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Nottoway supervisors debate EMS funding, volunteer valuation and ordinance consolidation
Summary
Emergency services chief Hyde presented safety-audit results and a plan to consolidate fire/EMS ordinances; board members debated costs of replacing volunteers with paid staff, decal/pass-through funding, and creating capital funds for equipment amid consideration of a levy to fund EMS.
Emergency services chief Hyde gave a wide-ranging report that included safety audits, a planned Dec. 22 school reunification drill, mutual-aid discussions, and what he described as a valuation of the county’s volunteer emergency responders.
Hyde said volunteers add significant value: referencing an 85‑volunteer baseline and a salary study average of $65,000, he presented a hypothetical replacement cost in the millions if volunteers were replaced by paid staff. “If we pay them what the average is in the salary study...that is $5,500,000,” he said, then discussed lower-cost scenarios and a narrower staffing proposal: “17 is 1.5 mil,” he told the board when discussing how many paid personnel would be required to provide continuous coverage.
The board also discussed decal revenues and state pass-through funds (for example, 4‑for‑life payments), with finance staff confirming the pass-through money still comes from the state and that FY25 decal receipts totaled about $188,552. Administrative staff and supervisors agreed that ongoing capital needs for trucks and equipment will likely require a dedicated plan in the next budget and that levy proceeds may need re-evaluation to support capital and staffing needs.
Hyde proposed consolidating earlier ordinances into a single emergency-services ordinance to clarify responsibilities and mutual-aid relationships, including language about Fort Pickett that may need future revision. Board members expressed concern about unintended effects on small volunteer departments and discussed incremental staffing options (placing a few paid firefighters at key stations) to preserve volunteer fire departments while stabilizing EMS coverage.
No formal levy vote occurred at the meeting; the board tasked staff to follow up during budget planning and to consider targeted capital funds for equipment purchases.
