Kings County officials review fire service costs and options for the city of Avenal

Kings County administrative staff presented a study session on July 1 that traced how the county has provided 24/7 fire and emergency services to the City of Avenal, outlined recent cost increases at Fire Station 12, and set out proposed contract terms the county has offered the city.

The study session matter started with Kyria Martinez, Kings County administrative officer, who summarized the contract history and the county's practice of applying a property-tax-based “county credit” to reduce the city’s out-of-pocket cost. Alex C. Walker, administrative analyst, and John Chamberlin, Kings County fire chief, provided staffing, cost and mutual/automatic aid explanations. The city’s mayor and city staff, county supervisors and more than a dozen residents participated in more than two hours of presentation and public comment.

Why it matters: Avenal has been served by Kings County Fire at Station 12 under a series of contracts. County staff said the city has historically paid part of the station cost while the county has absorbed the remainder; staff described that arrangement as a discretionary policy decision, not a statutory requirement. County leaders said rising personnel, retirement and other costs have made the arrangement increasingly expensive and the county is seeking to recover more of Station 12’s actual operating cost through a multi-year contract.

County presentation and proposed terms Kyria Martinez, Kings County administrative officer, said the county and Avenal have been negotiating since 2024 and the county has made concessions in response to city concerns. Martinez said the county received $425,000 from Avenal for the year the parties have been out of contract and had proposed a contract that applies a continued county credit while asking the city to pay a larger share of actual operating costs going forward.

Alex C. Walker said Station 12 carried about 346 calls year-to-date in 2025 and described the station’s apparatus (a type 1 engine, a backup type 1 engine, a type 3 engine and a type 6 patrol unit) and the department’s 24/7 staffing model (a captain and an engineer on each shift). Walker and Martinez showed the county’s fiscal picture and explained that state and federal funding account for a majority of county revenues, leaving comparatively little discretionary general fund capacity to subsidize municipal services.

Walker explained how the county credit is derived from an existing property tax share agreement (a negotiated allocation of a portion of county property tax revenue created under California law following Proposition 13) and emphasized that applying the credit to Avenal…