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San Rafael directs staff to advance phased plan to stabilize Marinwood fire and EMS services
Summary
The City Council provided policy direction and asked staff to continue negotiating an amended shared-services agreement with Marinwood Community Services District that would provide near-term funding and create a bridge to a fee-for-service staffing model and eventual regional consolidation of fire and EMS services.
The San Rafael City Council on May 4 directed staff to continue negotiations with the Marinwood Community Services District (CSD) on a three-phase framework meant to stabilize regional fire and emergency medical services.
Council members said the approach balances near-term staffing needs with a path to longer-term governance and funding changes. The motion, made by Vice Mayor Rachel Kurtz and seconded by Council member Hill, passed 4-0.
The staff proposal begins with an amendment to the current shared services arrangement (Phase 1) that would increase city support to Marinwood CSD in fiscal year 2026-27, provide an interim funding stream to bolster Marinwood's ability to recruit and retain personnel, and preserve operational elements of the shared-services model. Thomas Wong, senior management analyst for the fire department, said the city would contribute roughly $350,000 in FY26-27, rising to $500,000 in FY27-28 if Phase 2 does not start sooner; Marinwood would no longer pay the city for chief-officer services that currently amount to about $116,000 annually.
Staff said Phase 2 would be a fee-for-service contract under which San Rafael would staff Station 58 with city firefighters 24/7 and offer existing Marinwood employees the opportunity to transfer to city employment. Negotiations for Phase 2 would include labor meet-and-confer and regulatory review, and staff estimated a potential implementation date of July 1, 2027 if the parties proceed on the proposed timeline. Phase 3 would address long-term governance, property tax and assessment allocation, and other structural issues to produce a sustainable regional service model.
Fire command and analysts explained the operational rationale: Marinwood Engine 58 covers a geographically large portion of northern San Rafael and is among the city's busier engine companies, responding to roughly nine hundred incidents in 2023. Jason Hatfield, EMS/battalion chief, said the standard-of-cover analysis showed that including Marinwood substantially increases the city's effective response force for more complex incidents.
Marinwood District Manager Eric Drakos told the council his board recognizes Marinwood's limited capacity as a small, largely property-tax-funded district and has expressed an interest in consolidation with a larger, better-resourced agency over time. "Phase 1 is exactly that," he said, describing the district's support for an incremental process that would include LAFCO consultation and third-party studies where needed.
Council members pressed staff on several points, including whether the $350,000 payment would be directed to compensation, how the phases would preserve momentum toward a lasting solution, and how the city will ensure deployment and paramedic capacity as development and assisted-living facilities increase call loads. Deputy Chief Bob Sennett and others described a BLS pilot that dispatches EMT teams to lower-acuity calls, which staff said can free advanced resources for higher-priority incidents. Staff also stressed the need to align tax and assessment tools to fund long-term service levels; Marinwood's paramedic tax is currently at the local cap and would require voter action to change.
The council requested continued transparency and community outreach as staff finalize the Phase 1 amendment and begin terms for Phase 2 and Phase 3 planning, and asked staff to return with a finalized amended shared-services agreement for formal council consideration.
