Page 3 - The Friday Flyer • July 3, 2015

July 3, 2015 THE FRIDAY FLYER A-3 City declares ‘State of Local Emergency’ . . .
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lack of revenue to pay for public safety. Twice the City asked citizens to approve taxes that would help pay for public safety, and twice the citizens rejected new taxes. Finally, voters did approve the Utility User Tax (UUT), the funds of which will continue to help pay for public safety.
Five years ago, the City looked into forming its own fire department. At that time, there were many supporters who believed the City could run an ef- ficient fire department, with higher level professionals given salaries, along with regular firefighting positions filled by trained volunteers.
A committee made up of volunteer professionals from the community re- searched this option for many months and ultimately determined that a city
(municipal) fire department would cost as much or more than what the City was paying the County for fire services. However, that was before the drastic rise in costs recently imposed by Cal Fire/ Riverside County Fire.
The City released a statement late Tuesday explaining its position. Here are a few key points:
• The City has hired an interim fire chief and has much of the equipment it needs, including an engine, to start a City Fire Department.
• Medical services will be provided by American Medial Response (AMR).
“ Up to this point, the City has stayed relatively quiet about its interactions with the County as the City attempted to work with the County. However, it now desires to “set the record straight and fill in the gaps as to what the County has really been doing to impede the City’s
attempts to ensure that its citizens have adequate fire services.”
• In an effort to work with the Coun- ty’s demands, on three occasions the City held an election for a special tax. The first two were specifically for the purposes of subsidizing fire services. Voters rejected both taxes. Recently the voters did pass a general, temporary utility tax to close its general fund defi- cit, partially due to the increasing costs of fire services. However, that was not enough to meet the differential between the Structural Fire Fund (SFF) property tax and the unexpectedly substantial in- creases demanded by County Fire for the upcoming year.
• Chief Hawkins, the City’s own top fire official, consistently refused to meet with the City’s consultant because he is also the County Fire Chief, the City con- tends. The County has refused to provide
access to any fire officials, including of- ficials compensated with the City’s SFF; instead insisting that the level of service dictated by the County for the City was the only alternative the County would consider.
• The City says, “County’s refusal to provide fire service information and obstruction of the City’s efforts to ob- tain alternative service have prevented the City from securing fire protection and emergency medical services af- ter June 30, 2015. It is difficult, if not impossible, to put a plan in place when the City’s Chief has refused to meet, re- fused to cooperate, and the County has refused to consider an extension, even for transition management.”
• Some citizens have questioned why the City won’t simply pay the County and be done with it. The answer is sim- ple, says the City: It cannot.
City releases statement on fire services contract
The following press release was made available late Tuesday, June 30.
Despite the City’s best efforts, it has not been able to get the County to the table to discuss the ongoing fire ser- vices dispute. The City went so far as to seek judicial intervention to require the County to extend the existing contract between the City and the County and to require the County Fire Chief to work with the City to transition in a City-run fire department.
Unfortunately, all efforts have been unsuccessful, leaving the City no choice but to declare a State of Local Emer- gency and ask that the County or State Offices of Emergency Services step in to provide interim fire services until the City’s fire department is up and fully functional. The City anticipates that process being complete before the end of July.
The City has already retained a new interim Fire Chief. The City also has a majority of the equipment at Station 60, including the fire truck. It is antici- pated that the Station will be adequately staffed within a week. However, a Dec- laration of a State of Local Emergency was necessary to ensure that adequate fire protection is in place while the City- run fire department is fully functional.
The City has also now received a let- ter from the City Council of the City of Lake Elsinore expressing their support of the regional system and standing by their previous actions to authorize calls for service from their stations to serve Canyon Lake, with the appropriate cost recovery, and asserting that the City of Lake Elsinore is willing to entertain any other service options permissible during the transition period.
Medical services (which are a signifi- cant portion of emergency calls by City residents) will remain with the same provider – AMR. City residents will still call 911 for their emergencies and, de- pending on the nature of the call, either
AMR will be dispatched or a fire engine will be.
Up to this point, the City has stayed relatively quiet about its interactions with the County as the City attempted to work with the County. However, it is time to set the record straight with citi- zens and fill in the gaps as to what the County has really been doing to impede the City’s attempts to ensure that its citi- zens have adequate fire services.
Over the course of the relationship, the County transitioned the City from a two-person engine to a three-person en- gine company. This resulted in a tremen- dous increase in costs.
As the then Chief explained in his
October 2006 letter to the City: “All of this would be moot, if funds were not available for an upgrade . . .” He assured Council members at the time that the City would have the ability to obtain a reduction of services if the City’s rev- enue decreased.
Initially, the City could afford the in- crease with surpluses in its Structural Fire Fund Property Tax (“SFF”). Later, the shortfall between SFF revenues and fire expenses were covered with a sub- sidy from the County.
However, the ever-increasing costs (this year’s increase is between 18 and 25 percent in one year), associated with personnel salaries and benefits, became
at Wednesday's City Council meet- ing, it was an- nounced the City has hired former Cal fire chief and veteran indio City Councilman michael Wilson, at left, as the city's temporary fire chief. Council has asked Wilson
to guide the City
in forming its own department. He
is pictured with Canyon Lake mayor Jordan ehrenkranz.
unsustainable, and the City was forced to request a reduction in cost, preferably through a return to the two-person en- gine (as in the City of Calimesa) or by conversion to a paramedic squad only with fire services provided by neigh- boring station as part of the cooperative system.
However, the County steadfastly re- fused to consider any such change and asserted that the language in the Coop- erative Agreement that provides a City with the ability to control costs and ser- vice levels only applies to increasing service levels, not decreasing them.
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the friday flyer
Volume 34 Number 27
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