Staff Report 6.3 - Fire and EMS Agency Sphere of Influence Amendment Proposal Evaluation Report and Potential Assignment of a Commissioner Committee to Consult with Agency Representatives

Analysis

Background

The Commission has been addressing a variety of fire and emergency medical service agency Municipal Service Reviews and Sphere of Influence amendments over the past five years.  

At the Commission’s December 2019 meeting a Municipal Service Review of fifteen west county agencies was adopted by the Commission, and a Sphere of Influence amendment for the Sonoma County Fire District was ordered.   

The Commission also indicated at that meeting that it would consider proposals from the Fire Services Working Group (a body of agency staff members formed to advise an ad hoc committee of the County Board of Supervisors) for further Sphere of Influence amendments.  

In addition to the Fire Service Working Group (“FSWG”) recommendations, which were presented at the Commission’s September 2020 meeting, staff has accumulated proposals from individual fire agencies.  

Lastly, staff proposed a Sphere of Influence amendment for the Russian River and Coast areas that was not wholly adopted by the Commission. Staff also anticipates making further amendment recommendations after addition Municipal Service Review studies have been completed.  

The three sets of sphere amendment recommendations are, unsurprisingly, sometimes complementary and sometimes in conflict.  

The Commission adopted a set of six criteria for evaluation of sphere of influence amendments for fire and emergency medical service agencies, and staff has prepared a report that provides preliminary evaluations of about a dozen proposals.  

The report indicates what agency or body is making the recommendation, what agency territories are proposed for inclusion in the sphere amendments, and how the proposals might be “scored” against the evaluation criteria.  Additionally, staff has prepared maps that hopefully provide meaningful geographical context for each proposal.  

Staff anticipates that there will be considerable differences of opinion amongst Commissioners and the fire service agency community over the evaluations.  The Commission may share this view, indicated by a direction to form an ad hoc committee to review the proposals in conjunction with the FSWG and other interested parties.  

Staff is seeking direction from the Commission on how to proceed.  There is a spectrum of options which include, but are not limited to:  

• •Directing staff to finalize the evaluation report and make recommendations for appropriate sphere amendments.
• •Directing staff to bring further Municipal Service Reviews (notably for north county and for four agencies adjacent to Petaluma) and sphere amendment proposals to the Commission on an as-needed basis, anticipating pending reorganization proposals.
• •Directing staff as above, but foregoing any sphere of influence amendments involving County Service Area 40 territory, acknowledging that the County requested that exemption in December 2019 and has not indicated a change in position.
• •Directing staff to continue to meet with fire agency representatives, and to bring a county-encompassing set of sphere of influence amendment proposals before the Commission. (The additional Municipal Service Review work noted above would have to be completed prior to adoption of a countywide set of amendments.)
• •Establish an ad hoc committee of Commissioners to consult with the fire agency community, with a goal of developing a county-encompassing set of recommendations. Staff recommends that an ad hoc committee should be formed only to address a narrow set of specific activities, and should generally have a limited time horizon. (The Commission does not have a policy that allows the Chair to assign ad hoc committee members; staff recommends that if the Commission chooses to form an ad hoc, that the Chair be assigned to name committee members, or that the Commission deliberate on member selection.)

Utilize the Policy Committee for the purpose of conducting the review noted above.

Recommendation 

Staff is seeking direction from the Commission regarding further work on fire and emergency medical service agency Municipal Service Review and Sphere of Influence amendment work. In particular, staff is seeking guidance on how the Commission would like to engage with sphere of influence proposals, either through staff proposals to the Commission as a whole, or through a subcommittee process. Alternatively, the Commission could adopt a more reactive posture, directing staff to bring forward only proposals that anticipate actual reorganization applications.

Attachments

1. Fire Service Sphere of Influence Report