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Residents and former county attorney press council on county fire-service reimbursement
Summary
Multiple public commenters urged Salisbury officials to press the county for higher reimbursement for fire services; one commenter cited a department SWOT analysis that he said shows the city should receive about $5 million and urged a letter of support to the county executive and council.
Several residents urged the Salisbury City Council to prioritize the unresolved fire-service reimbursement agreement with Wicomico County during public comment on June 22.
Joe Venosa, who identified himself as a District 3 resident, said a SWOT analysis by Chief Frampton "lays out that the city should be getting at least $5,000,000" for fire services that the city provides to portions of the county. Venosa asked the council and administration to craft a letter of support to the county executive and council to present a unified city position before elections could change county representation.
Robert Taylor, a city resident and former county council attorney, echoed the concern and said the county executive’s budget proposal reduced fire reimbursement by about $1,000,000 compared with the current year; Taylor urged the city to press county officials and to survey county council candidates about the issue.
Speakers framed the issue as fiscal and structural: Salisbury provides police, sewer, water and streets that the county does not, and residents asked the council to advocate for a disparity grant, tax differential or direct rebate. Councilmembers acknowledged the comments but did not take formal legislative action at the meeting; the public record shows the matter has been under discussion for several years and may require negotiation with county leadership.
