County presents fire service funding proposal; fire commission recommends holding rate at 11.5¢

Gaston County staff on May 27 presented recommended updates to the Unified Fire Protection Service District budget and contracted service agreements, and the fire commission recommended maintaining the district fire tax rate at 11.5 cents.

Assistant County Manager Vincent Wong walked the board through the district’s purpose, a dynamic funding formula that considers risk and hazard levels, and the operational pressures volunteer departments face, including declining volunteer participation and rising equipment and operational costs. Wong said the district currently includes 17 contract departments covering a primary response area of roughly 275 square miles with mutual-aid responsibilities beyond county lines.

Wong said the fire commission reviewed initial department requests totaling about $15.4 million and recommended reducing requests to a proposed allocation of roughly $13 million. The commission’s recommendation, he said, keeps staffing at the current level (two part-time firefighters per department scheduled 24/7) and would not increase the current fire tax rate. Under the 11.5¢ recommendation, Wong presented example tax impacts: a $200,000 home would see about $230 per year for fire protection; a $300,000 home about $345 per year.

County staff also proposed contract updates to align expectations across departments, strengthen reporting and ensure county-purchased assets remain in Gaston County. Wong said staff plans to create a dedicated finance-account position and a fire liaison to improve oversight and reporting.

The board took the presentation; commissioners thanked staff and the local chiefs who participated in the review. The board did not vote on a final fire tax rate at the May 27 meeting; Wong said the fire commission’s recommendation will be before the board for a formal vote on June 24.