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Photo by Leah Ingram Eagle.
Cahaba Valley Fire District Chief Buddy Wilks speaks to the audience during a public meeting on March 7 at Double Oak Community Church in Mt Laurel.
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Photo courtesy of Cahaba Valley Fire Department.
The Cahaba Valley Fire Department station at Mt Laurel.
Over 14,000 registered voters who live in the Cahaba Valley Fire District had an opportunity to vote on March 21 for changes designed to help stabilize the organization's finances.
This voting ballot consisted of four items. Two passed, while two did not. The top priority was a change to the service charge schedule, in order to offer competitive firefighter pay and provide appropriate staffing levels to meet the community needs and restore previous ambulance services.
Voters approved a $125 increase to residential properties and a 23.5% increase to all other properties, including apartments and commercial. The vote was 818-403. The billing cycle for fire dues will now change to June 1-Sept. 30.
The second ballot item was for a proposed rate increase for fiscal years 2025 through 2028 of an additional 4% above the standard allowed (5%) increase to support and maintain long term sustainability of the fire district. It did not pass, with a vote of 609-735.
“That would [have] helped us develop sustainability and to keep up with inflation and stay ahead of inflation just enough so we're not falling behind immediately as soon as the next year rolls around,” CVFD Capt. Russ Bradley said.
The third item was to support a capital project fee, which was rejected with a vote of 637-698. Cahaba Valley Fire District Chief Buddy Wilks said that would have helped with major needs down the road, and the cost would have been divided between all properties and would have been a maximum of $100 per fiscal year.
The final ballot item was to support ambulance transport billing and establish the appropriate charge for services provided to allow the district to bill for costs not covered by insurance. It passed with a vote of 868-475.
Currently, if someone who is transported by ambulance has insurance, CVFD will bill their insurance company, and the individual is responsible for any costs not covered. For those transported that do not have insurance, the department takes on the cost. Wilks said that revenue from this would be used to support upgrades and maintenance of the department’s cardiac monitors. The district carries 10, and they cost $50,000 each, with an annual maintenance contract of $25,000.
“To our knowledge, only one in the state currently has that practice,” Wilks said. “The wording change to the current fee structure would allow us to pursue those funds from the individual.”
Bradley said since the last vote in 2021, the issues the department was facing have not gone away, specifically the wage gap for their firefighters compared to pay at other departments. Fire districts were not eligible to receive funds from the American Rescue Plan Act, but municipal departments were.
In early 2022, the way those funds could be spent went from capital expenditures to also include firefighter pay. That led to a bidding war across departments, and Bradley said Cahaba Valley employees could go to another nearby department and immediately begin making more money.
“We saw a lot of firefighter pay in the area start increasing dramatically, and we were already on the lower end of the spectrum,” Bradley said. “As a result of that, we saw a significant turnover, especially in our firefighter and paramedic levels — over 30% turnover in 10 months.”
In the weeks leading up to the vote, CVFD held public meetings to inform members about the challenges the district was facing and explain the reasons for the request for fee structure change.
During the meetings, Wilks gave a presentation explaining the district’s needs and how each item in the vote would help meet them, followed by a question-and-answer session.
The coverage area for the CVFD is around 25,000 residents and begins at the McDonald’s by Cahaba Park Circle and apartment complexes along the corridor, Brook Highland, Eagle Point, Griffin Park, Highland Lakes, part of Forest Parks, Dunnavant Valley, The Narrows, Shoal Creek and Mt Laurel.
The district has three fire stations and a total staff of 48 employees. They currently staff 12 firefighters daily, but Bradley said the ideal number is 16. With less staff comes an increase in response times, pulling employees from multiple stations and decreased efficiency, Bradley said.
When more help is needed, CVFD calls on other departments through automatic aid agreements including North Shelby, Chelsea, Birmingham, Hoover, Irondale and Vestavia.
Adjustments made for budget deficits
This vote came 19 months after an August 2021 vote to increase fire dues, which did not pass. Since then, adjustments have been made to keep the department running.
The district began fiscal 2023 with a $100,000 deficit in the budget. Here are some things the district has already done to try to save money:
Cut 12 firefighter positions
Closed the ambulance at the U.S. 280 station
Dropped fire engine staffing from three to two firefighters
Delayed needed improvements to the U.S. 280 fire station, which is over 40 years old and has already undergone multiple renovations
Sold a 2017 ladder truck and used those funds to purchase a 2004 ladder truck and now have zero debt and zero payments.
What’s ahead
There are eight new developments in the district, including six in the Dunnavant Valley community that will bring 1,500 new residents, 486 new homes and 188 apartment units.
“This will bring an increased request for services, along with an increase in commercial property to meet demands of the community,” Wilks said. “The current revenue generated will not meet budget needs.”
Since the district does not have the revenue streams similar to municipalities and is not eligible for ARPA federal grants that municipalities and counties can receive, Wilks said he is looking at other areas for funding, including requests to the county, the governor's office and other types of federal grants.
Cahaba Valley Fire Department 2022 Review
Total calls: 3,803 (an increase of 452)
Emergency medical calls: 2,433 (73% of total calls)
Ambulance transports: 1,135
Motor vehicle accidents: 237
Structure fires: 33
