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Local fire chiefs tell commissioners recruitment, pay and a thin tax base drive budget pressures
Summary
Tramway and other department chiefs told commissioners recruitment, low pay and lack of commercial tax base drive local funding needs; one chief said his department has been the lowest-funded for 42 years and listed challenges competing for lateral hires.
Chad Deal, who identified himself as Tramway fire chief, told commissioners that public hearings typically draw only outraged citizens and described the recruitment and pay challenges his department faces. He said he cannot compete with lateral-hire offers in neighboring municipalities that advertise larger starting salaries and municipality benefits, and asked county officials to meet with his board to discuss the department's needs.
David Nance, a chief with 44 years in fire service and 21 years as a fire chief, said his department has been the lowest-funded in the county for 42 years and reported approximately 40–41 members. Nance said his department's budget increase is driven by overall costs, not increased paid staffing, and warned that unified tax proposals would change how tax burdens are distributed across districts.
