Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Safety Fire Services topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Commissioners approve countywide fire apparatus‑replacement and budgeting policies
Summary
The board adopted an apparatus‑replacement policy that ranks vehicles by age, mileage, hours and repair costs and approved a standardized, needs‑based budget process requiring departments to submit budgets by March 15 and to maintain set fund‑balance levels (typically $150,000 or 15% for budgets ≥ $1M).
The Johnston County Board of Commissioners on Oct. 6 adopted two countywide policies intended to standardize funding, replacement and budgeting for the county’s 23 fire departments.
Fire Marshal Travis Johnson and Chief Chris Ellington presented an apparatus‑replacement plan that establishes a data‑driven scoring matrix — age, mileage, engine hours and repair costs — to rank apparatus for replacement. The plan sets an objective to retire or replace apparatus around 30 years of age and creates a countywide reserve of apparatus to cover departments when vehicles are out of service.
Chief Ellington and Johnson said the scoring metric separates routine maintenance from repair costs and allows emergency and operational considerations to move a vehicle higher on the replacement list. Johnson told commissioners the county had reduced the number of apparatus older than 30 years to about eight.
The board also approved a new annual budget process for fire service agencies that moves departments from tax‑rate allocations to a needs‑based submission. Departments must submit budgets to the fire marshal’s office by March 15; the budgets will use a standardized template and be reviewed by a budget committee made up of fire service representatives and county finance and audit staff. The committee’s recommendation will go to the county finance director and county manager by May 1 for inclusion in the manager’s budget proposal to the board.
The policy requires designated fund balances of $150,000 for departments with budgets under $1,000,000 and 15% for budgets of $1,000,000 or more; fund balances exclude restricted funds such as state relief or USDA loan reserve requirements. Quarterly reviews by the county finance office were added to increase transparency and financial oversight.
Commissioners and presenters emphasized the policies do not themselves appropriate money; funding decisions will follow the budget process. Both policies passed unanimously after discussion.
Provenance: Fire marshal and chief presentation began near timestamp 37:44 and the votes to approve were recorded near 50:01 and 56:06 in the transcript.
