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Volunteer department leaders and residents urge Roane County to rethink funding formula
Summary
A speaker testified that South Roane County volunteer fire department carries heavier workload and higher costs than other departments and asked commissioners to provide funding proportional to workload rather than equal allocations; commissioners acknowledged concerns.
A public commenter asked the Roane County Commission to reconsider how the county funds volunteer fire departments, saying equal allocations do not reflect differing service demands.
"South Roane County volunteer fire department is asked to do more than most," Nancy Curtis told the commission, outlining greater response areas, more equipment and higher maintenance and insurance costs. She said the department has discontinued some services such as lift assists and that $72,000 a year is not sufficient to maintain multiple stations and apparatus.
Curtis urged commissioners to fund departments proportionally to workload and risk, saying inadequate funding forces difficult choices that can affect response times and firefighter safety. "When funding does not match workload, it forces difficult choices ... that puts their health at risk," she said.
Commissioners debated the claim briefly and one commissioner corrected a factual point regarding a prior meeting. No budget vote altering fire department funding was recorded in the meeting; commissioners asked staff and the fire board for additional information and data to evaluate comparative workload and cost differences among departments.
The commission did not adopt changes to funding during the meeting but noted the concern and requested follow‑up analysis.
