CA Union Feels 'Betrayed' Over Fire Station Renovation Funding

Jun. 18—A debate over how to fund upgrades for Ross Valley fire stations has upset firefighters and officials.

"As a group, we feel betrayed," said Oscar Arenas, a Ross Valley fire captain and president of the department's union. "It's pretty much a slap in our face."

The discontentment came after a vote Wednesday when two Ross representatives on the eight-member fire board blocked a plan to use $800,000 in reserves to support the renovations.

The Ross Valley Fire Department is a consolidated department serving Ross, San Anselmo, Sleepy Hollow and Fairfax. The board comprises representatives of each jurisdiction.

According to the joint powers authority agreement, or JPA, any use of reserve funds above 3% of the operating budget requires a unanimous vote of the board. The $800,000 request equals about 6.24%.

Ross members Elizabeth Brekhus and Beach Kuhl said there are provisions in the agreement stipulating that the maintenance of each station is the responsibility of the member jurisdiction, not the department. The provisions say the department's budget "should not include cost of replacement or reconstruction of any fire station owned by one of the members."

"These are not optional provisions," Brekhus said in an email on Friday. Brekhus said in order to use the reserve funds for the proposed projects, the agreement would have to be amended.

She said the town pays a percentage of the fire department's budget, and the $800,000 allocation would mean that $186,000 of Ross expenditures would be used.

"Director Beach Kuhl and I did not agree to violate the JPA and use the reserves for this purpose because it is not allowed in the JPA, it sets a bad precedent and it would be a gift of public funds," Brekhus said.

Station 18 in Ross is scheduled to close when the town moves forward with its multimillion dollar renovation of its Town Hall campus. The fire station was removed from the renovation plan in 2021 because of costs.

The projects at Station 19 in San Anselmo, Station 20 in Sleepy Hollow and Station 21 in Fairfax have been proposed partly to accommodate the staff that will be moving in from the Ross station.

Once Station 18 closes, the department will be able to have three firefighters on each engine, rather than two, the department said.

"We have no intention of interfering with the firefighters or with developing a system for there to be three firefighters on each truck," Kuhl said. "We just believe that using this particular set of reserves to update the stations isn't the right use."

The improvements include separate dormitories and bathrooms, kitchen remodels and other upgrades.

The fire board was asked to approve $200,000 toward the Sleepy Hollow station, $300,000 for San Anselmo and $300,000 for Fairfax.

Arenas said the proposal was justified because the firefighters earned those dollars.

Over the past five years, the department's reserves have increased because of payments made through the California Fire Assistance Agreement. The payments are made every time Ross firefighters join teams to fight out-of-county fires throughout the state.

About $1.05 million in revenue has come through the program, according to the department. It has helped the reserve fund grow to $2.7 million.

The San Anselmo station was built in 1976, and the other two stations are over 50 years old, according to the department.

"We wanted to do something good with these funds and reinvest them in our fire departments," Arenas said.

The other board members who voted in favor of the plan were also upset.

"This is our responsibility," said Steve Burdo, a board member and San Anselmo mayor. "We need to make these improvements and most of these are due to impacts of the closure of Station 18 in Ross."

"I am disappointed we didn't reach a consensus," said Stephanie Hellman, the board president and a Fairfax Town Council member.

"I believe the broader community agrees the station upgrades are urgent and critical given the importance of the services the firefighters provide," Hellman said. "Our conversations will continue and I am hopeful we'll reach a resolution that offers adequate resources and decent conditions for our fire department."

The board directed staff to propose an alternative where they could use reserve funds below 3% to avoid triggering the unanimous vote requirement. Burdo said members proposed drawing from the reserve over consecutive meetings.

Brekhus said she thinks the proposal "is a clear violation of the JPA."

"I am extremely disappointed that Board members think this is a good idea and I do not believe that it is even legal," Brekhus wrote.

The board expects to call a special meeting to consider options before the end of June.

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