a comparable model to study. He also cited Orange County as another local example the county staff planned to consult. Hyde said ambulance unit costs now approach the mid‑hundreds of thousands of dollars and that some fire apparatus are approaching $1 million each, and that ambulance life expectancy in practice is about eight years.
Supervisors emphasized urgency ahead of the upcoming budget process. Hyde said staff already are researching options and would return with more detail: “We can do the research and we can go as deep as you want us to go,” he told members, adding he would provide tax-code summaries and examples of how other Virginia localities structure EMS and fire levies.
Why it matters: Supervisors said the county is at a planning point where an EMS-specific revenue source or other recurring funding will be needed to keep 24/7 coverage and to buy and maintain ambulances, trucks and radio systems. Several supervisors said they want recommendations before budget hearings so deliberations on a potential EMS tax can begin this spring.
Board direction and next steps: The board asked staff to return with a timeline and options (models, projected revenues, and likely costs) in time to inform the county’s budget committee. Hyde and county staff said they would gather examples (Prince Edward, Orange) and state guidance on how EMS and fire levies may be structured and legally restricted.
Ending: Supervisors agreed the matter is a high priority for the coming budget cycle and directed staff to bring specific, modeled options — including estimated revenue and required match for grants — to an upcoming meeting so the board can set a public process if it chooses to pursue a tax or other dedicated funding mechanism.
