Kane County delays Church Wells SSD boundary expansion pending $50,000 countywide fire/EMS feasibility study

The Kane County Commission heard a request Tuesday from Jeanette, chair of the Church Wells Special Service District (SSD), to expand the district’s fire protection coverage to Pine Springs, Clark Bench and Perea. Commissioners said they will not expand the SSD now and will wait for the results of a county-funded feasibility study to determine countywide fire and emergency medical services (EMS) options.

Jeanette told commissioners her SSD has a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with BigWater to provide structural fire protection into the county but “there’s no financial payment set up to reimburse BigWater for that service.” She said the district had about $4,000 left in its current collections and did not want to use that money to subsidize expansion without more information about assessment values for the additional lots. Jeanette also said the SSD currently has five board members and is considering increasing to seven to add representation from the new areas.

Commissioners said they had already committed to commissioning a $50,000 feasibility study for countywide fire and EMS and would not take immediate action to expand the Church Wells SSD until that study produces options. The commission discussed using the RFP to ask firms for completion timelines and for price adjustments if faster delivery were required. County staff said the feasibility study should include EMS alongside fire to evaluate financial viability.

The commission and SSD members discussed several practical issues tied to expansion: whether new board members must attend all meetings (and how stipends would affect the SSD budget); whether representatives could participate by phone to avoid travel and stipend costs; and whether assessment rates could differ between existing SSD properties and newly added territory. Jeanette reported BigWater had provided an initial bill of roughly $15,000 for additional coverage but that she and staff were still calculating assessment valuations for the affected parcels.

Commissioners and staff outlined next steps and timing. Staff noted legal and election deadlines if the county later pursues a ballot measure: language for a ballot must be submitted about 65 days before the general election (placing a deadline near late August for a November ballot). Separately, county staff reported they are exploring grants and loans from the state Community Impact Board (CIB) for a permanent station; a parcel near the mouth of Johnson Canyon (a BLM parcel on Zion Way) has been discussed, but completing environmental reviews and securing land could take roughly 18 months before a shovel-ready project would qualify for CIB funds.

Commissioners suggested alternatives to adding full board members for the new territory, including forming a non-paid fire committee that would report to the SSD board and meet less frequently. County staff recommended packaging an assessment estimate to BigWater — i.e., presenting what the SSD could raise under the current assessment rate so the fire provider could confirm whether that amount would be acceptable in a contract.

No formal vote to expand the Church Wells SSD was taken at Tuesday’s meeting; the commission recorded direction to hold expansion pending the feasibility study and further cost and valuation information. Commissioners urged the SSD to finalize valuation estimates and to coordinate with BigWater, the city (Kanab) and county staff on a path forward.

The discussion continued as part of a wider commission agenda item on “fire and emergency response next steps,” which included cancelation of a contract with Canal City that the commission said took effect in January, drafting an RFP for the $50,000 feasibility study, and evaluating whether to pursue countywide models, special service district expansions, or a new tax mechanism.

Ending: County staff and the Church Wells SSD will continue work on parcel valuations and a proposed assessment package to present to BigWater; the commission will move forward with the $50,000 RFP for a countywide fire/EMS feasibility study and will revisit any SSD boundary or tax measures after the study’s results.