Allen County Council approved the 2027 budget for the new Allen County Fire & EMS District on Monday, Oct. 19, according to 21Alive's reporting of the vote. The district unifies four former fire protection districts and surrounding territory into a single provider for areas of the county outside the Fort Wayne Fire Department's coverage, and it is set to begin operations on Jan. 1, 2027.
The budget packet before the council put total spending at $48,988,990 — $43,295,837 in the general fund and $5,693,153 in the capital fund — supported by a proposed property-tax levy of $38,914,055. Reporting after the vote noted the signed ordinance and itemized vote record had not yet been posted, so the packet figures remain the best available record of the amounts considered.
The district says the budget adds 30 first responders — 20 paramedics and 10 firefighters — to establish an eight-minute emergency response standard countywide, including full paramedic staffing in previously underserved areas such as southeast Allen County. It puts the unified system's cost at about $327,000 more than maintaining the existing fragmented system with basic scheduled wage adjustments.
The local vote covers only the 2027 budget year. The budget next goes to the Indiana Department of Local Government Finance for review, and the district's excess-levy appeal still needs state approval, so the amount the district will ultimately be allowed to raise is not yet settled.
