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Council hears plan to ready funding for Fire Station 6 as staff propose annexation study
Summary
Staff told the council the city has closed escrow on the Fire Station 6 site but faces roughly $5 million a year in operating costs; options include setting aside funds, seeking annexation of Spencer's Crossing to expand the tax base, and pursuing mutual-aid agreements—staff recommended a LAFCO service review at an estimated $100,000 and about a year of study.
Murrieta City officials told the council on Feb. 26 that the city has acquired the property intended for Fire Station 6 but is not yet budget-ready to shoulder the estimated ongoing operating cost.
City staff and Fire Chief Malloy said the city is still working to determine how to pay not only construction and equipment costs but the recurring expenses of staffing, training and apparatus: an operating estimate in the discussion was about $5 million per year.
To avoid overcommitting the general fund, staff outlined a package of next steps: start utility-connection planning for the remote site; set aside operating dollars incrementally; and explore annexation of Spencer's Crossing, now in the city's sphere of influence, which could add property-tax and rooftop-fee revenue. Staff said an annexation municipal service review with LAFCO would cost an estimated $100,000 and likely take about a year. Such a review would examine revenues and the additional obligations the city would assume, including parks, road maintenance and other services.
Council members asked about alternatives and timing. Chief Malloy confirmed that Riverside County Fire currently serves parts of the corridor and that mutual- and automatic-aid agreements are in place; those agreements keep the city covered but do not erase growing response-time risks in the area as traffic and population increase. Staff also reported the county currently has not favored a formal service agreement that would shift more responsibility or revenue to the city.
Finance staff briefed the council on early revenue prospects: the public-safety Community Facilities District (CFD) has started to assess only a small number of recently built units, so that funding stream will be limited for the next two to three years. Council members said they support moving forward with careful analysis rather than a hasty commitment.
Next steps identified by staff include soliciting consultant bids for the LAFCO review and continuing the utility and financial-planning work so the council can decide whether to authorize the annexation study and to set aside operating funds in coming budgets.
