Annexing to Santa Clara County Fire is worth exploring
City of Morgan Hill officials are exploring turning over responsibility for fire protection services to the Santa Clara County Central Fire Protection District, an agency sometimes known as the Santa Clara County Fire Department, or SCCFD. It's an idea worth exploring.
"The key is, over time, it would take the burden off of the city, so eventually, they would not have to write a check every year," Battalion Chief Steve Prziborowski told reporter Marilyn Dubil. "If property taxes were to decline dramatically, then we might feel the pinch, but if they grow as the city grows, then so can we."
The city currently contracts with SSCFD to run two fire stations, the El Toro Station on Old Monterey Road and the Dunne/Hill Station on East Dunne Avenue at Hill Road. The contract, which began in October 1995, expires on Sept. 30, 2009.
The means of turning responsibility for fire protection services to the SCCFD would be by annexing the city into the Santa Clara County Central Fire Protection District. The city would give up control over fire services but instead would have a voice in governance of the fire district, much in the same way the city has a voice in governance of the Santa Clara County Library System of which it is a part. In addition, a portion of the city's property taxes would go directly to the fire district. Currently, the city collects those taxes and uses them to pay the contract with the SSCFD.
The devil is in the details
As promising as the proposal appears, the devil is in the details. For example, what would happen to the money that the city pays to the SSCFD as property taxes increase? It seems only fair that that payment would decrease as property taxes increase, eventually disappearing completely.
But initial proposals from SSCFD show that payment continuing, a position that greatly reduces the attractiveness of the proposal for Morgan Hill taxpayers.
It's up to city leaders to negotiate hard for a deal that protects taxpayers fiscally as they work to protect them from the dangers of fire and other emergencies.
The city is trying to find ways to increase police services, and is faced with taxpayers who are reluctant, according to the city's own polling, to approve additional taxes to pay for those services. Demonstrating a commitment to make the best deal possible for taxpayers in the fire annexation negotiations might pay great dividends as the city tries to convince voters that they should be trusted with more tax dollars to pay for increased police services.
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