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ENLARGE
Sutherlin firefighters Brian Burke Sr., right, and Ted McClung wash a fire engine at the Sutherlin Fire Department recently.
Douglas County Fire District No. 2 staffers made it clear in a press conference Wednesday that the district is still interested in assisting Sutherlin with fire and ambulance services by way of a contract or an enhanced automatic-aid agreement.
The district is also not ruling out an annexation further down the road.
Officials from the city of Sutherlin and Fire District No. 2 began discussing a possible contract between the two entities in May after the city announced that the Sutherlin Fire Department could only be funded at current levels through June 30, 2009.
On two separate occasions during negotiations, Sutherlin officials provided the district with the amount of money the city could afford for a contract, District Deputy Chief Greg Marlar said in the conference.
Both times the district agreed to provide coverage for the proposed amount, and both times city officials withdrew the proposal and said the city couldn’t afford the contract, he said.
Sutherlin City Manager Bud Schmidt said the proposals were withdrawn because they had calculation errors, and the city wanted to correct the mistakes. After the second proposal, the city realized that a contract would not be affordable after the first year because the firefighters would receive significant pay raises as district employees, Schmidt said.
The city then suggested the two entities pursue a November annexation, Marlar said.
An annexation would leave the district responsible for fire and ambulance services to the city. Marlar told the Sutherlin City Council Monday night that district staffers did not think pursuing an annexation at this time was a good idea, but that down the road an annexation could help solve Sutherlin’s budget shortfalls. Marlar said he notified Schmidt of the district’s decision last week, and both parties were in agreement that waiting to pursue an annexation was the best course of action.
Schmidt said with the economy as it is now, it’s probably the wrong time to ask the public for financial help.
“When we first started this the banks weren’t going bust, the stocks were in better condition, gas was $3 a gallon,” Schmidt said. “... I know that people are in considerable financial duress right now.”
District staffers felt too many details needed to be ironed out before sending the annexation to voters, Marlar said. The district wants to complete a feasibility study and business and operation plans before moving forward with an annexation. The district was also concerned with the limited amount of time remaining to educate the public about the annexation before the vote.
For the annexation to pass, voters in the district and in the proposed annexed area would have to approve the measure. Approval would have also meant a tax increase of more than a dollar for Sutherlin residents, which, because of tough economic times, concerned district staff members as well, Marlar said.
“By jumping into an annexation so soon you’re exposing yourself to failure,” district Fire Marshal Josep Pedrola said at the conference.
If the city and district are not confident that voters would approve the annexation, pushing forward with a vote in November would only set the annexation up for future failure, Schmidt said. Once issues fail with the public, it’s harder to build up energy and support for a measure again, he said.
Despite failed contract negotiations in the past, the district remains open to pursuing a contract with the city as a short-term solution and working toward an annexation in the future, Marlar said.
The past proposed contracts did not reduce administrative costs, but if the district and the city do consider a contract in the future, overhead costs would probably need to be cut down, Schmidt said.
“It’ll be a meaner, slimmer type of arrangement than we’ve been working on,” he said. “There have to be some cutbacks unless there’s a lot more money.”
Marlar added that he is confident a solution could be found if representatives from the district, city of Sutherlin, International Association of Fire Fighters Local 2091, Sutherlin City Council and Sutherlin Fire Department come together for discussions.
• You can reach reporter Marissa Harshman at 957-4202 or by e-mail at mharshman@nrtoday.com.
The district is also not ruling out an annexation further down the road.
Officials from the city of Sutherlin and Fire District No. 2 began discussing a possible contract between the two entities in May after the city announced that the Sutherlin Fire Department could only be funded at current levels through June 30, 2009.
On two separate occasions during negotiations, Sutherlin officials provided the district with the amount of money the city could afford for a contract, District Deputy Chief Greg Marlar said in the conference.
Both times the district agreed to provide coverage for the proposed amount, and both times city officials withdrew the proposal and said the city couldn’t afford the contract, he said.
Sutherlin City Manager Bud Schmidt said the proposals were withdrawn because they had calculation errors, and the city wanted to correct the mistakes. After the second proposal, the city realized that a contract would not be affordable after the first year because the firefighters would receive significant pay raises as district employees, Schmidt said.
The city then suggested the two entities pursue a November annexation, Marlar said.
An annexation would leave the district responsible for fire and ambulance services to the city. Marlar told the Sutherlin City Council Monday night that district staffers did not think pursuing an annexation at this time was a good idea, but that down the road an annexation could help solve Sutherlin’s budget shortfalls. Marlar said he notified Schmidt of the district’s decision last week, and both parties were in agreement that waiting to pursue an annexation was the best course of action.
Schmidt said with the economy as it is now, it’s probably the wrong time to ask the public for financial help.
“When we first started this the banks weren’t going bust, the stocks were in better condition, gas was $3 a gallon,” Schmidt said. “... I know that people are in considerable financial duress right now.”
District staffers felt too many details needed to be ironed out before sending the annexation to voters, Marlar said. The district wants to complete a feasibility study and business and operation plans before moving forward with an annexation. The district was also concerned with the limited amount of time remaining to educate the public about the annexation before the vote.
For the annexation to pass, voters in the district and in the proposed annexed area would have to approve the measure. Approval would have also meant a tax increase of more than a dollar for Sutherlin residents, which, because of tough economic times, concerned district staff members as well, Marlar said.
“By jumping into an annexation so soon you’re exposing yourself to failure,” district Fire Marshal Josep Pedrola said at the conference.
If the city and district are not confident that voters would approve the annexation, pushing forward with a vote in November would only set the annexation up for future failure, Schmidt said. Once issues fail with the public, it’s harder to build up energy and support for a measure again, he said.
Despite failed contract negotiations in the past, the district remains open to pursuing a contract with the city as a short-term solution and working toward an annexation in the future, Marlar said.
The past proposed contracts did not reduce administrative costs, but if the district and the city do consider a contract in the future, overhead costs would probably need to be cut down, Schmidt said.
“It’ll be a meaner, slimmer type of arrangement than we’ve been working on,” he said. “There have to be some cutbacks unless there’s a lot more money.”
Marlar added that he is confident a solution could be found if representatives from the district, city of Sutherlin, International Association of Fire Fighters Local 2091, Sutherlin City Council and Sutherlin Fire Department come together for discussions.
• You can reach reporter Marissa Harshman at 957-4202 or by e-mail at mharshman@nrtoday.com.
