Big Bear Fire Authority asks consultants to develop CFD options to fund additional staffing

The Big Bear Fire Authority on July 8, 2025, directed staff and retained consultants to develop more detailed options for a possible community facilities district (CFD, commonly called a Mello‑Roos district) to raise ongoing revenue from new development to fund additional fire and EMS staffing and equipment.

Board members spent more than two hours on the topic during the meeting’s strategic planning update. Staff and consultant representatives presented four scenarios that estimate different staffing and apparatus outcomes, the projected annual costs, and the per‑unit or per‑square‑foot special tax that would be needed if the board pursues a CFD. Consultants and counsel also described the CFD formation process and legal mechanics, including landowner elections and annexation options.

What was proposed and why: Staff outlined four staffing scenarios. At the lower end, adding a non‑safety ambulance (personnel and overhead) was estimated at about $780,041 annually for that unit; a scenario that added a firefighter‑staffed paramedic squad was shown at roughly $1.3 million in annual…