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Beaufort County fire-district chiefs press for pay increases and note equipment strain as budgets hold millage
Summary
Several Beaufort County fire districts presented FY27 budgets keeping millage steady while seeking higher entry pay, equipment funding and flexible use of reserves; chiefs and council flagged long apparatus lead times and enforcement gaps on burning bans.
Several Beaufort County fire-district chiefs told county council at a May 5 budget workshop that their FY27 plans keep local millage steady but require pay and equipment investments to meet rising call volume.
A Daufuskie Island fire-district representative said the district is maintaining current millage and is relying on increased property values to cover operational demands while focusing on recruitment, training and a step-pay program intended to improve retention. "So basically, we are not raising any taxes. We're just keeping up with growth," the presenter said.
Shelton Fire District asked the council for a 1.1-mil increase and permission to use $86,634 of fund balance to meet a $2.32 million budget that the chief said is driven primarily by salary adjustments. The Shelton presenter said starting pay would rise under the proposal and that the district has lost several firefighters in the past year.
Ladies Island–St. Helena told the council it will hold a 42.7 millage and is proposing a $5,000 increase to its entry-level salary, taking base pay close to $50,000. Bluffton Township said it anticipates no millage increase, is projecting starting pay of $52,800 and has three posted vacancies. Burton (Chief Rowntree) said Burton's budget keeps its current millage (69.1 operations, 3.9 debt) while pursuing a payroll adjustment that would raise starting firefighter pay to about $47,325 as an intermediate step toward a $50,000 target.
All chiefs described equipment pressures: aging ladder trucks, high new-unit prices and long manufacturing lead times. A Daufuskie presenter cited an average ladder-truck price near $2.1 million and described limits on borrowing tied to assessed-value caps; Burton's chief said apparatus lead times have grown to roughly four years.
Chiefs and council members also discussed enforcement and outreach for no-burn orders after a drought-related surge in brush fires. Council members and chiefs noted that county fines are limited and that stronger state forestry tickets exist, and they agreed to pursue better coordinated public messaging (including signs in high-traffic locations) to reach residents who do not use social media.
The council did not take formal votes on fire-district budgets at the workshop. Chair and staff asked chiefs to provide further details to the committee level and encouraged continued coordination on salary ranges and capital plans as the FY27 ordinance moves through finance committee.
