Jefferson County Clerk’s Office County Police in 2005, to form a new ambulance service for the whole county. Most Jefferson County fire departments are however, the well- known suburban “volunteer” districts under KRS Chapter 75, as separate taxing entities. Until 1964, Jefferson County also had a separate fire service. In recent years, volunteer fire districts have been going to increasingly paid firefighters. This has caused budget concerns and led to the merger of 10 of the original 21 fire districts by this year. A main point of contention is the provision of ambulance services by the districts. A mere fire district may charge 10 cents per $100 in property value but if they have the primary ambulance service in their area, it may go up to 20 cents. The Metro EMS service like Louisville Fire, is One of the most complicated areas of Kentucky’s local government is fire and ambulance services. We in the clerk’s office have several duties regarding fire departments, including collecting their taxes and keeping copies of their board’s minutes. There are several different ways an entity can be organized under the statutes to provide these services, and they vary from place to place. In Jefferson County, we have basically three types of fire departments - the city fire department, under KRS Chapter 95, which is funded from a city’s normal tax base, like Shively; Louisville Metro is also a type of city fire department, but it is funded along with a special Urban Services District tax established in the metro merger in 2002, for just the old city of Louisville area; our Metro Fire Department is the third oldest all-paid staff fire department in the nation. The first fire brigades established in Louisville were in 1780, two years after the city’s creation. The first firehouses in Louisville were volunteers, scattered throughout the city until June 1, 1858, when the city took control and replaced the hand engines with steam engines and paid staff. There were initially 3 fire houses, 65 firefighters, and 23 horses. Louisville Fire also offered an EMS service which was merged with the EMS provided by Jefferson After enjoying all the Derby activities that spring brings to Louisville summer is a time to plan quality family time or a get together with friends. If you are traveling or enjoying our local parks and attractions, take extra precautions to ensure the safety of your family. Limit the use of phones and consider hands-free devices for everyone’s safety. The Election Center, after coming off the 2019 Primary, is already preparing for the General Election to be held on November 5th. The Board of Elections will once again need 2400 Election Officers as in past years. If you would like to be part of the electoral process don’t hesitate to call or fill out the Election Officer online application to see if you qualify. I am always looking for a better way to serve you in all my divisions. If you have any suggestions as to how the Clerk’s Office can better assist you, please do not hesitate to contact us. Don’t forget that you can now save postage and send your comments online through the Jefferson County Clerk’s website. Have a great and enjoyable summer. As always, we look forward to serving you. Bobbie Holsclaw Jefferson County Clerk A Message from the Jefferson County Clerk The Urge to Merge in Fire Districts By: Frank Friday Government Affairs Summer 2019 Continued on page 2