How to resolve AdBlock issue? The board met Tuesday evening at Station 50 in downtown Lakeport.
On May 7, the district held a special all-mail ballot for Measure M, forecast to bring in a beginning total of $1.2 million annually.
The district decided to move forward with the measure after having to lay off three full-time firefighters as part of the current fiscal year budget, accepted in September, as Lake County News has reported.
The early Measure M election returns, which included a tally of nearly 1,900 ballots, showed the measure receiving 74 percent of the vote. It needs a supermajority of 66.7 percent to go into effect.
Last week, an update from the Registrar of Voters Office said it has 438 ballots yet to count, including those which had been postmarked by the election date and arrived at the Registrar of Voters Office by last Friday.
The Registrar of Voters Office has 30 days from the election to conduct the official canvass, at the end of which it will certify the election results.
District Board Chair John Whitehead thanked firefighters’ union members for their efforts to advocate for Measure M.
Firefighter/paramedic Spencer Johnson said the result is a “big weight off of everyone's shoulders.”
“The level of support apparently shown by the community speaks a lot and I think you guys should be proud of that,” District Board member Alan Flora told the firefighters, noting that Measure M had higher numbers in support of it than fire measures in other parts of the county in recent years.
Engineer Dan Kane said the firefighters were humbled by that support.
While the results so far look promising for the district, if the measure does pass, it will be nearly a year before the proceeds begin to arrive. In the meantime, there are budgeting needs for the current fiscal year that have to be addressed while district board members prepare to consider the new fiscal year budget at the meeting next month.
On Tuesday, in an effort to make sure the district can meet its obligations, the board passed a resolution authorizing the appropriation of up to $200,000 from a reserve fund in order to close out the end of the fiscal year, which runs through June 30.
Mandi Huff, the district’s administrative assistant, said much of the anticipated expenditures are to cover overtime and staffing, as well as the dispatch contract with Cal Fire.
The district has some other possibilities to help its financial picture, including a federal grant that could help it rehire laid-off firefighters.
Chief Rich Bergem said Linda Hedstrom, who wrote the grant for the district, has followed up with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which told her that the district remains in the running for the grant. Announcements are expected in early July.
One potential action that the district board discussed again and once more decided to table was the possible sale of the Finley fire station. It hasn’t been used as a fire station in decades and currently houses the operations of the Clearlake Gleaners’ food bank.
The district’s considerations have included keeping the building and making it a volunteer-staffed station, with an engine stationed there, which Bergem said would lower insurance rates for businesses in Finley and at the nearby Lampson Field airport.
Whitehead restated his opposition to selling the Finley station, noting he would be willing to reconsider it in the future of the district got a new fire station.
Flora said that, at some point, the district board needs to have a discussion about all of the stations, explaining that they have three but only use one.
He said he’s not supportive of letting the building sit and have maintenance costs pile up, adding he thought it is a win-win to use it as a volunteer station.
Board members agreed with Bergem that with Measure M’s apparent passage, it takes the pressure off to make a decision about the station.
Bergem said that if Measure M does indeed pass, he wants to create a five-year plan for the district, and that he would like to see investment in Station 52, located in north Lakeport.
Firefighters raise concerns about dispatch contract
Another main item of discussion on Tuesday was the dispatch contract which Lake County fire districts as a group hold with Cal Fire.
Johnson and Kane both told the board during the meeting about their many concerns with Cal Fire’s performance, with Johnson adding that they’ve not been impressed with the contract since it began last year.
Bergem said he’s been part of meetings with Cal Fire in which an agency representative said they wanted to resolve the issues on the contract, which is in effect until June 2020.
“It's out there that we are dissatisfied,” said Bergem.
Bergem said he has met with Sheriff Brian Martin and County Administrative Officer Carol Huchingson about the option of returning to a contract with the Lake County Sheriff’s Office Central Dispatch. He said he had a positive reception. “They would like to have us back.”
Some of the problems mentioned at Tuesday’s meeting by firefighting personnel include being sent to the wrong locations. In one instance, Kane said they were dispatched to Beach Lane in Lakeport for a medical call.
When they received no answer at the door, Kane said he was preparing to break in when Cal Fire canceled Lakeport Fire’s response because the actual location was Beach Lane in Nice.
Kane said such misdirected dispatches have happened time and again, and it “really scares me to death.” He said they never had such issues with Central Dispatch.
Bergem said Sheriff Martin gave a rough estimate of $60,000 to take on dispatch for Lakeport Fire, which is close to what it previously cost the district.
Huff told Lake County News that the Cal Fire contract cost is determined on a per-call basis, and runs about $15,000 a quarter. She said it’s possible the district could save some money if it went back to the county.
Flora pointed out that Lakeport Fire needs to give Cal Fire a one-year written notice – due by July 1 – if it wants to pull out of the contract.
Whitehead said he wanted Bergem to contact other chiefs about the concerns. Flora said the district needed to document its problems in order to take them to Cal Fire and make a decision.
Flora said he also didn’t want to upset other districts by pulling out, explaining that a lot of them have been picking up the slack for Lakeport Fire due to its staffing issues.
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