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Salisbury warns it may shift away from county fire model if funding cuts stand
Summary
At the May 11 budget work session, representatives and observers said Salisbury's mayor told county leaders the city could begin a transition away from the county model if the county funds the city at $2.3 million rather than higher requested levels; the exchange heightened tensions over the county'city fire agreement.
Representatives and observers at a May 11 Wicomico County budget work session said Salisbury's mayor, Randy Taylor, warned that if the county funds Salisbury at the $2.3 million level proposed in the county executive's budget the city would spend the next year helping the county transition to a different fire-service model.
Guest commentators said the mayor told county leaders he and the city were prepared to be "gracious and educative" but that the city would not continue subsidizing services at current levels if the county did not provide more funding. A city official quoted on the record said: "If you don't wanna pay for it, it's fine. We'll help you transition to another model. But this year, it ends. This is it."
Observers on the program said the comment reflected long-running friction between Salisbury and the county over fire and EMS funding. Participants also noted that county per-capita spending on fire and EMS (reported by a presenter as about $110 per capita) is lower than in neighboring counties, where figures of $180 to more than $300 per capita were cited for comparison.
Speakers emphasized the constraints facing both the city and county. Several guests said it would be difficult and expensive for the county to build an independent county fire service, and they urged collaboration to avoid service disruptions. One suggested moving to multi-year agreements (three-year terms) to reduce annual budget-year confrontations.
The May 11 session produced debate but no final decision on funding levels or contract length; staff said additional hearings were scheduled and the issue is likely to resurface as the council considers the final budget.
