In a pivotal meeting on June 24, 2025, the New Castle County Council addressed critical financial challenges facing the county's fire service. The council discussed the findings of a recent facet study that revealed significant financial stress among the county's 21 fire companies, primarily due to a dwindling pool of volunteer firefighters. This trend has forced many companies to rely increasingly on paid staff, leading to heightened operational costs.

To mitigate this financial strain, the council proposed a one-time ordinance to allocate $3 million from the general fund tax stabilization reserve. This funding aims to support salary and benefit costs for both full-time and part-time employees across eligible fire companies. Each company will be required to enter a memorandum of agreement, ensuring accountability and transparency in the use of these funds. The council emphasized that this measure is a stopgap solution while they work towards a more sustainable financial strategy for the fire service.

Council members expressed a mix of support and concern regarding the ordinance. Some praised the initiative as a necessary step to uphold essential fire and ambulance services, while others cautioned against creating a dependency on county funding without addressing the underlying issues. Councilman Carter highlighted the need for fire companies to also seek support from state resources, noting that the county is not legally obligated to fund fire services.

The council's discussions also touched on the importance of transparency and accountability in how the funds will be distributed. Members agreed that future funding requests would be subject to public meetings and require a simple majority vote for approval, ensuring that the process remains open to scrutiny.

In addition to the fire service funding, the council also discussed amendments to the county code regarding tax exemptions for the elderly, disabled, and veterans. This ordinance aims to streamline the process for school tax exemptions, which had been complicated by previous legislative changes.

As the council moves forward, the focus will remain on finding long-term solutions to stabilize the fire service financially while ensuring that the needs of the community are met. The approval of the $3 million funding is seen as a crucial first step in addressing the immediate challenges faced by the fire companies, but council members acknowledged that ongoing dialogue and collaboration will be essential in the months ahead.