Floyd County leaders agree to explore countywide fire territory and unified EMS funding amid state tax changes

Floyd County commissioners and leaders of three township fire boards agreed on Tuesday to pursue a formal exploration of a countywide fire territory and to seek a financial analysis of whether a unified emergency medical services (EMS) model is feasible.

The move comes as state law changes to local income tax distributions — referenced repeatedly in the meeting as Senate Bill 1 — are expected to alter certified local income tax (LIT) shares beginning in 2028, reducing predictable revenue streams that many fire districts currently rely on. Michael Moody, chairman of the Georgetown Township Fire Protection District, said the shift in state policy accelerated local discussions about consolidation. “Starting January 1, the Floyd County Fire Territory will be providing fire protection service to our community,” he said, describing territory formation as the way to secure long-term revenue and service stability.

Diana Topping, Clay County auditor who spoke to the group as an LIT expert, outlined how the new taxing structure will work and warned that detailed planning based on post-2027 LIT amounts is “super risky” because the county council must still adopt rates and because distributions are calculated a year in arrears. She told the meeting that the countywide rate cannot exceed 2.9 percent overall and that the specialty fire/EMS portion is capped and subject to council adoption; she also said locality-based rates could change how much each territory receives.

Commissioner Jason Sarfoie framed the consolidation pitch around efficiency and consistent EMS coverage. He said a unified county EMS could reduce redundancies and produce economies of scale that would benefit taxpayers and improve service, but he and others acknowledged fiscal and operational trade-offs — including pensions, staffing models and whether EMS should be fire-based or run as a separate, civilian EMS division.

Board members voiced concerns about dual-role firefighter/paramedic models and how pensions are handled. Several speakers said they preferred a model in which career EMS professionals handle medical calls and firefighters focus on fire response, while leaving room for cross-deployment in specific circumstances.

After discussion, the Georgetown board voted to continue working with the county and other districts on exploring a Floyd County fire territory (recorded as passing 4–0). Highlander’s board approved a separate motion to pursue a financial analysis to clarify levy impacts and service trade-offs; New Albany Township board members also moved to participate in territory exploration. Commissioners said the next formal step is a fiscal analysis, and they offered to work with county council to fund the study and to provide auditors’ input.

Speakers warned there is a statutory timetable to create a territory if that is the chosen path: multiple meetings with quorums and formal adoption steps are required early in the year to meet deadlines for a territory that might take effect in 2027. County leaders said they will resume structured discussions and that the newly hired consultant will help the boards and commissioners weigh models, costs and operational arrangements.

The meeting concluded with no binding decision to consolidate; instead, boards and commissioners authorized further study and structured meetings to vet funding, staffing, and statutory steps required to pursue a countywide fire territory and unified EMS.