Committee told to prepare outreach as council weighs switching Fairview fire services to district funding

A committee member told the Public Safety Advisory Committee that the City currently has a one-year, temporary extension with the City of Gresham for fire services and that the City is exploring moving fire services to a tax-funded fire district.

The change would shift fire funding out of Fairview's general fund and into a tax base, the committee member said, freeing general-fund dollars for other services. "We are looking at doing a fire district," the committee member said. "This will take the funding out of our general fund and put it into a tax based funding."

That brief explanation formed the nut graf for a discussion that covered response times, possible partner districts, outreach needs and scheduling. Committee members were told the council's current extension runs through July 1, 2026, and that the council is planning a public education campaign, with informational materials and public forums, ahead of any putative vote. The committee was asked to refer members of the public who ask about the change to the council's information booth at Fairview on the Green and to use prepared "1-minute, 3-minute, 5-minute" talking points that the council is developing.

Key details discussed at the meeting: - Contract status: The city has a temporary, one-year extension with Gresham for fire services; the extension was described at the meeting as running through July 1, 2026. The committee was explicitly told the council will not continue to renew the current contract with Gresham as-is. - Proposed funding shift: Council members are considering a fire district funded by property taxes to relieve pressure on Fairview's general fund, which committee members were told now pays a very large share of public-safety costs. - Timeline and votes: Committee members were told the council will assemble education and outreach materials before any vote. The council will decide whether to place a measure on a ballot; the committee was told a vote would not occur until the council has completed studies and outreach. The exact ballot timing remains to be determined. - Tax impact: Committee members repeatedly asked how much the new district would cost property owners; meeting participants were told those figures are not yet available and will be part of future study and outreach. - Alternatives and partners: Committee members discussed Clackamas-area options and mentioned Clackamas Fire District 1 as a potential partner; the City of Gresham has advocated for an alternative (referred to in the meeting as "District 10"). No contract or intergovernmental agreement has been finalized. - Operational concerns: Participants raised questions about 911 dispatch, ambulance providers (AMR was named at the meeting), and whether changing districts could affect ambulance or response times; speakers said the details of dispatch and cross-jurisdictional response are part of ongoing negotiations and study.

The committee did not take formal action on any of the options at the meeting. Instead, speakers asked members to learn the basics, collect community feedback and be prepared to direct residents to council information and future forums. "There will be a lot of outreach and, like, forums and open houses," the committee member said. "I've already volunteered you all. You're welcome."

Discussion-only items and next steps were distinguished throughout the conversation: the council-level policy decision and any ballot placement remain pending, staff and external partners will continue to produce study results and draft tax-impact estimates, and committee members were instructed to focus on outreach and to consult council-provided materials at Fairview on the Green.

Ending: Committee members asked for recorded council work sessions and promised to circulate links so interested members could watch the council's prior discussions. The committee agreed to include a question about fire-and-police satisfaction on the outreach survey at Fairview on the Green so the council would have community input to inform the fiscal studies and eventual decision.