Commission approves $100,000 EMS training contracts amid fire‑fund equity debate

Shelby County commissioners voted to approve two separate resolutions (Items 19 and 20) to purchase EMS education and training services—one with Dyersburg State Community College and the other with Southwest Tennessee Community College—each in amounts not to exceed $100,000, funded from the county’s fire services enterprise fund.

Commissioner Erica Sugarman, who opposed both items, said she supports the training but objected to using the fire enterprise fund without addressing pay and equity for firefighters serving unincorporated areas. Sugarman cited pay disparities for paramedics in neighboring municipalities and said her constituents pay an extra $35 on their MLGW bills yet receive fewer resources: "I agree with the item, but not with the funding source," she said. County Attorney Megan Smith replied that state law restricts use of the enterprise fund to services provided to the population using the service and confirmed the general fund is not permitted to be used for those fire services because the county department serves only unincorporated areas.

Both items passed: Item 19 passed with 10 ayes and 1 no; Item 20 passed with 9 ayes, 1 no and 1 abstention. Commissioners and staff noted the broader funding challenge for county fire services and suggested future studies or ad hoc workgroups to address long‑term funding disparities.