CouNTY of El DoRADO Board of Supervisors John Hidahl*

Long term fiscal sustainability of fire protection on the West Slope of the County is highly questionable. The Board of Supervisors disagrees partially with the finding. Fiscal sustainability varies by district. The more rural districts generally receive a lower proportionate share of property tax through the AB 8 allocation formula and have lower assessed value and less opportunity for growth than more densely populated districts. As a result, rural districts' revenues generally have not kept up with the increase in costs of providing fire protection services and many struggle with structural budget deficits; however, not every district is in this situation.

County citizens on the West Slope experience a wide disparity in fire protection services often masked by Automatic Aid, based on their location and their specific fire district. The Board of Supervisors disagrees partially with the finding. As noted above, funding varies across the districts, which affects the level of service an individual district is able to provide; however, the Board is not in a position to comment on how automatic aid affects citizens' experiences.

Efforts to improve fire protection on the West Slope of the County have been ongoing for many years with limited success. The Board of Supervisors agrees with the finding. While the Board agrees with this finding, it is important to note that fire protection encompasses more than the fire and emergency response services provided by local districts. The County has been active in many efforts to improve fire protection, including participating in the South Fork American River (SOFAR) Cohesive Strategy and supporting the efforts of the Fire Safe County and Fire Adapted 50. In 2019, the County adopted its Vegetation Management and Defensible Space ordinance, with the intent of building on the State's defensible space requirements and providing an enforcement mechanism to achieve communities that are more resilient to wildfire. The Board's ad hoc committee on Fire and Emergency Medical Services has participated in and facilitated many meetings with fire agency leadership to explore ideas to shore up local agencies; however, such efforts have generally not garnered enough support at the local agency board level to move forward.

Cal Fire has the infrastructure, staffing and expertise to be a major component of a solution to the County's fire district disparities. The Board of Supervisors agrees with the finding. The majority of the County is within the State Responsibility Area served by CAL FIRE, and CAL FIRE has a long history of successful collaboration with local communities to assist in delivering fire protection through various models, including a full-service contract to run the Cameron Park Fire Department. The Amador-El Dorado Unit (AEU) has acted as a partner to the County in its implementation of the Vegetation Management and Defensible Space ordinance. The AEU has also demonstrated a willingness to assist local districts, both formally through contracted services, and informally. As noted in the Jury's Finding 5, a holistic view of fire protection is needed in order to identify and implement improvements to the system. Ultimately, it will be up to the local agencies and the citizens they serve to determine what role CAL FIRE should play in their jurisdictions.

Improvements in the existing fire protection model for the West Slope requires all fire protection districts to take a holistic view of fire protection and the political will to embrace change. The Board of Supervisors agrees with the finding.

Fire protection districts on the West Slope have not displayed the ability to take a holistic view of fire protection or the political will to embrace change, to the determent of all County citizens. The Board of Supervisors disagrees partially with the finding. Operationally, the districts, under the leadership of their chief officers, appear to take a holistic view of fire protection and emergency response. The automatic aid system is one example of this ability to view the entire Western Slope as one continuous service area. There appears to be a lack of political will at the district board level to embrace change, and a desire to continue as autonomous individual units.

Fuel pricing is done by airport staff without management review. The Board of Supervisors disagrees partially with the findings. Airport management discusses fuel pricing with airport staff and checks the pricing.

The semi-developed land parcels on the east side of the Placerville airport are inactive. Potential benefit to the County of continued development has not been adequately explored. The Board of Supervisors disagrees partially with the findings. The ad hoc Airport Economic Development Committee has reviewed different options at the east end and at other locations at the Placerville Airport. The work in the airport analysis study has helped with options. Additional information from other airports will aid in adequately exploring all options.