Belleview Fire chief outlines operations and contract renewal that would cost Newcastle about $3.37 million

Belleview Fire Chief Dave Tate and fiscal manager Eric Lee told the Newcastle City Council on June 2 that the regional fire contract up for renewal will require council attention and that the department’s work is increasingly medical in nature. "Seventy‑five to 80% of our work is EMS," Chief Tate said, describing staffing, new stations and community programs that aim to reduce repeat 911 calls.

The presentation laid out recent operational changes: Belleview now operates 10 stations, staffed by roughly 289 employees including about 186 firefighter‑EMTs and 34 firefighter‑paramedics, with 52 firefighters on duty each day. The department added Station 10 and Engine 110 to address vertical‑response challenges in taller buildings, expanded a mobile integrated health program (CARES) that dispatches social workers, and placed donated thermal imaging cameras and rescue watercraft into service.

Fiscal manager Eric Lee described the contract accounting and the timeline for renewal. "For 2026 the rates that we're currently paying is $51.8 million, which is a $4.5 million increase over 2025. And so that's a 9.5% increase," Lee said. Using the ILA's weighted community factor (50% calls for service, 37.5% population, 12.5% assessed value), Newcastle's share was shown as 6.5% of the net cost — approximately $3,371,000 under the current draft allocation. Lee said the contract expires Dec. 31, 2027, and city sign‑up is required by Dec. 1, 2026, for another 10‑year term.

Council members pressed for more granular data. Multiple councilors asked whether Newcastle could receive call‑level data (addresses and incident types) to identify repeat non‑emergency calls and to better assess cost drivers. Chief Tate said the department can provide deeper reports and stressed that the CARES/CCAT co‑responder model (a social worker paired with a trained officer) aims to reduce unnecessary ER visits and repeat 911 use. He described a planned third component that would pair a medical provider with social work follow‑up through hospital partnerships.

The council also questioned fee and cost‑recovery policies. Eric Lee confirmed a fee schedule for preventable or nuisance alarms: initial responses are free, escalating to fixed fines and, after repeated incidents, potential charge‑for‑response that could recover actual costs. On overtime and staffing, Chief Tate said the department has been working to recruit to full strength; Belleview reported roughly $4 million in overtime costs this year, of which approximately $1.6 million was linked to state‑mandated leave and backfill. He projected a gradual overtime reduction once new recruits complete the academy, estimating overtime could decline by about $1–1.5 million by year‑end, though some structural overtime related to leave will remain.

Council members and staff discussed next steps: staff will request the additional data noted during the hearing, and the city manager said any proposed changes to the interlocal agreement (ILA) will require concurrence from all six contracting cities, because the current contract covers multiple jurisdictions. The council did not vote on the contract at the meeting; staff said a formal ILA review and potential amendments would return for future consideration.

What happens next: Newcastle staff will ask Belleview for the specified data and refine questions for the ILA before the council considers whether to request changes or accept the proposed terms ahead of the December 2026 sign‑up deadline.