Defuniak Springs asks Walton County for fire funding as commissioners press for specifics; airport easement approved to protect grant timeline
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Summary
City officials from Defuniak Springs asked Walton County for help funding Phoenix Springs fire services — a potential $125,000–$900,000 annual gap — while commissioners questioned the city’s 95% CRA TIF allocation and urged a completed fire-assessment before committing funds. Separately, the board approved an airport easement to preserve $10.98M in grants for hangar construction.
Defuniak Springs city officials asked the Walton County Board of County Commissioners on Feb. 26 for county assistance to sustain or expand local fire services, while county commissioners pressed the city for concrete numbers and changes to local spending priorities.
City Manager Coby Townsend told the board Phoenix Springs Fire Department responded to 10,170 calls from 2021–2025, including 4,430 mutual‑aid calls outside city limits, and that the department’s FY2026 budget is $1,900,000. Townsend said a consultant will model a non‑ad valorem fire assessment to cover future debt and operating costs; the city's estimate of additional county funding ranged broadly from $125,000 to $900,000 annually depending on future decisions about apparatus, personnel and facilities.
Several commissioners urged the city to present the consultant’s assessment before the county commits funds. Several speakers criticized the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA), pointing to a 95% TIF allocation and a $1.1 million city contribution to the CRA trust fund. Council members and commissioners clashed over whether CRA dollars should be reprioritized for fire services; city council members said CRA projects include infrastructure (alley/utility replacement) and the council recently denied a bond issuance that would have funded some CRA projects.
During discussion Commissioner Drake proposed an exchange: the county would accept three proposed right‑of‑way abandonments (the alley behind Thriftway, North 6th Street from US 90 to Toledo Avenue, and an alley next to a district office) in return for the airport easement and a $125,000 cash consideration. County staff clarified abandonments are statutory processes requiring notice and that some parcels may already be abandoned; commissioners withdrew an immediate vote to allow verification and further negotiation.
Townsend also outlined a time-sensitive airport project: three corporate hangars (two ~6,000 sq ft, one ~10,000 sq ft), access road and apron, a $10,980,000 project funded partly by $4,229,000 in Triumph funds, a $3,051,550 'job growth' grant awarded by governor’s office, and $2,400,000 in FDOT prior-year work plan funds. Because design and grant timelines require access to the property, the board authorized the airport easement to avoid jeopardizing the grants, though some commissioners sought more neighborhood impact and traffic information before finalizing any broader land swap.
The board unanimously approved an instruction for county engineers to perform a Walton Road traffic needs assessment in response to multiple new residential developments and the school district office on Walton Road. Commissioners also clarified the county’s existing funding to other fire districts (Liberty/Argyle) and that South Walton Fire District’s regular fire services are funded by ad valorem taxes (the board approved a separate EMS services agreement worth $947,284).
