Letter: Officials show contempt for Hollister firefighters

A political controversy has been swirling around the Hollister fire contract and triggering of a termination clause in the contract between Hollister, the County and San Juan Bautista. Two elected officials are at the center of this political drama. 

Supervisor Kollin Kosmicki and Hollister Councilmember Rolan Resendiz created a spectacle with wild claims of fiscal mismanagement, laying off firefighters and claiming Hollister is going bankrupt. None of these things are true. This event was just another in a series of orchestrated attempts to target certain councilmembers and distort information with the intention to discredit. This is disappointing and distracting for those who want to focus on city business, and creates division. 

One of the worst side effects of this news story was misinformation the fire contracts had been terminated leaving San Juan Bautista and the county with no fire service at the height of fire season. Sounding alarm bells and panicking residents to gain political points is just wrong. 

I have spent the past few weeks attempting to reassure residents who were very concerned they had no fire protection, or were worried Hollister is going bankrupt. 

To reiterate and put the false information to rest:

• San Juan Bautista and San Benito County will have fire support throughout 2024.
• The termination notice gives 270-days (9 months!) for parties to reach agreement on new terms—if they decide instead to part ways. That would not occur until March 2025.
• There have been NO discussions by city council of laying off firefighters or any staff.

• Hollister is not going bankrupt—our city manager and staff have been working hard clearing up outstanding issues from previous administrations, and doing a review of all contracts and accounts to improve our fiscal processes. This contract was flagged as part of that review due to its inequitable cost-share that forces Hollister to subsidize the cost of fire services each year for the county and San Juan Bautista

Here is a basic timeline preceding the triggering of the termination clause:

• Our new city manager and staff began performing reviews of contracts and accounts. The fire contract was reviewed last year as part of that process.

• After the inequity was brought to light at last year’s budget cycle, the city manager reached out and had conversations with both San Juan Bautista city manager and the chief administrative officer (CAO) of the county.
• Despite the desire for renegotiation and a fairer cost-split, progress to bring parties to the table did not move forward.
• At the May 9, 2024 city council meeting, the fire department gave a budget presentation, and again city council expressed concerns over the inequity of the contract, and the fact Hollister has been subsidizing the two other agencies in an amount in the millions each year, which is unfair for our residents.
• The outreach to the county CAO received no reply. A preliminary response was received by San Juan Bautista’s city manager indicating a desire to work on the issue. At our June 18, 2024 meeting, it was decided to move ahead triggering the termination clause and sending the notices.
• This started a 270-day clock ticking, during which the parties can come to the table to work together on a new agreement. No termination will occur unless the parties do not reach an agreement—and then it would not take effect until March 2025.

Regrettably, Supervisor Kosmicki has continued this negative political rhetoric. Under the guise of clearing up misinformation and presenting facts, he published a scathing opinion piece in the Free Lance. Below are responses to some of those claims.

The supervisor’s assertion the city is reneging on the fire contract is incorrect. The council is adhering to the contract by activating the termination clause, which is part of that agreement.

Despite the claim this decision was sudden and politically motivated, Supervisor Kosmicki seems unaware the matter had been discussed by city council since last year, or that discussions took place between his county CAO and our city manager. His statement is not based in fact, but rather supposition and opinion.

His opinion that the fire budget is out of control is ill-informed. Inflation, increasing wildfires, new equipment and vehicles, plus hiring additional needed staff have caused necessary increases to the budget. It was identified in a recent San Benito Grand Jury Report that our Fire Department was understaffed, which is why we hired five new firefighters last year. 

We also purchased a new fire truck, a major expense. While these things have increased costs, it is not out of control spending, and for city council the safety of residents is a top priority.

The disdain Supervisor Kosmicki has shown for Hollister, the city council and our dedicated administrative staff is disheartening. He has disrespected our entire fire department with his accusations the fire department’s budget is out of control. This is unacceptable. 

While discussions regarding costs are appropriate during contract negotiations, making unsubstantiated claims and presenting personal opinions as facts is not only unhelpful, but creates division between agencies and anxiety in the community.

I am asking both Supervisor Kosmicki and Councilmember Resendiz to set aside their politics and understand it is in the best interest of our residents that all three agencies work together in a more collaborative manner to create a new and more equitable fire contract to carry us into the future. If successful, it can serve as a model for other shared service agreements we will be negotiating, create transparency and accountability, and benefit our entire community.

Mia Casey

Mayor of Hollister