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 has been a board policy decision, not a legal obligation.

John Chamberlin, Kings County fire chief, described differences between mutual aid and automatic aid, and warned that mutual aid responses are not reimbursable. “Mutual aid basically falls under the California disaster and civil defense master mutual aid agreement established in 1950,” Chamberlin said. “It’s necessary and desirable that a cooperative agreement be executed … however, interestingly enough, mutual aid is not reimbursable.” He also warned that automatic aid requires compatible training and operational standards before the county would recommend reciprocal deployment.

Staff laid out figures used in the county’s proposal. Key numbers presented by county staff included: an approximate total Station 12 cost of $1.4 million for the most recent fiscal year; proposed contract-year amounts of roughly $1.5 million in subsequent years; the county’s proposed bill to the city of roughly $450,000 for the base year after applying the county credit; and an unreimbursed cost that the county has absorbed of about $617,000 for the most recent fiscal year. Martinez told the board that across the past four years the county had absorbed about $1.5 million in unreimbursed Station 12 costs.

Staff said the county’s proposed contract would (a) make the current fiscal year retroactive to bring the contract current, (b) apply the county credit but eliminate the county subsidy for unreimbursed costs beginning in year two, (c) include a 2% annual adjustment on total expenses, and (d) apply a 2.25% annual increase to the estimated property tax credit used as revenue. The county offered two contract drafts to the city: one with a six-month termination clause (the historical standard) and one with a 90-day termination clause at the city’s request. Fire chief Chamberlin and county staff said the 90-day option would be difficult to manage operationally.

City perspective and public comment Mayor Alvaro Preciado and Avenal staff explained the city’s fiscal constraints and described Measure A (a local transaction/use tax approved by Avenal voters in 2022) as a partial revenue source intended for multiple city priorities including but not limited to public safety. Preciado and other city officials said the city is exploring options, including creation of a city-run professional fire department, and repeatedly said they wanted to weigh community input before making a final determination.

Public commenters at county town-hall sessions and at the board chambers repeatedly urged the county to continue providing professional, county-run fire protection. Multiple residents, community advocates and Avenal public-safety leaders said they feared a rapid transition to a new city department would risk continuity and local response capability. Assistant Police Chief Robert Navarez and other local public safety officials said staffing and retention are countywide issues and warned the public the city’s projected personnel budget would likely be insufficient to recruit and retain experienced firefighters.

Board response and next steps Supervisors thanked staff for the depth of the presentation and for attending several town halls. Several supervisors said they support continued county protection in principle but wished to avoid surprises and emphasized the board’s final authority over any contract that would change how county property-tax credits are used.

The board asked county staff to continue negotiating and to accept written amendments from the city while preserving the board’s ability to approve a final contract. Supervisors expressed particular concern about any short termination period and the operational difficulty of a 90-day contract exit; several said they would expect a longer notice period (a full fiscal-year notice was mentioned by county staff as more manageable) to allow orderly transition planning if the city pursues a different provider.

Quotes from the meeting "Mutual aid basically falls under the California disaster and civil defense master mutual aid agreement established in 1950," said John Chamberlin, Kings County fire chief. "Interestingly enough, mutual aid is not reimbursable."

"It is a policy decision to apply that credit to the city," Kyria Martinez, Kings County administrative officer, said of the property-tax-based county credit applied to Avenal in prior budgets.

What the board decided The session was a study session; no final board action (contract approval or termination) occurred at this meeting. Board members directed county staff to continue negotiating with the City of Avenal, to review amendments the city submits, and to return any final contract to the board for formal approval. Supervisors asked staff to prioritize operational continuity and to avoid very short contract-termination windows that would hamper the county’s ability to maintain front-line coverage.

Clarifying details - Station 12 calls: staff reported 346 calls year-to-date in 2025; 634 in 2024; 572 in 2023. - Apparatus at Station 12: Engine 12 (type 1, 2008), Engine 212 (type 1/2, 1996 backup), Engine 312 (type 3, 2014), Patrol 12 (type 6, 2002). - Station 12 total operating cost presented: about $1.4 million for the recent fiscal year. - County revenue contribution noted in presentation (county credit and subsidies): staff reported the county absorbed about $1.5 million in unreimbursed costs across the last four years; the city paid $425,000 for the year out of contract; the county proposed charging the city roughly $450,000 in the current base year after the county credit is applied. - Proposed contract adjustments: 2% annual adjustment on total expenses; 2.25% annual increase on estimated property tax credit revenue; two termination options were offered (90 days requested by the city, and a 6‑month clause similar to historical practice).

Community relevance Geographies: City of Avenal; nearby communities mentioned: Armona, Corcoran, Kettleman City, Hanford, Lemoore, Stratford. Impact groups: Avenal residents, station personnel, county general fund users (because general fund contributions support public safety elsewhere), property taxpayers in annexation areas. Funding sources discussed: property tax shares (AB 8 allocations), county general fund contributions, Measure A local transaction/use tax (Avenal voterapproved measure).

Speakers (attribution whitelist) - Kyria Martinez, County Administrative Officer, Kings County administration (role stated in meeting) - Alex C. Walker, Administrative Analyst, Kings County administration - John Chamberlin, Kings County fire chief - Alvaro Preciado, Mayor, City of Avenal - Robert Navarez, Assistant Police Chief and Public Safety Manager, City of Avenal - Members of the Kings County Board of Supervisors who spoke in the session: Joe Neves; Richard Veil; Deb Verboom; Rusty Robinson; Robert Thayer - Multiple Avenal residents and community advocates (listed in transcript as public commenters)

Authorities cited - California Government Code (statutory authority for county contracting with cities) — referenced in staff presentation - California disaster and civil defense master mutual aid agreement (mutual aid authority) — referenced by John Chamberlin - Property tax allocation rules following Proposition 13 and AB 8 (explained by staff as the basis for tax-share allocations) — referenced by staff

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