Long Term Funding Needed After Columbia Fire Agreement Approval
Sonora, CA — The Tuolumne County Board of Supervisors voted 5-0 to take over the administrative operations of the Columbia Fire Protection District.
Historically relying on volunteers, which creates response limitations, the department will now have three full-time positions, and cost the county around $2.4 million to operate.
It is similar to an agreement already in place with the Jamestown Fire Protection District. Services will be provided through a cooperative agreement the county has with CAL Fire.
Over the next couple of years, it will be funded by a federal SAFER grant, and the county will need to come up with a longer-term funding plan.
The county will only receive around $65,000 in tax assessment money that currently comes into the Columbia Fire Protection District.
County leaders will also seek a new location for the fire department building, as the current Jackson Street building has its limitations, and the hope is that potential grant funding could become available for that project. It was indicated that possible spots could be near the airport, by the state park, or over by the college.
District One Supervisor David Goldemberg, a former firefighter, stressed, “Even if we got grant funding to get a fire station, and do other things, we still need to figure out how to keep that fire station running.”
Other supervisors stressed the importance of fire protection but also echoed the need to quickly find additional long-term funding for when the SAFER grant expires.
Different funding mechanisms will be reviewed at a future time.
Supervisor Jaron Brandon, who represents the Columbia area, thanked the community, and the many involved, for pushing the fire agreement forward.
Brandon said, “I appreciate it coming to this point. I think it is going to leave our entire county a lot safer. We are covering a service gap and I think we are following through on what we said we are going to do.”
The Columbia Fire Protection District’s Board also approved the agreement with a 3-0 vote last week.
