On Wednesday, the Canyon Lake City Council will discuss the possible establishment of a City of Canyon Lake Fire Department and take one of the following actions:
- Enter into a Cooperative Agreement between the city and the county for fire protection, fire prevention, rescue, fire marshal, and medical emergency services for the period covering July 1, 2021, through June 30, 2022.
2. Adopt Resolution 2020-45, finding that it would be in the public interest to establish a City of Canyon Lake fire department.
The cost of the city’s contract with the county for fire protection services has been challenging for many years. Revenue generated by property taxes, sales tax, and the utility users tax has not kept up with the drastic cost increases for fire protection.
Many options have been explored over the years, including contracting with another municipality instead of with the county, forming a fire department under a Joint Powers Authority with neighboring cities, and closing Station 60 and paying a reduced fee to be serviced by fire stations located in surrounding jurisdictions.
As the current council and staff researched the issue over the past 18 months, it became evident that the most realistic alternative to contracting with the county would likely be the formation of a municipal fire department.
In September 2019, the council authorized staff to engage a consultant to lead the process of putting a new fire department in place.
Through subsequent discussions between staff and council members assigned to the Fire Ad Hoc Committee, it was determined that prior to moving forward with an implementation plan the city should first update and expand on the feasibility study that was conducted by Emergency Services Consulting Incorporated (ESCI) in 2016.
In December 2019, the council authorized the city manager to enter into a contract with ESCI to produce an updated and more detailed feasibility analysis to include an implementation plan for the start-up and ongoing operation of a city fire department.
In July 2020, ESCI presented the completed analysis to the council; however, after a review of the analysis, the council felt that more information was needed in order to be in a position to make a fully informed decision.
Over the past few months, the Fire Ad Hoc Committee and city staff have worked with the county supervisor, the county executive office, the county fire chief, and other municipalities to acquire the need information.
The Fire Ad HOC Committee and city staff believe that they now have adequate information in order for the council to decide whether or not to pursue the establishment of a municipal fire department.
On Wednesday, November 4, the city manager will give an in-depth presentation of this information during the City Council meeting.
Following the presentation, the council will discuss the matter and direct the city manager to either continue the practice of contracting with the county for fire protection services or to initiate the process of forming a city fire department.
Wednesday’s city council meeting will be held virtually on Zoom at 6:30 p.m. The agenda is posted on the city’s website.
The Council Chamber will be closed to the public; however, the public may observe the meeting on Spectrum channel 29, Frontier FIOS channel 39, and on the city’s website at www.canyonlakeca.gov/live.
Members of the public may comment electronically by sending an email prior to the meeting or during the meeting to [email protected]. The city clerk will read the comment submissions into the record during the “Public Comments” portion of the agenda, provided that such comments are no longer than 250 words and include the agenda item number and the name of the person submitting the comment.
