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Residents urge board to restore fire district funding as county faces elevated disaster risk
Summary
Residents and fire‑district representatives urged the Calaveras County Board of Supervisors to restore transient‑occupancy‑tax funding for local fire districts, citing increased wildfire/flood risk and a proposal decision slated for Sept. 8. Speakers argued the cuts would hamper medical and emergency response for seniors and remote communities.
Speakers at the board meeting’s public comment period pressed supervisors to reverse recent funding reductions for local fire districts and restore prior shares of transient‑occupancy‑tax revenue.
Pat Gutman of McColumne Hill warned of a worsening weather cycle and said, “Super El Nino is coming,” urging the board to work with county administration and fire districts to secure state grant dollars and avoid cutting operating budgets for firefighters and paramedics. Brenda McHenry and other commenters cited Measure A and recent local election returns to argue voter intent favors public‑safety spending.
Fire district representatives and residents described tangible consequences of the proposed cuts. Mike Johnson of Ebbets Pass Fire District said a collective proposal from affected districts has been delivered and noted, “we understand that on September 8, there'll be a decision on that.” Marty Crane highlighted that many calls to local fire districts are medical in nature, underscoring reliance by older residents on emergency response.
Several speakers framed the reductions as a transparency and record‑keeping problem. Peggy Flynn told the board that “five weeks ago, four of you cut fire district funding from $662,500 down to $132,000,” and said minutes for several meetings remain unpublished; the chair replied that related items were the subject of a July 9 hearing and that staff will bring factual material back on the agenda for further discussion.
The board did not adopt any immediate funding change during the meeting. Supervisors directed staff to place revenue options and a follow‑up discussion on a future agenda and signaled that the September budget decision calendar may include fire‑funding items. No formal vote to reverse the cuts occurred at this session.
