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Water district board adopts $5.85 million Cal Fire contract

Postponing the vote to increase fire equivalent dwelling unit fee will allow the district to review services and poll the community

By Karen Brainard
The San Diego Union-Tribune

RAMONA, Calif. Ramona Municipal Water District directors adopted Cal Fire’s not-to-exceed $5.85 million agreement for fire protection services for the 2016-17 year.

The district has contracted with Cal Fire to staff and manage its three fire stations on a year-to-year basis since 1993. To fund the fire department services, residents pay a fire equivalent dwelling unit (EDU) fee that pays for about half the cost with the remainder covered by property tax revenue.

Earlier in the June 14 meeting, the district’s general manager, David Barnum, told the board that to place a vote before the public asking to increase the annual fire EDU fee would take about 18 months of preparation and approximately $230,000. Barnum gave the estimated timeline in response to board discussion May 10 when Director Joe Zenovic pushed for a ballot measure to raise the fire EDU fee of $188.52 that has been in place since it was established in 1996.

Because the fire EDU is considered a special tax, to increase it requires two-thirds voter approval.

Barnum said the 18-month timeline would include a review of services, polling the community, which could involve a pollster and cost $5,000, and implementing a fire facilities plan to address projected needs.

“Based on that, we can do a rate and fee study — this is what we’ve done with sewer and water,” Barnum said. “It takes about six months. And then another check-in to see if you want to proceed.”

After that, the ballot initiative would be reviewed by legal counsel and the county, which would take about another three months, he said.

Zenovic addressed the estimated 18-month timeline, saying “I think that’s excessively long.” He suggested the timeline and the cost could be trimmed.

Thomas Ace, board president, said the fire ad hoc committee, on which he serves with Director Darrell Beck, has been working diligently to reduce costs and increase revenues wherever possible, and looking at whether to increase the fire EDU.

“We’re very clear there’s not sufficient time to do it this year,” Ace said of a ballot measure, adding there may be an opportunity next year or in 2018.

Cal Fire’s new agreement represents a $100,576 decrease over last year’s budget. Cal Fire Chief Tony Mecham with the San Diego County Fire Authority attributed the decrease to the district’s elimination of a fire marshal battalion chief at the beginning of the year. Fire marshal services are now provided by the fire authority.

Mecham also noted that Cal Fire only bills for actual costs. Last year, Cal Fire presented a $5.95 million agreement, half a million more than the previous year, but the agency is projecting the actual costs for 2015-16 will be about $5.05 million. The agreement funds 29 positions in the fire department.

In other business, the board:

Authorized awarding a contract to Utility Service Co., Inc. for construction of the Poway-Forebay Reservoir Rehabilitation Project in the amount of $315,754;

Authorized awarding a contract for valve replacement projects at state Route 67 intersections at Mussey Grade Road and at Dye Road to M-RAE Engineering Inc. for $277,177;

Adopted a resolution to collect delinquent water charges of $19,099 by placement on the San Diego County property tax rolls; and

Approved the 2015 Urban Water Management Plan, a state requirement that has to be updated every five years.

Copyright 2016 The San Diego Union-Tribune

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