Title
Chief Administrative Office, in collaboration with the Jurisdictional Reorganization Ad Hoc Committee, recommending the Board authorize staff to perform a baseline analysis of Georgetown Divide fire and emergency medical services to help address fiscal and operational challenges for fire districts located in the Georgetown Divide area.
FUNDING: General Fund.
Body
DISCUSSION / BACKGROUND
Background
Fire and emergency medical (non-transport) services in El Dorado County are delivered by 12 independent special districts and the City of South Lake Tahoe. Revenues and service levels vary across districts, and following the implementation of Proposition 13 there have been discussions about how to ensure the fire service in the County is sustainable into the future. While the County does not have direct responsibility for the provision of fire protection services, the Board of Supervisors has engaged in various efforts to support the fire districts over the years. In the early 2000s, the County provided General Fund financial support to several districts with the lowest property tax shares, a program known as “Aid to Fire.” This program was discontinued, with the recognition that the year-to-year funding to individual districts was not sustainable for the County financially and it was not addressing the structural issues facing the fire service. A countywide, system-wide perspective would be needed and any assistance from the County should support increased coordination and efficiency.
The 2017-18 Grand Jury issued a report that recommended consolidation of districts and further recommended that the County lead such an effort. The Board of Supervisors’ response agreed that consolidation should be considered as one of the potential options for bolstering the fire service, but stopped short of adopting the recommendation that the Board direct creation of a plan to consolidate districts. This was based on consistent feedback from the districts indicating they fe...
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