WALHALLA — If all goes as planned, Oconee County will spend more than $3.5 million on emergency services, which include rural fire, hazardous materials and rescue, this year.

If that seems like a lot, it’s actually less than the $3.8 million that was budgeted in 2007-2008.

Throw in $2.5 million spent in 2006-2007 and the county’s three-year cash outlay for emergency services presses the $10 million threshold.

When County Administrator Dale Surrett presented his proposed budget to County Council in April, he noted that nearly $1.9 million had been trimmed for Emergency Services Director Rodney Burdette’s budget request.

“I just think it has grown enough at this point in time,” Surrett said then.

Council only added $13,000 to the budget before approving it last month.

Budget numbers reflect the creation of a department over two years that now has 17 employees — 10 more than two years ago — and a payroll of more than $1 million.

By comparison, six years ago, when the county had 11,000 fewer people, Oconee spent $1.65 million on all emergency needs.

When now County Council Chairman George Blanchard, acting as Public Safety Committee chair, called rural firemen together two years ago to outline development of the new department, he said the goals were twofold — to enhance the safety of all firefighters and to lower ISO ratings across the county.

Arguably, safety has been improved through enhanced training and by a considerable investment in new equipment. ISO ratings, however, are virtually unchanged.

The new department has been criticized by rural fire proponents for snubbing those largely volunteer agencies, for adding more employees than it said it would and for usurping much of the funding the county has provided. While those claims are debatable, budget numbers also suggest that far more assets are being funneled to municipal and rural departments than was the case two years ago.

Funding the new agency has required, not only the use of cash reserves (Nearly $1 million was transferred last year.) but also prompted the establishment of a special tax district consisting of all unincorporated property in the county. The levy on that property will be 2.9 mills for the second consecutive year, providing $1.2 million in additional taxes for the department.

As was the case last year, the lion’s share will go to municipal departments for fire protection outside their own jurisdictions. Last year, Seneca received $272,000; Westminster, $106,400; and Walhalla $79,000. This year, the departments are budgeted to receive $276,544, $109,877 and $83,242, respectively, for a total of $469,663. That compares to $375,563 two years ago.

Last year, the county spent $90,000 of the new millage to retrofit two fire stations so that new, full-time firefighters can be housed in those facilities.

Also last year, $112,000 was given to 14 rural departments. This year, the budget calls for $190,000 in grants for 17 departments and another $165,000 in grants for 11 squads.

The second largest outlay from the special tax fund last year was a $386,000 payment for turnout gear ($46,000), self-contained breathing units ($290,000) and improved communications equipment ($50,000), most of which went to rural departments. That payment will be repeated the next three years.

The special district tax fund also pays nearly $186,000 in salaries for three firefighters and their overtime, certifications and fringe benefits. That number, however, pales next to the $857,251 in the county’s general fund budget for emergency services salaries and fringes.

Those wages represent 39 percent of the additional (over and above the $1.2 million from the special tax district) $2.2 million that will be spent on emergency service this year.

And, while those salaries have been the subject of considerable public consternation, it again must be noted that much of the remainder of that budget will be shared with rural departments.

For instance, the second biggest outlay for the department is $200,000 for small equipment, $190,000 of which will be shared with all 19 departments in the county. There is also $120,000 in the budget for “volunteer compensation,” a previously unbudgeted item and $50,000 for equipment maintenance, including $8,000 for testing 51 pumpers countywide. There is also $30,000 for training and seminars, including $7,500 for CPR training for 300 emergency workers and $85,000 for physicals for all firefighters, rescue squad and dive team members.

There are other central operating costs in the budget such as $48,000 for uniforms, $60,000 for a couple of rescue vehicles, $45,000 for fuel, $22,000 for operating supplies and $2,000 for dues.