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Soledad weighs one‑year Cal Fire contract, ladder truck staffing and new tax options
Summary
City staff told the council June 12 that Cal Fire staffing mandates and a new ladder truck will push contract costs sharply higher (estimated $1.1M in 2025–26), prompting staff to recommend a one‑year contract and exploration of parcel taxes to sustain 3‑person staffing.
City of Soledad finance staff briefed the City Council June 12 that a pending increase in the Cal Fire contract will be one of the city’s largest near‑term budget pressures and could require new local revenue to sustain service levels.
Mike Howard said the current three‑year contract approach is financially risky because the city cannot commit to years two and three under present revenue assumptions. He recommended the council approve only a one‑year contract and asked the state to include a clause allowing the city to exit the later years if it cannot secure funding. "The Cal Fire contract needs to go to 3‑0 staffing," Howard said, noting the projected increase from FY2024 to FY2025–26 includes a $1,100,000 jump that the city cannot absorb without new revenue.
Howard explained an operational constraint driving the cost: the new ladder truck cannot deploy unless it is staffed with three personnel. "The ladder truck can't leave the bay unless it's got 3 personnel on it," he said, which means the city must fund more staffing even if some calls are primarily medical in nature.
Council discussion centered on how much of Cal Fire call activity is medical versus fire and on regional coordination for ambulances and mutual aid. Several council members noted many calls in the area are medical responses, increasing the cost burden when a fully staffed engine responds. Howard acknowledged that medical calls are a large portion of responses, but said the ladder truck and denser, taller development (three‑story buildings and a new hotel) make the staffing requirement necessary.
Revenue options and next steps: Howard previewed staff work to explore a parcel tax or other local revenue sources to support fire services; such a parcel tax would require a two‑thirds voter threshold. He recommended beginning public education and planning soon so the city can determine cost per parcel and coordinate timing with neighboring jurisdictions if desired.
What’s next: council will see the Cal Fire contract on the agenda for formal consideration; staff will continue to refine cost estimates and explore parcel‑tax scenarios in time to make funding decisions before the FY2025–26 contract increase takes effect.
