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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2026-01Town Council Brooks R. Dawson Jeremy L. Clark G. Tyler Clontz TOWN OF PULASKI P.O. Box 660 42 1st Street NW Pulaski, VA 24301 (540) 994-8601 pulaskitown.org William S. Collins, Mayor Todd Day, Town Manager Resolution 2026-01 Sunshine N. Cope Steven W. Erickson Joel B. Burchett Resolution Requesting the Town of Pulaski, Virginia Fire Department to Participate in the Aid to Localities Program WHEREAS, the Aid to Localities Program that provides monies to localities has not been increased since 1995, and has not kept pace with inflation; and, WHEREAS, agencies serving communities at or below the poverty line face greater challenges but receive the same formula as the more affluent communities in Virginia; and, WHEREAS, the rising call volumes, declining human resources, and increasing costs are straining departments statewide, and the current Aid to Localities Program formula does not adequately account for poverty levels or local fiscal stress; and, WHEREAS, the Town of Pulaski has a higher percentage of residents at or below, poverty, meaning there are fewer resources to sustain essential emergency services; and, WHEREAS, the Town of Pulaski Fire Department is increasingly dependent on local tax dollars; and, WHEREAS, the Town of Pulaski also has an above -average fiscal stress index according to the latest report by the Commission on Local Government; and, WHEREAS, without reform to the Aid to Localities Program, communities risk longer response times, unsafe staffing levels, and outdated equipment. NOW, THEREFORE be it RESOLVED, that the Town Council of the Town of Pulaski, Virginia, respectfully requests the General Assembly to: (1) Adopt legislation reforming the Aid to Localities Program funding formula to prioritize the agencies serving communities at, or below, the poverty line; (2) Increase the overall State support Fire/EMS, as recommended by a Virginia Commonwealth University report; (3) Raise the property insurance fee from one (1) percent to two (2) percent over the next biennium to strengthen the Virginia Fire Programs Fund to ensure that localities can purchase training protect equipment and apparatus; (4) Make a new $5 Million PPE Grant Fund permanent to guarantee that all firefighters have basic protective equipment; and (5) Create a targeted "At -Risk Locality" fund to support Jurisdictions struggling most with financial constraints. This resolution is effective upon adoption and is hereby adopted on this 6tn day of January 2026 by the duly recorded vote of the Town Council of Pulaski, Virginia as follows: Jeremy L. Clark- Aye G. Tyler Clontz- Aye Sunshine N. Cope- Aye Steven W. Erickson- Aye Brooks R. Dawson- Aye Joel B. Burchett- Aye Mayor Collins- Absent TO F PUL RGINIA Brooks R. Dawson Vice- Mayor AT ST Oh is C. Hale Clerk of Council TOWN OF PULASKI • OFFICE OF THE TOWN MANAGER • P.O. BOX 660 9 PULASKI, VA 24301 • TEL. 540-994-8601 9 FAX 540 994-8699