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Residents and council press Wicomico leaders on fire, EMS funding; committee to review fire-service agreement
Summary
Public commenters and council members raised concerns that Wicomico County underfunds fire and EMS, urged reimbursement tied to call volume, and the council said a committee will work with the executive and chiefs to review data and negotiate a fire-service agreement.
Several residents told the Wicomico County Council on May 27 that fire and emergency medical services appear to be underfunded compared with neighboring counties and urged changes to how volunteer companies are reimbursed.
"We spend per capita $110 on fire and EMS and the next closest county was $180," said Joe Scafino of Salisbury, asserting the county is roughly 38% below neighboring per-capita spending. Scafino and others suggested that volunteer stations with higher call volumes should receive larger reimbursements rather than a flat per-station amount, arguing that equal flat payments leave busier stations struggling.
Robert Taylor, identifying himself as a county resident, said discussions at recent work sessions included a ‘‘banded’’ payment proposal to tie funding to call volume and warned that proposed tipping-fee changes could create operating shortfalls. "We're going to run out of money," Taylor said, summarizing a finance director estimate that some tipping-fee scenarios could leave the county hundreds of thousands to more than a million dollars short on operating revenue.
Council members acknowledged the concerns and described plans to form a committee to review emergency-services data and the fire-service agreement. One council speaker said the fire-service agreement is negotiated by the executive branch with input from chiefs and that a committee meeting with executive staff and chiefs should begin within the next two months to evaluate funding needs and present recommendations to the council.
No formal funding decisions were made during the special session; the council approved a procedural resolution to extend the budget-adoption deadline to June 15, which gives members additional time to consider potential changes before final appropriation.
