To: Board of Supervisors
From: Supervisor Steve Madrone
Agenda Section: Initiated by Board Member
Vote Requirement: Majority
SUBJECT:
title
Approve a General Fund Allocation of $10,000 to Conduct Fire Services Scoping Study and Provide Funding for Orick Volunteer Fire Department (Supervisor Madrone)
end
RECOMMENDATION(S):
Recommendation
That the Board of Supervisors:
1. Approve a General Fund Allocation of $5,000 from the Forester and Warden Budget Unit (1100-281) for a Deposit on a Fire Services Scoping Study to be Administered by the Local Agency Formation Commission; and
2. Approve a General Fund Allocation of $5,000 from Budget Unit 1100-281 for Orick Volunteer Fire Department for fire service within Community Service Area (CSA) #4; and
3. Direct staff to return with a supplemental budget to effectuate the Board’s order.
Body
SOURCE OF FUNDING:
General Fund (1100-281)
DISCUSSION:
A special study is needed to develop an increased understanding of potential strategies for providing the best possible fire and rescue services to the residents and visitors of CSA#4, including Westhaven, the City of Trinidad and the Trinidad Rancheria and identify potential impacts of service modifications on the Orick Volunteer Fire Department to the north and the Arcata Fire Protection District to the south. An initial deposit of $5,000 from each of the three entities most impacted, the City of Trinidad, the Trinidad Rancheria and the County of Humboldt, as the governing body of CSA#4, will support an initial planning and scoping phase, with the understanding that additional funding will need to be contributed when it is clear what the study will include and how much outside planning services will need to be procured. A letter from the Local Agency Formation Committee (LAFCO) detailing the services that will be provided with this deposit is attached hereto as Attachment 1.
The Orick Volunteer Fire Department (OVFD)provides mutual aid outside of its jurisdiction and to the benefit of property owners within CSA#4. The request for $5,000 is to aid the fire department with its ongoing operations. The fire department submitted a letter (Attachment 2) detailing their request.
The request before your Board is to contribute the requested funds from the County of Humboldt’s Forester and Warden budget unit, which is the budget unit used to record funding received from property assessments in the CSA#4 boundaries and General Fund contributions, as well as the expense of fire service for the jurisdictional boundary. This request would decrease the estimated CalFire expense by $10,000 to allow funding to be spent for the fire services study and OVFD.
Accordingly, before your Board today is a request to approve an additional General Fund allocation of $10,000. Should your Board support this request, staff should further be directed to return with a supplemental budget to effectuate the Board’s order.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
|
Expenditures (1100-281) |
Fiscal Year 2023-2024 |
|
Additional Spending Requested |
$10,000 |
|
Total Expenditures |
$10,000 |
|
Funding Sources (1100-281) |
Fiscal Year 2023-2024 |
|
General Fund |
$10,000 |
|
Total Funding Sources |
$10,000 |
*Projected amounts are estimates and are subject to change.
The request would authorize an additional General Fund allocation of $10,000 to be paid to LAFCO for the deposit for a fire services study and to OVFD for ongoing operations. Staff will return at a later date with a supplemental budget to effectuate the Board’s order through a transfer from contingencies, which currently has an available balance of $1,057,785.
STAFFING IMPACT:
The recommended action will not impact current staffing levels, other than the time required to prepare the supplemental budget.
STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK:
The recommended action supports the following areas of the Board of Supervisors’ Strategic Framework:
Core Roles: Protect vulnerable populations
New Initiatives: Build interjurisdictional and regional cooperation
Strategic Plan: N/A
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
City of Trinidad; Trinidad Rancheria; CalFire; LAFCO
ALTERNATIVES TO STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS:
The Board may deny the request or direct staff to identify other funding sources for this request. Should your Board deny the request, these funds will remain in the fund balance of the General Fund.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. LAFCO Letter
2. OVFD Letter
PREVIOUS ACTION/REFERRAL:
Board Order No.: N/A
Meeting of: N/A
File No.: N/A