Commissioner suggest merger of Pender EMS & Fire under county government

BURGAW, NC (WWAY) — Pender County Commissioner Randy Burton has suggested bringing Pender EMS and Fire under the county’s control.

It’s a process that could integrate more than 250 new employees into the county government.

Pender EMS and Fire is a private, non-profit organization.

They contract with other groups to provide fire and emergency response services.

During a meeting last week, Commission Chair Randy Burton suggested bringing the organization under the county government.

He said the merger could help the county handle the expected increase in population in the coming years.

“We’re the fifth fastest growing county in the country right now and I think with that, fire EMS and law enforcement services are going to have to grow and add as our population and density occurs,” Burton said.

Burton added that another benefit is that residents would know how their tax money is spent by Pender EMS and Fire.

“The taxpayers subsidize fire and EMS services through their tax money. So once that tax money leaves them, it comes to the county and its handed to Pender EMS and Fire and from then, its put to work but that work, no one really knows what that work is.”

Pender EMS and Fire Chief Everett Baysden said the organization would support merging with the county because it could lower the cost of employee benefits.

But he doesn’t understand Burton’s call for better transparency when that has always been important to the organization.

“We spend big money every year for an outside agency to come in and do a thorough audit as required by law,” Baysden said. “And that is turned into the county every year, have never missed a year turning that into the county. So I don’t know what transparency they’re talking about.”

Baysden added that he thinks a merger would not negatively affect the service times for Pender EMS and Fire.

Burton said the county is in discussions right now, with no timetable on when the board might vote on approving a merger of the organization with the county.