Eight years ago, the results of a study validated what many business and county leaders already believed to be true: Consolidating the 13 fire departments in Volusia into one large operation could save taxpayers millions and provide a higher level of service in the long run.
Government-minded leaders with the Halifax Civic League were so encouraged by what the study showed they hoped a change was soon on the horizon.
“Let’s not let (this study) sit on a shelf and collect dust,” Kent Sharples, then the group’s chairman before he became leader of the CEO Business Alliance, said in early 2011.
The issue was then placed on a shelf, where it sat for years until County Chair Ed Kelley and Volusia County Councilman Ben Johnson blew off the dust, in a manner of speaking, by bringing the issue up at the March 19 council meeting.