HERCULES — The Rodeo-Hercules Fire District could be dissolved in under a year — a change enthusiastically backed by district firefighters but protested by some residents — after the special district’s directors and the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors agreed to move forward with annexation into Contra Costa Fire District.
A final vote on whether the Rodeo-Hercules Fire District will become part of ConFire will take place Nov. 12 after district directors and the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors, which provides oversight over ConFire, both voted to send an application for annexation to the Local Agency Formation Commission.
“I will leave much more comfortable knowing the firefighters as well as the community will be well served,” said Supervisor Federal Glover, who will retire at the end of his term this December after 23 years in the role.
Both bodies said the decision is meant to benefit district residents by giving current RHFD employees access to existing ConFire resources from training opportunities to a greater number of staff. All current RHFD employees except for interim Fire Chief Rebecca Ramirez will have the choice to join ConFire if annexation is allowed.
Officials have argued annexation would also bring financial stability to the district which is estimated to bring in revenue of $10 million to $12.3 million between 2024 and 2030, while spending $10 million to $13.3 million over the same timeframe, officials said. RHFD has only $7 million in reserves and about $12 million in unfunded pension liability. If annexation occurs, those reserve funds would be used to pay down pension liabilities.
“We’ve spent tens of thousands of dollars of your money to study this,” RHFD Director Steve Hill said during a July 31 meeting. “We studied it. We studied it again. We’ve done everything I believe that our residents have asked us to do over the last several years, and then some. We’ve spent time and money on things that we knew never had a hope of paying off but we did it anyway because we didn’t want anyone to accuse us of not turning over every possible stone. We’ve been at this a long time.”
The agency employs 23 people across two fire stations and dates back to 1937, when it was known as the Rodeo Fire District. It annexed Hercules in the late 1970s as the population in the city known for its dynamite plant began to explode.
Still, the move toward annexation has faced pushback from district residents and members on the Measure O Oversight Committee, a body of five residents tasked with monitoring the spending of a parcel tax approved by RHFD voters in 2016 to support the district’s two fire stations.
Three members of the oversight committee — Elizabeth Genai, Maureen Brennan and Tara Shaia — submitted resignation letters to the board of directors in late July, citing the annexation process and what they described as disrespectful, vitriolic treatment of Brennan.
Brennan has staunchly opposed annexation, asserting the district has a stable financial footing that could be strengthened by reviewing potential grant opportunities and investigating whether the district has lost out on funds from a tax on the Phillips 66 refinery. Brennan and others have also argued the district and its residents will be ignored within the larger ConFire system, given that its oversight is provided by the county.
“We have lost the confidence of this annexation-driven board, as they have lost sight of a multitude of public concerns. Our voice no longer matters, and in fact is ridiculed,” Brennan wrote in her resignation letter.
Two RHFD directors agreed, at least in part, with some of the concerns raised. Director Charles Davidson said he isn’t against annexation but couldn’t vote in favor of the move because he still had questions regarding district budgeting and finances. Vice Chair Marie Bowman also voted against submitting the annexation application, arguing residents should get to vote on the measure.
Those opposed to annexation can file protests with LAFCo, ahed of the Nov. 12 vote, officials said. If written protest statements are submitted by at least 25 percent of registered voters or at least 25 percent of landowners owning at least 25 percent of assessed property within RHFD’s jurisdiction, an election will be held on the matter, according to LAFCo’s procedures for processing boundary changes. The application would be thrown out if at least 50 percent of registered voters file protests.
If annexation is approved, a change backed by RHFD employees, ConFire Chief Lewis Broschard said the target date for completing the transition is July 1, 2025.
“This is us saying how can we make our community safer, how can we keep our firefighters safer,” Supervisor Diane Burgis during an Aug. 6 meeting. “For those not happy about this, we are all invested in making sure you are getting the best services you can get and you’re going to benefit from the region getting stronger.”
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Source: www.mercurynews.com