In a 4-3 vote, the Vance County Board of Commissioners voted to increase funding of the Bear Pond Volunteer Fire Department by $10,000 in response to a fiscal crisis.
The commissioners made the increased funds available because of a concern voiced by Bear Pond VFD Board President Steve Lyles that the non-profit organization would be forced to “turn over its keys” to the county because of an inability to make its mortgage payment.
According to paperwork submitted to the county by Lyles, the financial crisis was brought on because mortgage balloon payments on a new facility increased to $3,800 from $2,400 and because the department did not receive an increase in funding as it has in all previous years since the fire tax was instituted.
According to Lyles, the VFD was solvent at the time it entered into the mortgage to build its new $600,000 facility.
After Lyles made initial remarks to the commission, Commissioner Deborah Brown suggested that the decision be deferred until the section of the meeting that deals with committee reports, as the Public Safety Committee had already made a recommendation.
Lyles’ request was fifth on the agenda. Committee Reports and Recommendations was the ninth item. About ten volunteer fire fighters from several departments were present in the audience during this part of the meeting.
It was, however, the consensus of the board to move the Public Safety Committee up on the agenda in order to consider it after Lyles’ remarks.
County Manager Jerry Ayscue commented that because of a concern by the Public Safety Committee to keep the emergency expenditure within the county’s fire tax fund, $10,000 would be diverted from the Golden Belt Fire District’s $30,000 capital outlay it was due to receive this year.
Only one Vance fire department receives the $30,000 capital outlay yearly as it is distributed on a rotating basis to each department.
Commissioner Scott Hughes remarked that the reallocation of funds was a “temporary fix”, and that there might be “serious changes” when the county gets its new fire marshal.
Fire Chief Danny Wilkerson currently heads up both the county and City of Henderson departments. The county plans to terminate that relationship in favor of its own chief as recommended in a fire and emergency medical services study conducted in 2007.
Brown told members that she wants funds apportioned to the volunteer departments based on the number of 911 calls they receive. She noted that members of the commission want to wait until the new fire marshal takes over to do that. She told members that she feels if the board goes outside the already budgeted funding that “we’re opening a can of worms”.
Brown expressed that she did not have a problem with Bear Pond “giving us the keys” to their facility.
Stating that the county could go back to the budget and look at how funds are distributed, she said, “We need to stop putting out fires.”
It is presumed she meant that the county needs to stop dealing with immediate financial crises.
Hughes countered that the county had “changed things” under the assumption that the volunteer fire departments could work together. He said that he would not fund the Kerr Lake Volunteer Fire Department at $48,000 before they had answered a single call while closing down the busiest volunteer department (Bear Pond).
“The object is to make the whole system work,” Hughes said.
County Commission Chair Dan Brummitt noted that without Bear Pond, many Vance citizens would not be served with fire protection. He said that he believed that consensus could be achieved, but that there was a need to get Bear Pond through the current crisis.
Brown asked why the volunteer fire departments could not be directed to solve the problem. Brummitt responded that the commission has the “budget responsibility”.
“We’re moving funds around and working together,” Brummitt said.
Commissioner Terry Garrison asked if there was any way to determine of any other VFDs were facing a crisis. Brummitt responded that there are none.
Member Danny Wright pointed out that the recommendation to reallocate the $10,000 from the Golden Belt’s capital outlay was supported by Wilkerson.
He also noted that the busiest volunteer department would be getting at total of $58,000. He characterized the amount as “not lavish”.
Brown advocated that the board get the necessary supporting documents from Bear Pond. Brummitt told her that the Public Safety Committee had already reviewed two years’ worth of financial documents from the department.
The motion to grant the department additional funds was in the end opposed by Brown and Commissioners Tim Pegram and Eddie Wright.