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Commissioners press staff for a plan to fund and stabilize volunteer fire services
Summary
Following testimony from fire chiefs and residents, commissioners asked staff to produce analysis and draft funding alternatives for fire services, aiming for stakeholder engagement and draft tax-rate options before November and a recommendation by January.
A standing-room public comment segment made fire-service funding a central issue at the July 21 meeting as department leaders and residents outlined staffing shortfalls and operational strain.
Charles Drew, president of the Brunswick County Fire Chiefs Association and fire chief at Southport Fire Department, asked that the Fire Chiefs Association be involved in deliberations and that any funding approach be collaborative across municipal and volunteer departments. "A collaborative effort of nonprofit departments, municipal departments with the mayors, the county commissioners, and the citizens of this county will be needed," he said.
Resident Jennifer Gates said the board recently declined a proposed $6.8 million subsidy that would have supported personnel funding for multiple departments and criticized delaying tactics: "The solution was on the table, and you still voted no," she told commissioners.
County staff outlined a planning schedule to analyze options — including varying tax/district models and potential fire taxes — with stakeholder discussions aimed at initial alternatives by October, draft plans before Thanksgiving, and a final recommendation by the board—s January goals retreat. Staff emphasized the intent is not to create a county-run fire department but to explore funding models that ensure consistent protection across the county.
Commissioners raised practical constraints repeatedly: recruiting and retaining certified firefighters in a market where neighboring jurisdictions offer higher pay; the risk of overcommitting mutual-aid resources that would leave local areas under-covered; and the political challenges of any tax or district reconfiguration. Several commissioners called the proposed timeline ambitious and urged thorough stakeholder engagement so the final product is implementable.
What happens next: Staff will perform statistical analyses, engage fire chiefs and municipal leaders, prepare alternative funding and tax-rate scenarios and report back with draft proposals and fiscal modeling in the months ahead.
