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Commissioners debate shifting volunteer fire department run pool into larger fixed allocations
Summary
Commissioners considered eliminating run‑pool payments and boosting fixed annual support for volunteer fire departments to $70,000 each (8 departments total ~$560,000), citing rising insurance and operating costs and to simplify bookkeeping and audits.
The court held an extended discussion about how to fund volunteer fire departments, with commissioners proposing eliminating per‑run payments and consolidating funds into a larger fixed‑cost allocation. Commissioner Tellez (by reference in the discussion) proposed increasing the fixed cost to $70,000 per department and rolling the run pool into that fixed allocation; the judge said splitting the combined pool would give each department a consistent amount and reduce recurring disputes over run counts.
Supporters said the change would help smaller departments address rising insurance and fixed costs; some commissioners argued for keeping differential run‑based payments to account for departments with higher call volumes. The court did not finalize a permanent policy but tentatively agreed to a $560,000 fixed allocation for initial budget purposes and directed staff to inventory fuel storage at VFD stations and audit radio counts for BBWAC billing.
