BRUNSWICK COUNTY – Bald Head Island has requested Brunswick County commissioners allot the village an additional $74,500 for its rescue fund in the upcoming fiscal year.
“The $188,000 request a 65 percent increase over last year’s $113,500 award is based on personnel costs for the island’s five full-time public safety employees and general expenses,” Bald Head Island Mayor Pro Tempore Kit Adcock recently told commissioners.
“They’re all fully trained in safety, fire, EMS and now in water rescue,” she said. “We have considerable personnel expense in order to accommodate all those certifications and continuing education for those certifications.”
Bald Head Island Mayor Andrew Sayre reiterated that since the island is in a remote location, the village takes on a number of responsibilities, including public safety. He said the island contributes enough money to Brunswick County every year through property and sales taxes while using very few county services.
“We feel it’s fair for them to work towards making the scales a little bit more balanced,” he said.
“The problem with granting Bald Head Island additional money,” Commissioner Randy Thompson said during the June 6 commissioners meeting, “is many municipalities have implemented fire fees to support their public safety budgets. Additional costs come from municipal budgets,” he said.
“Bald Head Island receives $75,000 annually from the county for its fire fund, an amount that was established years ago for the island due to its isolated location,” Adcock said.
The requested amount for the Bald Head’s fire fund remained the same this year, though Adcock said the village is willing to consider looking into enacting a fire fee per Thompson’s suggestion.
“Bald Head Island has been receiving dollars to support your program because there’s some uniqueness there with getting you additional aid,” Thompson said. “But keep in mind as we do move forward that you re always provided with the opportunity to participate in the fire fee program, so that would generate additional dollars for the town that could go directly for public safety regardless of whether we give you additional dollars or not.”
Brunswick County fire fees are based on building size and support local fire departments within each district that implements them. A majority of districts in the county implement fire fees.
Reporter Makenzie Holland can be reached at 910-343-2371 or Makenzie.Holland@StarNewsOnline.com
