Beaufort County wants to update laws governing Burton, Lady's Island-St. Helena fire districts
Editor's note: This story was updated Feb. 4, 2016, to include comments from Lady's Island-St. Helena Fire District chairman Gordon Bowers.
Beaufort County is trying to bring two fire districts operating under outdated laws up to speed, a possible precursor to a renewed talks of consolidation.
Chiefs and commissioners from Burton Fire District and Lady's Island-St. Helena Fire District want time to consider the process for bringing the districts officially under County Council control and what the change might mean for area residents. State law creating the districts in the early 1970s defined them as volunteer organizations and capped their ability to tax.
"We're certainly not operating anywhere near that," County Councilman Jerry Stewart said Wednesday. "... All we're trying to do now is get everybody under the same charter and functioning legally, if you will."
Lady’s Island-St. Helena chairman Gordon Bowers said state law allows special-purpose districts to increase millage with approval from County Council, noting that council has approved the fire district’s budget each year since 1978. The outdated language regarding volunteers is true for many of the state’s fire districts, Bowers added.He said a quick fix would be a state law giving special-purpose districts the ability to hire, train and pay firefighters.
Stewart's executive committee considered a resolution in December asking Beaufort County's legislative delegation to help bring the county's fire districts under the same oversight. The delegation's position on similar issues has been to cede control to County Council, state Sen. Tom Davis told the executive committee, as it did with the County Transportation Committee.
The General Assembly usually bends to local delegation on such matters and if area lawmakers are in agreement, the process could move quickly, Davis noted. Davis said Wednesday he isn't aware of any talk among local delegates on the issue.
Bluffton Township, Sheldon and Daufuskie currently operate under County Council control. County officials are wary of the term consolidation but say there is an opportunity to look at potential cost savings if all of the districts are under the same governance.
"We have had those conversations," deputy county administrator Josh Gruber told the executive committee. "But before that can become reality, there are a number of procedural and administrative hurdles that would take coordination from fire districts and staff before we could get there."
Commission chairmen and chiefs from each district met recently to talk about the resolution and to seek legal advice, Burton chairman Gary Bright said. He said he plans to meet with Lady's Island-St. Helena chairman Gordon Bowers for proactive talks about possible consolidation, though nothing is imminent.
"Is this something that's going to happen in the near future? Probably not," Bright said. "If it does come up, we owe it to our citizens to take a hard look at it."
Burton and Lady's Island-St. Helena's five-member commissions set district policy, hire chiefs and serve as the go-between for taxpayers and the department, Bright said. The chief presents a budget to the commission and the plan is ultimately approved by council.
Bringing the districts under the same county charter would do little to change the way they operate, county officials have said.
The outdated wording of the districts' enabling legislation is similar to others throughout the state and departments have grown appropriately with their communities, Lady's Island-St. Helena Fire Chief Bruce Kline told the executive committee.
Kline noted that talks of a merger have been going on decades and aren't necessarily bad, but that fire officials would need direction from County Council as to the look of restructured operations.
"We want to do what's right for the citizens we are obligated to protect," Kline said.
Stewart told Kline that consolidation talk is premature.
"All we're talking about is bringing it into compliance with the charter we are functioning under today," Stewart said. "Whether we're slightly out of compliance or way out of compliance, we can discuss that point. But nevertheless, we are out of compliance."
Follow reporter Stephen Fastenau on Twitter at twitter.com/IPBG_Stephen.
Related content:
- Larger question to be answered on fire districts, Jan. 24, 2013
- Proposal would let county administrator hire, fire local fire chiefs, Jan. 21, 2013
This story was originally published February 3, 2016 at 5:36 PM with the headline "Beaufort County wants to update laws governing Burton, Lady's Island-St. Helena fire districts."