Siege Schatza
IVN Copy Editor
On Wednesday, Oct. 30, the Board of Josephine County Commissioners picked up where they left off on a public hearing to gather feedback on a proposed rural fire protection district. The weekly business session was held at Anne G. Basker Auditorium in Grants Pass.
This hearing was continued from the previous week after Chief Chris Wolfhard of the Applegate Fire District requested the board reconsider the tentative district boundary to exclude seven miles in and around Murphy that Applegate was in the process of expanding service into.
Chair John West announced early on in the Oct. 30 meeting that after discussion, the commissioners decided to leave the original boundary intact, and revisit the issue once Applegate has formally expanded.
Wolfhard was present again Oct. 30, and thanked the commissioners for communicating with the Applegate Fire District Board of Directors regarding the boundary, adding, “I look forward to working through this process with you guys.”
The fire chief also expressed hope that the district and board of commissioners could hold a joint public forum on the issue in November. “I think we can work together and even if we have opposing views, we don’t have to be divisive and we don’t have to villainize each other or anything like that,” Wolfhard said. “We can work through this process and I look forward to that.”
Applegate Fire District Board of Directors President Rob Underwood was more critical of the commissioners.
“I don’t believe that any of the surrounding fire departments or districts have been included in any of this plan,” said Underwood. “When I hear from the community and different members and postings, even if it’s on social media, everybody around this district, including ours, is very blind to what you guys are doing.”
Underwood opined that the board should halt the formation of the new fire district until existing districts have a chance to weigh in. He added that Rural Metro, the emergency services provider that serves many of the homes in the areas of Josephine County currently unprotected by a fire district, should be consulted as well.
Other community members have also expressed concerns about how Rural Metro will be impacted by a new fire district. Many homeowners in those areas are content with the level of service they received from Rural Metro, and worry the service they would receive from a new district would be a step down.
In addition to a lack of communication with local fire districts, Underwood felt that there were “inaccuracies and misinformation” being spread surrounding the fire district that the board has not addressed.
In response to concerns raised during the public hearing, West sought to clarify the limited involvement the board will have with the proposed fire district after their potential vote to form it.
“The only obligation the Board of County Commissioners would have is creating the fire district,” West stated. “The fire district then would have its own five-citizen board elected by the citizens inside that district. And that five-person board that was elected by those citizens in that district would be the governing body. The county commissioners would no longer have anything to do with that fire district.”
Commissioner Herman Baertschiger reiterated that the urgency in forming a new fire district stems from the state government introducing stricter land use rules for landowners who do not reside within a fire district. Rural Metro will not be a sufficient substitute as far as state statute is concerned.
Baertschiger also pointed out that Rural Metro being the sole emergency services provider for much of rural Josephine County is an unusual situation, as the vast majority of rural Oregonians reside in a fire district. He also pointed out the downside of a private fire provider is it can shut down unexpectedly or raise rates without input from citizens.
“The difference is citizens have absolutely no control over private fire companies,” said Baertschiger. “What they do and how much they charge; but they have full control over fire districts by their vote, not only who’s on their board, but how much they can charge and what kind of service. Those are the two fundamental differences between them.”
West and Baertschiger voted along with fellow Commissioner Andreas Blech to send the fire district proposal to a second final hearing, where they can choose to form the district Nov. 20.