Volunteer fire chiefs tell commissioners staffing, equipment shortfalls behind tax-rate requests

Three volunteer fire districts addressed the board during the budget work session to explain why they requested tax‑rate increases and what the money would pay for.

Swepsonville and 54 East Fire Chief Steve Couturier said his department is operating with five vacancies in a nine‑position department and is requesting a 1.5¢ increase for each of two tax districts to raise starting pay (from about $55,000 to $65,000) and bring part‑time pay to $25/hour. Couturier said the proposed increase would generate roughly $358,000 and help staff a new engine arriving next summer, including equipment estimated at about $225,000. He told the board: "Salary increase from 55,000 starting salary to 65,000 starting salary, for the 9 positions that we have..." and outlined the need to remain competitive for recruits.

Fawcett Fire Chief Austin Mann requested a 3¢ increase aimed at moving the department from a survival posture to an "emergency‑ready model," citing lost tax base from annexations, aging bay doors and needed SCBA replacements (estimated about $200,000). He told commissioners the increase would roughly translate to $30 annually on a $100,000 home and stressed the public‑safety risk of chronically understaffed stations.

Staff provided per‑household impact estimates for average home values and said they would return with more detailed, prioritized line items and ask chiefs to appear at Monday’s meeting for final decisions. Commissioners signaled openness to prioritizing the most critical needs and asked departments to justify the size of each requested increase.