A contracted consultant for the Pender County fire and EMS consolidation presented a progress update to commissioners on Nov. 3 and said the process is proceeding on the schedule aimed at a July 1, 2026 merger date.

Chief Greg Grayson, representing the consultant team, told the board the transition team includes representatives of the county, the local EMS and fire organizations and outside technical specialists. The team has developed a memorandum of understanding outlining key issues and priorities, and has compiled a 16-topic task list covering areas such as human resources, operations, finance, GIS and legal review. The consultant said many tasks are complete or in motion, and others will continue during the pre-merger and post-merger periods.

A critical near-term focus is personnel and benefits modeling. The consultant said reliable, employee-level modeling (salaries, insurance elections, retirement, leave balances) is required to produce a credible budget projection for the merged organization; that modeling is underway and will inform the FY27 budget process. The transition team also plans legal review of draft definitive agreements and scheduled meetings among counsel; the consultant noted the definitive agreement is typically finalized late in the process and will be legally binding.

Consultant Grayson said the team has engaged subject experts as needed (for example, state firemarshal staff for technical code issues) and will continue to track tasks, report progress and bring outstanding items to the county for decision. He asked the board to continue to support the transition team and to direct staff to keep the commissioners informed of major milestones as the group moves toward final agreements and budget recommendations.

Commissioners thanked the consultant for the update and said they view the merger as a strategic process that must be carefully executed. Several commissioners praised the consultant team as experienced and urged continued communication to keep employees and the public informed. Grayson said the team would bring legal drafts to counsel and continue work on personnel cost modeling and operating budgets.

No formal action or vote on the merger was taken at the Nov. 3 meeting; the presentation was informational and the consultant described next steps and key tasks to be completed during the transition.