The only clarity out of the recent debate on San Benito County’s contracted fire service is that officials involved with the decision did a poor job of explaining the proposed arrangements from Calfire and Hollister.
San Benito County supervisors in early April indicated support for contracting with the City of Hollister over Calfire, which has provided county services for nearly 60 years. The board’s prior 3-2 vote, however, was reversed when Supervisor Robert Rivas changed his stance at a May 8 meeting in rejecting the Hollister deal. A week later, he officially supported talks with Calfire.
It is an all but sure thing that San Benito County will extend its deal with Calfire, probably for one year. The decision itself appears to make a lot of sense at this point – Calfire’s current deal expires at the end of the fiscal year June 30 – and it would allow officials on all sides of the debate to take a deep breath and find a way to move forward in the fashion that offers the best, most efficient service for local residents.
Despite questions over the motive – Councilman Doug Emerson accused Supervisor Robert Rivas’s brother and adviser Rick of leveraging the board member’s vote, in trying to get a San Juan town hall meeting canceled – Rivas’s stated reasoning follows a logical path. County officials would have been taking far too steep of a risk in contracting with Hollister because the city’s financial stability depends on approval of the Measure T tax extension on the November ballot. The county, after all, has its own shaky budget and more than $5 million deficit to manage. It just isn’t the right time to undertake a major structural transformation – such moving the entire fire operation into the hands of the city – and add a significant county stake to the Hollister’s less-than-solid financial standing. Â
While the county was on a pressing, self-created deadline to make a decision, officials failed to properly study the proposals’ offerings and clearly present them to the public. At a time when there are fewer dollars and a greater need to spend wisely, the debate over public safety became a political circus.
The public deserves a more narrowly focused explanation of their investment. That means county officials, when this comes up again, must lay out a series of maps correlating to the alternatives from Calfire and Hollister, along with refined details such as varying response times and how auto-aid and other matters will be addressed.
Once Hollister voters make the call on the sales tax extension, the city will have a better handle on its financial future. Until then, the county would be wise to learn from this mess and take a more responsible approach next time around.
