Agenda 05-19-2026; 8-a - Minutes for April 16, 2026, April 21, 2026, and April 30, 2026

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16 1 Ricky Baker, Chief of the Orange Grove Fire Department, said they currently have an ISO 2 rating of 5. He said lowering it will likely not decrease insurance premiums to homeowners, so 3 they are trying to maintain the rating. He said they want to decrease response time for calls in 4 the area. He said their call volume has increased drastically, especially medical response calls. He 5 said they increase staff during the daytime when many of their volunteer personnel are working. 6 He said they do not have any places for staff to sleep in any of their three stations. He said they 7 are trying to prepare for the future when they might need to staff stations 24 hours. He said the 8 bulk of their personnel are volunteers, but the number of volunteers is decreasing. He said at 9 some point they will have to find a new way of providing services. 10 Commissioner McKee asked if there is additional work planned for Station 1. 11 Ricky Baker said there are needs in the other facilities, but it's not currently planned. 12 Commissioner McKee asked if they plan to staff Stations 1 and 2 at the same time. 13 Ricky Baker said yes, during peak times. He said it will be contingent on the budget. He 14 said the decision will be driven by call volumes. He said they are currently experiencing the most 15 population growth in their fire district, but they are seeing fewer volunteers. 16 17 PUBLIC COMMENTS: 18 Susan Walser asked the Board to delay approving the loan to Orange Grove Fire 19 Department. She said many community members were unaware of the project and described 20 the lack of information on social media or at community events. She said no project details were 21 shared at the July annual meeting notice or at the community breakfast. She said she requested 22 the department's bylaws and said there was no active permit application with the planning 23 department. 24 25 Commissioner McKee explained that he had originally requested the item be pulled from 26 the consent agenda at the prior meeting. He said his concern was not with the fire department's 27 needs but with the precedent being set, as this would be the first time Orange County had made 28 a loan of this kind to a fire district under county auspices. He said he had already been approached 29 by another department inquiring about similar financing, which confirmed his concern about 30 unintended consequences. He said he understands the need for the service and project, but it 31 should have been a policy discussion first. 32 Commissioner Bedford aid she appreciated the additional information and recognized the 33 difficult position volunteer fire departments find themselves in. She supported loaning the funds 34 to Orange Grove Fire Department. She asked Gary Donaldson for more detail on previous 35 requests for fire trucks, ambulances, or other equipment. 36 Gary Donaldson said there is another mechanism under federal statutes for fire 37 departments that are borrowing funds, but it must be approved by the Board. He said that the 38 fire district would likely receive a lower interest rate by borrowing under the county's credit 39 worthiness. 40 Commissioner Bedford thanked Commissioner McKee for clarifying the change in the 41 process. She said it gets the fire district the best interest rate. She said she was prepared to 42 support the motion and offered to attend Orange Grove Fire Department meetings as the 43 commissioner liaison. She urged community members who wanted more engagement with the