[{"_1":2,"_74":-5,"_75":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":56,"_73":56},"mediaId",6575423,"mediaKeyId","3105435-1b6f534ee3259711a0f0ff44e819655b","parentId",3105435,"title","Hollister council directs staff to pursue unified terms, seeks short negotiation window and one‑time payment from partners on fire contracts","audioSeconds",7609,"startMs",189000,"endMs",7798000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3105435-1b6f534ee3259711a0f0ff44e819655b&start=189&end=7798","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3105435-1b6f534ee3259711a0f0ff44e819655b/thumbnail_189000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6575423/Hollister-City/San-Benito-County/California/Hollister-council-directs-staff-to-pursue-unified-terms-seeks-short-negotiation-window-and-onetime-payment-from-partners-on-fire-contracts","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6575423-d55fd9c8a5a3bafade4815168f9be8e3/orig.mp4?Expires=1771206619&Signature=R8e35zbIKfJ9wW-zYnL-yRPc4tto0BFuVqsE4L8Kfd1N2D0CrKWqKbk8P9hxEw3KZ0CYDH9UfHBitxmA4AuQfXnSsvsF1wylaYDa0pJqwaAb7RX2VbJu8gFQW03w~N6obhuWL4vGoD18gkC0bMbL8wdDx3y6s9wvCriBA5mTsu2Mms4SXNS0iQE9dBh-uUd2Fa-wony4KDYUBdMiqxMbx~HkmNqMfNg2UcKlrdbocgtL-aLD-EZOiwmL6bAz6URYH2RJSHB2wstyDimhouLp8hujA6MUz7lfwYFyJ9n4h2D0hyv2fGrL8rOAXFqlGCGwWQk0CO8pzDRaai3auCyEcg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","","date","2025-04-24T05:47:11.377Z","article","Hollister City Council members on the city's special meeting focused on the city's contracted fire protection services directed staff to prepare a single, comprehensive set of proposed contract terms to present to the County of San Benito and the City of San Juan Bautista, and requested a short, 90‑day window for completing negotiations. Council members also asked staff to include the city's option to issue the contract's 270‑day termination notice so the agreement will not automatically roll into an additional year without the council's approval.

City staff summarized the history and the terms under negotiation at the start of the meeting. The city manager said, \"Since 2013, Hollister's provided fire protection services via contract to the County of San Benito and the City Of San Juan.\" Staff said the ad hoc negotiation committee had produced proposed amendments that would extend the term through June 30, 2028, align billing to the fiscal year, and include specified annual escalators.

Why it matters: Hollister officials said the city has been subsidizing fire service beyond the revenue received from its partners and faces budget pressure. The city council framed the matter as both a public‑safety and fiscal issue: council members repeatedly emphasized the need to protect staffing levels for firefighter and resident safety while stopping unsustainable use of the city general fund.

Most of the meeting examined three practical choices presented by staff: accept the county's proposed terms and keep negotiating with San Juan Bautista; prepare separate new terms that would require minimum staffing of three per apparatus; or prepare a single comprehensive set of terms treating the county and San Juan as one partner with an overall price and shared responsibilities. Staff labeled that latter option (Option E) as including a requested one‑time payment to Hollister for FY24–25 as a \"token of good faith\" to reimburse the city for financial impacts incurred while negotiations continue.

City staff walked the council through financial details from the current budget and the proposed amendments. Staff reported the city's current fire program budget at about $16.3 million; the county's contribution at roughly $2.28 million (about 14 percent) and the City of San Juan Bautista's at about $268,000 (about 1.7 percent). Under the county's proposed amendment for the current fiscal year, staff said the county's annual payment would increase by $1.1 million to $3,370,000; that proposal also would adopt a 3 percent annual escalator going forward. For San Juan Bautista, staff described an illustrative increase of $150,000 to $418,279 with an annual escalator of 11 percent as one of the terms discussed in negotiation.

The amendments discussed also included language about equipment leases and reimbursements: staff said the county could reimburse the city for up to $400,000 of eligible expenses identified in the county's current fire impact fee study and that some leases end in February so the county could purchase equipment for a nominal amount per the proposed terms. Staff also said the three jurisdictions had retained Baker Tilly to conduct a fire‑district feasibility study; that study will evaluate district and non‑district cost‑sharing options and is led by San Juan Bautista as the project lead.

Fire Chief Golding described operational staffing intentions and constraints. \"It is my intention to staff 4 engine companies with 3 personnel until I'm directed not to,\" he said, and noted that the department has generally staffed engines with three people except for rare, short extenuating circumstances.

Public comment ran more than an hour and included residents urging the council to protect three‑person engine staffing, to involve department experts in negotiations, to demand fuller accounting of prior developer fee concessions and of Proposition 172 funds, and to press county and San Juan Bautista for greater cost sharing. Commenters recommended extra safeguards for equipment and asked that the city not allow a nominal $1 buyout for leased apparatus; one speaker urged the council to remove a proposed clause that would transfer equipment for $1 and instead require fair‑market compensation.

After discussion, the council gave staff direction by consensus to prepare the comprehensive terms described in Option E: (1) draft a single set of proposed terms treating San Benito County and San Juan Bautista as a single partner for pricing and staffing; (2) include minimum three‑person staffing as a baseline in the city's proposal; (3) propose a one‑time FY24–25 payment from the partner agencies to Hollister to compensate the city for carrying negotiated service levels during the negotiation process; (4) request a 90‑day deadline to complete negotiations; and (5) include the city's option to issue the contract's 270‑day termination notice to prevent automatic rollover if negotiations are not completed.

The council did not take a formal binding vote on a final contract amendment at the meeting. Staff said the items instructed by council would be prepared and returned to the council for action at the next regular meeting (April 7) or sooner if needed. Staff also noted that, because of the termination/rollover language in the existing agreements, the contract term would effectively be extended if the city does not issue the 270‑day notice before the next meeting; staff advised issuing the 270‑day notice as a protective step while pursuing the 90‑day negotiation window.

What the council left open: the council asked that the ad hoc negotiating process include subject‑matter experts (city manager, fire chief and fire union representation were expressly requested by multiple speakers and council members), and asked staff to return with a proposed dollar figure for the one‑time FY24–25 payment and the single comprehensive pricing to offer to the two partner agencies. Council members and many public speakers stressed that final terms must preserve firefighter safety and response reliability.

The council's direction sets the city to return with drafted comprehensive terms and a proposed funding figure, then present those terms to the county and San Juan Bautista as a single package for their coordination.

Ending note: City staff will return to the council with the drafted terms and the staff recommendation for how to proceed, including any recommended use of the 270‑day notice; council members asked that negotiations include the fire chief, the city manager, and the union president to ensure operational, budgetary and labor perspectives are present.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","City of Hollister City Council Meeting- March 21, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Hollister City Council directed staff to prepare unified contract terms treating San Benito County and San Juan Bautista as one partner, seeking a one‑time FY24–25 payment and a 90‑day negotiation window; council also asked staff to include issuing the contract\u0000termination (270‑day) notice to prevent automatic rollover.","taxTitle","Hollister City, San Benito County, California","taxId",55350,"location","headline","shortSummary","actionData","errors"]

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Hollister council directs staff to pursue unified terms, seeks short negotiation window and one‑time payment from partners on fire contracts