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Commissioners revise Fire & Rescue Loan Fund policy and approve $2M county loan for Hollywood Volunteer Rescue Squad
Summary
The board approved updates to the Fire & Rescue Loan Fund policy — raising the recommended fund target to $10 million and adjusting building/apparatus allocation to 60/40 — and authorized a one‑time exception to allocate $2 million in county funding and $1 million in general obligation bond funds to Hollywood Volunteer Rescue Squad; commissioners also approved $500,000 GOB for the 7th District firehouse.
County finance staff presented updates to the Fire & Rescue Loan Fund policy, noting the document had not been substantially updated since 1998. The proposed revisions include raising the recommended fund level to $10 million, changing the recommended split of resources for building versus apparatus from 50/50 to 60/40, clarifying sequencing for bond issuance (buildings first, then land, then apparatus), and formalizing a loan review subcommittee.
Finance staff called attention to language about interest rates for loans funded with county bonds and asked for clarifications during discussion. The board debated whether to apply an additional 0.5 percentage point to loans funded by bonds and clarified the policy text so that bond funds would bear the bond rate and any county funds included would incur the 0.5% administrative fee where applicable.
Commissioners also considered a request tied to Hollywood Volunteer Rescue Squad’s planned renovation project (estimated around $3.5 million). After staff and the squad’s representative confirmed the squad has repaid prior apparatus loans and currently has no county loans outstanding, commissioners approved a motion making a policy exception for the project: allocate $2,000,000 in county loan funding and $1,000,000 from a general obligation bond to Hollywood Volunteer Rescue Squad, and allocate $500,000 in GOB funding to the 7th District fire department, with staff directed to update loan documents accordingly.
Finance staff reported that the county’s forfeiture fund currently contains just over $365,000 and that the sheriff’s office proposed using up to $250,000 of forfeiture funds should a DOJ COPS grant be awarded for a mobile command vehicle (a separate action approved earlier in the meeting). Hollywood Volunteer Rescue Squad’s representative said the increased loan terms would be manageable and that the squad anticipates continuing fundraising to cover equipment needs such as replacement Lucas devices.
The board approved the policy changes as modified and directed staff to update associated documents; the approval included the special exceptions described above.
