Hardy volunteers tell Franklin County supervisors funding has lapsed since 2019

Don Bertier, speaking for Hardy Volunteer Fire Company, told the Franklin County Board of Supervisors that pages in the proposed budget showed no planned county allocation to Hardy since 2019 and asked for transparency and restoration of support. "As shown in the budget book, there's not been any planned allocation for Hardy in recent years. In fact, there's been nothing since 2019," Bertier said, and asked the board to either restore funding or tell the company what it must do to regain support.

Bertier described the company’s long volunteer history serving the area, noted his family’s local involvement and said the station fills important public-safety roles that are closer to some residents than other stations. He urged the board to ensure volunteers feel valued and to restore the line-item in the budget he said previously existed.

The public-comment period did not include an on-the-record staff response to that request; the chair closed the hearing and directed no immediate action on the floor. The concern raised by Bertier will require follow-up with county staff to confirm the budget presentation and whether previously noted allocations were removed, reallocated or handled through another funding mechanism.