Sebastopol Fire Department Merger
Sebastopol Fire Department Merger
A Proposal: Sebastopol Fire Department
1. A citizens' fire committee could form itself (the hard part) that might best be led by:
1. A citizens' fire committee could form itself (the hard part) that might best be led by:
- Retired Fire Department personnel
- Local business owners
- Residents familiar with corporate financial governance
- Lawyers familiar with city and county structures and bylaws
- Any current or former members of our city council or government
- Holding a town hall meeting to solicit input from the community
- Creation of a Sebastopol Fire Protection District similar to the Graton Fire Protection District
- Creation of a plan to secure funding for the district (ideally 20% of Sebastopol's city revenue combined with revenue generated by the 1/2 cent sales tax initiative likely to be approved by Sonoma County voters in March 2024, whatever future grants might be secured, and fundraising events might provide.
- Creation of a ballot initiative that would establish the Sebastopol Fire Protection District and wrest control and responsibility for the Sebastopol Fire Department from the city council.
- Two similar enities with secured funding sources would be partnering in the process rather than...
- One fire district with a sole responsibility and secured funding partnering with a city council that has many competing responsibilities and dynamic funding considerations.