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Fairview staff propose East County Fire Services task force to analyze fire-district options
Summary
City staff proposed forming an East County Fire Services Task Force—composed of elected officials, city managers, fire leadership and stakeholders—to analyze fire-district options and coordinate a multijurisdictional study; councilors were asked to appoint representatives and staff to return with proposed membership schedules.
Fairview’s city manager presented a proposal Sept. 17 to create an East County Fire Services Task Force formed of elected officials, city managers, fire leadership, union representatives and other stakeholders to coordinate exploration of a potential East County fire district and other shared-service models.
Why it matters: The four East County jurisdictions (Fairview, Troutdale, Wood Village and Gresham) currently rely on interlocal agreements and contracted fire services. Staff and councilors said jurisdictions have different operational needs and cost profiles; a coordinated advisory task force would provide a structured forum to evaluate financial, operational and governance options as jurisdictions consider near‑term contract extensions or longer‑term district formation.
Proposed role and membership: Staff described the task force as advisory with no policy-making authority; proposed members include the four city managers, the four mayors, one city councilor appointed by each council, the fire chief(s), a union representative, a representative from Fire District 10 (the current contracting district), and finance/budget staff as needed. Staff proposed monthly near‑term meetings and suggested the task force could retain consultants or a third‑party project manager and budget for engagement work.
Council exchange: Councilors pressed for confirmation that any ballot measure or structural decision would require a council vote; staff confirmed state statute requires each participating council to pass a resolution to place proposals on a ballot. One councilor reiterated the need to keep Fairview’s interests central and said a task force would be advisory; formal decisions would come back to each council.
Next steps: Staff asked councils to identify one council member to participate in the task force. A first task-force meeting was proposed for mid‑ to late October if councils provided appointees; staff said the task force would coordinate analysis and community engagement and would return options to each council for formal decisions.
