Big Bear Lake fire board votes to treat joint-powers costs as 50-50, approves budget hearing notice

The Big Bear Lake Fire Protection District board voted unanimously April 9 to interpret the joint powers agreement (JPA) with the Community Services District (CSD) as requiring member agencies to split fire authority costs 50%/50%, and separately authorized public notice for a June public hearing on the district—s proposed fiscal year 2025-26 budget.

Board members said the vote was an initial step to address what they described as a long-standing disparity in contributions between the two member agencies and to prompt clearer accounting of transfers, pension liabilities and one-time adjustments that have affected parity.

Why it matters: The JPA governs how the CSD and the Fire Protection District share administration and operations of the Big Bear Fire Authority. Board members said historical transactions — including a pension pool buy-in and transfers associated with consolidation — have left the member agencies with uneven net contributions. District staff and commissioners said clarifying the JPA—s intent to be 50/50 is intended to force greater transparency as the authority and member agencies complete next year—s budget.

Discussion and background

Staff reviewed the JPA contribution history and longstanding accounting items dating to consolidation and pension changes. Presenters traced the sequence: in the early 2010s the agencies began sharing administration; in 2016 the district financed a buy-in to a larger safety pension pool that created roughly a $6.3 million liability for the…