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 district; later, when pensions were consolidated, an estimated $5 million from CalPERS offset part of that liability.

Board members pressed staff for detail on how the CSD calculates its fire-related parcel tax and ad valorem receipts and how those pass through to the JPA. Staff said two revenue streams are earmarked for fire services and that the CSD remits those amounts to the authority; they also said the district currently shows a remaining loan balance tied to earlier pension financing of about $900,000, but a final payoff date was not specified during the meeting.

Commissioners emphasized several points in debate: the contribution split in the JPA was written as fifty-fifty for the initial administration period, but board members said that practice evolved after consolidation and that the current pattern has left the district funding more of the authority—s budget. Several commissioners said they support honoring the JPA—s 50/50 language and asked staff and the authority to analyze options for resolving past and future disparities, including documenting any amounts the district effectively has "loaned" the authority or CSD.

Actions and votes

- Motion: Interpret the JPA to require member agencies to split administrative/authority costs 50%/50%. Outcome: approved (roll call: Board Member Segovia — Aye; Vice Chair Hicks — Aye; Board Member Melnick — Aye; Board Member Putz — Aye; Chair Herrick — Aye). The motion directs that the board—s interpretation be placed on record and requests further analysis of historic contributions and possible remedies; the motion did not itself reallocate funds.

- Motion: Authorize staff to proceed with public notice of a public hearing to adopt the Big Bear Lake Fire Protection District fiscal year 2025-26 budget (public hearing date noticed by staff as June 11, 2025). Outcome: approved (roll call: Putz — Aye; Segovia — Aye; Melnick — Aye; Hicks — Aye; Herrick — Aye). Board members explicitly declined to approve the preliminary budget itself at the same time, saying they wanted the authority—s proposed budget figures and an equity analysis before final adoption.

Budget figures and clarifications

Finance staff (Paula Cohn) told the board that total property taxes budgeted for the fire protection district are $8,232,809 and that the same amount is budgeted to pass through to the fire authority. Staff noted the CSD—s expected receipts are roughly $1.9 million less than that figure for the coming year, a gap commissioners repeatedly raised as the central parity issue.

Board requests and next steps

Commissioners asked staff and authority leadership to: - Provide a clear reconciliation showing the historical transfers, loans and pension-related adjustments that create the current disparity; staff agreed to provide additional analysis. - Present options for addressing past and ongoing disparities (one board member suggested documenting the difference as a transparent loan while other members cautioned against immediately withholding funds). - Bring the proposed authority budget and supporting detail to upcoming workshops so the fire protection district can evaluate operational impacts before adopting a final district budget.

Public comment

Several members of the public urged more spending on fuels reduction and forestry work to reduce wildfire risk around homes and subdivisions, saying homeowner-level leaf raking and pamphlets are insufficient for high-wind wildfire scenarios. Other public commenters questioned whether tourist-related call volumes and nearby ski-resort activity create disproportionate demand on district resources and asked whether resorts or second homeowners should contribute more. Staff and commissioners responded that past community ballot measures and grant histories have been considered and that operational placement of engines and overtime deployment are part of ongoing authority discussions.

Ending

District staff will return with the requested reconciliation and with the authority—s proposed budget materials at future workshops and public hearings. The board—s 50/50 interpretation establishes a formal position but does not by itself change next year—s budget allocations; commissioners said they intend to use the direction to press for clearer accounting and possible remedies before final adoption.

(Reporters: the board's staff presentation and roll-call votes are recorded in the meeting minutes for April 9, 2025. Public hearing notice and the staff budget packet were scheduled to return to the board for adoption in June 2025.)