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Newberry County work session: public safety budget rises, staff proposes $60,000 fire‑service master plan
Summary
County staff presented a $7.87 million public safety division budget — up $373,945 — citing non‑personnel and capital increases. Staff proposed a $60,000 third‑party master plan for fire service, new engines and ambulances, and several small grants to fund radios and equipment.
County staff on Tuesday laid out proposed increases for Newberry County’s public safety budgets and pressed the council to approve studies and capital purchases aimed at modernizing aging emergency equipment.
Luckettone, the staff presenter, said the public safety division’s proposed budget totals $7,866,275 — an increase of $373,945 — and that the rise is “largely attributed to a number of changes in the non personnel and capital sections of the departmental budgets.” He told the council the county had received two small grants — about $35,300 from Dominion Energy and a $35,000 emergency management performance grant — that would pay for batteries for radios, EOC computers and software such as the Rave system used to share caller medical information with 911 dispatchers.
On staffing and long‑range planning, Luckettone recommended the county fund a third‑party master plan for the fire service and said staff received a budgetary quote of about $60,000 for the study. He added the city had tentatively budgeted $20,000 to share the cost. “We reached out, and got a budgetary quote for that. It was around $60,000 to have this study done,” Luckettone said.
Council members pressed staff on specific line items. One member questioned a $125,000 figure tied to medical physicals for rural fire control, saying “a $125,000 for physical sounds crazy,” and asking whether that was a total budget or an increase. Luckettone said he would verify and “double check” whether it represented a $125,000 budget or a $125,000 increase.
The presentation also addressed contracted services and fleet maintenance. Staff said aging fire and EMS vehicles are requiring more off‑site repairs not covered under the Vector contract, prompting council members to discuss whether an in‑house fleet maintenance option should be studied in next year’s budget.
On capital, Luckettone listed major items including a $1,000,000 budget for a new fire engine for the Friendly Fire Department, $260,000 for air packs and ongoing bunker gear replacement. He also described EMS capital requests totaling $1,100,000 for two ambulances, which staff said are replacements for vehicles above mileage thresholds.
The presentation did not include a final council vote on the requests; staff said the figures would be refined and that some costs would be shared or offset by grants. The council asked staff to verify disputed line items and to return any clarifications at a future regular session.
