Buncombe County staff outline plan for single fire tax district to spread resources across departments

Buncombe County staff presented a proposal Thursday for a single unincorporated fire tax district intended to equalize funding across local fire departments while preserving existing department operations and elected boards. Staff said the change would create a single rate on property tax bills for unincorporated residents while funds would be allocated to departments to support response standards and contracts.

County staff described response standards the fire chiefs discussed and adopted: for suburban areas, 22 firefighters on scene within 10 minutes 80% of the time; for rural areas, 22 firefighters on scene within 25 minutes 80% of the time; and a baseline of four firefighters on scene within eight minutes 80% of the time for all locations. Staff said the 22-person figure reflects the personnel believed necessary to adequately respond to a…