Hollister City Council members Monday night approved the final piece to the puzzle on a long-discussed fire contract involving Hollister, San Benito County and San Juan Bautista.
Four council members present – Councilmay Ray Friend was absent – unanimously approved the San Juan Bautista portion of the agreement.
“This is the last part of the work that was done by the Hollister Fire Department, San Benito County and the City of San Juan Bautista to work together as a group, to pull resources together and provide better services and help save agencies some money,” Hollister Mayor Ignacio Velazquez said at the council meeting.
The Hollister-led agreement calls for adding a fire station in north county and making use of up to 80 reserve or volunteer firefighters to man four stations in the county, including one that San Juan Bautista’s city council has agreed to build with funding from the Mission City.
With the approval, which was a formality, the agreement is set to take effect June 23.
Interim Fire Chief Mike O’Connor briefed council members and introduced San Juan Bautista City Manager Roger Grimsley.
Grimsley mentioned that construction crews, following the Hollister approval, were ready to get started immediately on necessary renovations to the San Juan Bautista Fire Department.
“We fully support it and are committed to make this agreement work,” Grimsley said. “I’m very confident that I think everybody pulling together is going to make it work.”
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