Talking Rock held a public hearing on the proposed fiscal year 2026 budget starting at 06:30, where residents asked the town to restore a prior $3,000 annual allotment for the volunteer fire department and to establish an emergency fund to cover flood damage and other urgent repairs.

A long-time resident (Speaker 2) told the council the draft budget includes no allotment for the volunteer fire department and asked that the $3,000 annual payment previously provided "be put... back in the budget." The resident said volunteers and fundraisers supplied labor and materials when the town building was refurbished and asserted that volunteers "put... $4,050,000 dollars in this side of the building alone." The resident also said some community members took out a personal $25,000 loan decades ago to complete part of the work and volunteered to search town minutes (which they said go back to 1996) to find the vote authorizing the $3,000 allotment.

Mayor (Speaker 1) acknowledged the volunteers' work and said the council "won't be using town funds for the fire department. It's a county fire department," while also expressing concern about volunteers paying for fuel and supplies out of pocket and promising to "speak to Chief Prather" and review records to determine any outstanding needs. A second resident (Speaker 3) suggested coordinating a fundraiser to help offset equipment or supply shortfalls.

Why this matters: Volunteer fire departments often rely on a mix of county funding, local support and fundraising for day-to-day costs and equipment. Residents told the council they continue to rely on local volunteer response for fires and that perceived shortfalls in equipment funding could affect service. The mayor said staff will investigate funding records and consult the fire chief, but no formal motion or vote to allocate funds or change the budget was recorded during the hearing.

Key details raised during public comment included the requested reinstatement of a $3,000 annual allotment for the volunteer fire department, a proposal to create an emergency/flood-repair fund, the resident's claim that volunteers contributed roughly $4,050,000 in work and materials to part of the building, a cited $150,000 county allocation to the new county fire building (described by a resident as mainly for exterior work), and a past personal loan of $25,000 used to complete building work. The mayor asked staff to verify whether volunteers still are using personal funds for fuel or supplies and to review historical minutes to confirm any prior council vote.

No formal council action or vote was taken during the hearing. The mayor recessed the hearing for a 10-minute break and said the council would follow up by checking records and speaking with the fire chief about identified needs.

Quotes from the hearing include the resident's request that the town "put... [the $3,000] back in the budget" and the resident's assertion that volunteers "put... $4,050,000 dollars in this side of the building alone." The mayor said, "We won't be using town funds for the fire department. It's a county fire department," and added that he would contact Chief Prather to determine whether volunteers are using personal funds for fuel or supplies.

Next steps: The mayor said staff would review the town's minutes and financial records for the prior authorization of the $3,000 allotment and would consult Chief Prather to identify specific needs; residents suggested fundraising as an additional option. The hearing was recessed for a short break with no decision made on budget allocations.