Merced County supervisors voted to close the fire station located near the Dos Palos Wye and consolidate its services with Fire Station 76 in the city of Dos Palos.
By BRIANNA VACCARI
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Merced County supervisors voted to close the fire station located near the Dos Palos Wye and consolidate its services with Fire Station 76 in the city of Dos Palos.
Another Merced County fire station is scheduled to close, this time in Dos Palos.
The Merced County Board of Supervisors on a split vote approved the closure of Fire Station 75 located at the Dos Palos Wye. It’s one of two fire stations currently serving the city of around 6,000 people and the surrounding unincorporated area.
The move diverges from the county’s original plan to consolidate the Dos Palos fire stations and close Station 76 in town.
Ultimately, the majority of county supervisors sided with Dos Palos city officials who advocated to keep the station in the city limits open. Supervisors Jim Pacheco, Josh Pedrozo and Daron McDaniel voted in favor of closing Fire Station 75 over Fire Station 76. Supervisors Scott Silveira and Lloyd Pareira voted no.
The vote caught Supervisor Silveira – who represents Dos Palos and the west side of Merced County – by surprise.
“I don’t like that it’s the 11th hour and we’re talking about closing (75),” Silveira said at the May 27 board meeting.
“It’s a bunch of bullshit, as far as I’m concerned, because that was never the discussion,” he said.
The vote came about a year after Merced County first voted to close and consolidate fire stations so the county could afford to comply with a state minimum requirement of staffing two personnel on duty per station, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Of the 58 counties in California, Merced was the only one with Cal Fire stations falling below that threshold.
Since then, Merced County approved stop-gap agreements with the cities of Merced and Livingston for fire service. Additionally, the cities of Livingston and Dos Palos backed ballot measures that ultimately passed to collect local sales tax to support local fire service.
In December, the Board of Supervisors postponed taking action to consolidate and close a fire station in Dos Palos by June 30, pending the outcome of the special election for Measure S.
Dos Palos voters approved Measure S by 77% in March. Officials estimate the sales tax will generate anywhere from $200,000 to $250,000 in revenue annually to contribute to fire service costs. While that amount is not enough to bridge the gap in funding, city officials hope to also generate and contribute more revenue from the city’s general fund each year to support fire service.
Initially, Merced County planned in June to consolidate fire services to Station 75 at the Dos Palos Wye, located near the intersections of Highway 152 and Highway 33, north of Dos Palos, and close Fire Station 76 in the city limits of Dos Palos. That plan was based on the stations’ proximity to Highway 152 and access to a larger swath of Merced County.
Silveira argued against any consolidation, noting that Merced County budgeted to keep both stations open for the next fiscal year. He also broke down for his supervisor colleagues the math on square mileage that each station would have to cover if the other were closed.
While county officials noted they appreciated the effort from Dos Palos to contribute funding for fire service through Measure S, Merced County still would face a $1.3 million deficit annually to keep each of the Dos Palos fire stations open. Doing so is not sustainable long term, and eventually that money would end up coming from the general fund.
Even with the projected Measure S revenue, the city of Dos Palos still won’t be able to fully fund sufficient fire service out of Station 76 for at least a few more years, county officials said.
Dos Palos city officials – including the mayor, city manager and a city councilmember – attended the Board of Supervisors meeting and advocated for keeping Station 76 open over Station 75.
Mayor Katy Reed and Councilmember Claudia Bautista noted Station 76 has a higher call volume and is located in a more central location. Keeping that station open would ensure the Dos Palos Midway and South Dos Palos have access to timely, reliable fire service, they said.
Plus, the city owns most of the equipment at Station 76 and would retain it and demand its share of tax revenue from the county’s fire fund if Station 76 was closed, Reed said.
“Well, we passed our tax measure, so I hope you make the right decision and help us keep our fire station open,” Bautista told the Board of Supervisors. “Money speaks louder than words. …Please serve the greater good and keep Fire Station 76 open,” she said.
After hearing those comments, in addition to Silveira’s loquacious arguments that lasted at least 15 minutes in total, McDaniel suggested the supervisors opt instead to keep Station 76 in Dos Palos open. Pedrozo then made the motion for that option.
“I don’t think we can afford both of them. If we have to pick one, I think that downtown is the way to do it,” McDaniel said.
Mark Hendrickson, Merced County’s interim CEO, said county staff will work on developing a new contract with CalFire to reflect the changes in staffing. The new contract is scheduled for a vote at the June 17 Board of Supervisors meeting, according to county officials.
Silveira did not hesitate to express his disappointment and frustration over the vote, calling the board’s decision “short-sighted.”
“It’s really unfortunate for my residents out there in the Dos Palos Wye area,” Silveira told The Merced FOCUS on Wednesday. “They didn’t get their opportunity for public comment, right? Because this deal was shot in at the last minute. And I hate that.”
He also noted that the last-minute switch raised further questions about the future of Station 75, considering the land for the station was donated and that Station 76 cannot house the county’s water tender. County officials subsequently said those details must still be worked out.
After Tuesday’s vote, Silveira said he’s fielded calls from his constituents asking what happened.
“I just want to let my residents in the Dos Palos area – all of the incorporated city of Dos Palos, whether you live in the unincorporated areas of South Dos Palos, Midway Dos Palos, Dos Palos Wye – I really, truly gave this everything that I possibly can give it to try to be able to come to a solution,” Silveira said.
