BUENA PARK : City Will Join New County Fire Agency

The City Council voted 4-1 to join 15 other cities that have approved the intergovernmental agreement to create the Orange County Fire Authority.

The new agency, when it is formed, will govern fire services for cities under the county’s fire protection. Two other cities are in the process of considering whether to sign the agreement.

In May, the City Council made the controversial decision to convert the Buena Park Fire Department to the county service, beginning Oct. 1. Councilman Don R. Griffin, who still opposes that decision, voted against the intergovernmental agreement at Tuesday’s meeting.

Other council members approved of the revised agreement that gives each of the 18 cities and the county one vote on the authority’s governing board.

“It allows the cities that have joined (the agency) to have a voice,” said Mayor Donald L. Bone. “It will be like 19 cities joining together and putting fire service under one roof.”

Council members had debated whether to sign the agreement before or after formation of the authority. They finally formed a consensus that the city would benefit most if it had a voice in developing the authority’s policies, Bone said.

The mayor also said the agreement should persuade the majority of Buena Park residents that the city “is not giving up control” of its fire protection.

He noted that the agreement includes a three-year freeze on tax increases by the authority. That was one of the clauses that persuaded council members to join.

Other issues, such as equity among cities and cost control, still need to be hammered out by the authority, Bone said.

The agreement should become effective after the Board of Supervisors approves it--probably in November or December, according to City Manager Kevin O’Rourke.