The Crescent Springs-Villa Hills Fire Department is getting financial help to hire eight full-time employees after Kenton County approved its rate hike request.
On Jan. 23, the Kenton County Fiscal Court approved the Crescent Springs-Villa Hills Fire Department’s request to increase fire and ambulance service fees for residents of the aforementioned cities and unincorporated Kenton County, which the department serves.
“This is because of services you provide in the unincorporated areas in addition to what you already do with those two cities — Villa Hills and Crescent Springs and the geographic outline set by the state,” Kenton County Judge/Executive Kris Knochelmann said.
Crescent Springs and Villa Hills operate a joint fire department that serves both jurisdictions, as well as nearby land in unincorporated Kenton County. To fund the department, Villa Hills covers 60% of the costs, while Crescent Springs covers the remaining 40%.
On Dec. 18, Crescent Springs-Villa Hills Fire Chief Jeff Wendt sent a letter to the fiscal court outlining the department’s wish to request an increase of the annual fire and ambulance services subscriber fee from $1.15/$1,000 to $1.72/$1,000.
In the letter, Wendt attributed the need for a fee hike to growth in the department’s coverage area and said they needed to hire eight new full-time employees to fill in the gap. Currently, the department’s staff is comprised of part-time employees and volunteers.
“It has become nearly impossible to find part-time employees that are willing to provide this service,” Wendt wrote in the letter.
On Dec. 8, the Villa Hills City Council discussed a provision for their 2025 fiscal year budget that would allow for the hiring of four full-time medics and four full-time firefighters. The new crew would be supplemented by part-time employees and volunteers.
The current staffing model of the Crescent Springs-Villa Hills Fire Department allows part-time employees to cover shifts. Wendt, however, said this was unsustainable.
“This solely is on the fact we had to hire eight firefighters/paramedics for staffing,” Wendt said during the meeting. “We’re not gonna be able to get it done with part-time anymore.”