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Commissioners debate countywide fire staffing and long-term funding; no immediate $7M allocation
Summary
Board members spent more than an hour discussing a proposal to use fund balance to help pay for 24/7 staffing at volunteer and municipal fire departments. Commissioners agreed to prioritize staff work on alternatives and a timeline but did not approve the $7 million one-time allocation pressurized by some members.
The Brunswick County Board of Commissioners spent extensive time during its June 16 meeting debating a proposal to increase county support for fire department staffing, including a staff-driven analysis of the cost to provide four paid firefighters on duty 24 hours a day for volunteer and rural departments.
Commissioner Thompson framed the item as a public-safety priority and said a lack of consistent staffing could delay rescues and risk lives: "We are putting people and our citizens at risk by not doing this immediately," he said. Thompson asked staff to calculate costs and recommended a one-time transfer from fund balance of nearly $7 million to bridge departments to a new long-term funding model.
Other commissioners expressed support for addressing fire funding but opposed using fund balance to create new recurring payroll obligations without a long-term revenue plan. "You don't go into your fund balance to pay for what will be recurring funds," one commissioner said, arguing the fund balance is intended for one-time needs and disaster response.
Board members and staff described multiple parallel efforts: staff have been studying alternative funding mechanisms, including a countywide fire tax, fire fee changes and district-based approaches. County staff said they will present alternatives and cost estimates to chiefs, municipal leaders and the board for review. The county manager told the board staff intends to develop several alternatives by late summer and aim for a recommended strategy by the board retreat in January.
No vote to appropriate $7 million was taken at the meeting. Commissioners did not reach consensus on an immediate funding transfer. Several members said they would not support a one-time draw that would create a recurring payroll obligation without clarity on long-term funding.
Commissioners asked staff to make the issue a high priority. The manager said teams from tax, legal and fire administration had already been working on scenarios for months and would continue to develop options. The board and staff agreed to continue work with fire chiefs and municipal partners to craft implementable funding and service-delivery alternatives.
