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Yreka council rejects restoring historic length-of-service stipend, tasks ad hoc group to explore legal recognition options
Summary
After hearing veterans and the fire chief, council voted to deny a reinstated retroactive length-of-service award for volunteer firefighters — citing legal limits on gifts of public funds — and asked staff and an ad hoc team to develop lawful prospective recognition or compensation options.
Fire Chief Jerry Lemos asked the council to restore a long-running length-of-service award that previously recognized volunteer firefighters with 20 or more years of service and provided a small monthly stipend beginning at age 60. Lemos described the operational value of long-serving volunteers and said the program historically recognized sustained service.
"We are only asking for a restoration of the program as it was instituted some time ago in 1971," Lemos said, noting previous examples of volunteers who benefited from the arrangement. He told council the city historically administered payments through payroll and estimated prior payments at roughly $125 per month for eligible recipients.
City attorney Julia advised the council that a retrospective stipend for past service would likely be a prohibited "gift of public funds" under state constitutional constraints and that any compensation program must be prospective and carefully documented to show it is payment for ongoing services. "There is a state constitutional ban on gift of public services," Julia said, and staff explained the state-run length-of-service program is not accepting new members and carries high startup costs.
Multiple residents urged the council to find a way to recognize volunteers; speakers urged a local solution rather than abandoning recognition. After deliberation, Councilmember Claire moved to vote no on the length-of-service item as presented; the motion carried on roll call, and council directed staff to research lawful prospective recognition mechanisms and form an ad hoc working group (council and fire department representatives) to return with options.
What happens next: The council’s vote was a rejection of the specific length-of-service award as written; staff and the city attorney will prepare options for lawful prospective recognition or limited compensation models and an ad hoc group will be formed to recommend a path forward.
