WESTMINSTER : City Plans to Switch to County Fire Authority

Calling its decision an agonizing one, the City Council voted this week to disband the Fire Department, becoming the 19th municipality to contract fire services with the Orange County Fire Authority.

In a 4-1 vote, the council majority agreed Tuesday to accept the county Fire Authority’s $5.9-million-a-year proposal. A final contract is to be considered by the council in June, with the county authority taking over by July 1.

Councilwoman Margie L. Rice cast the dissenting vote, saying that she favored an offer from Huntington Beach to provide Westminster’s fire services.

“I just couldn’t vote for Orange County Fire Authority,” Rice said. “It’s giving up local control, and I just didn’t want to do that.”

Huntington Beach, one of six entities that made proposals, had lobbied Westminster to delay a decision. Residents also had asked the council to put off a vote to give the public more time to study the various offers.

But City Manager Bill Smith said the move to contract fire services right away was necessary because of the city’s financial problems. “We are in dire straits,” he said.

Under the county Fire Authority contract, he said, the city will save as much as $1.8 million a year--about $9 million over the five-year agreement.

The Fire Department’s 74 employees are to be hired by the county authority, though the city’s fire chief and three assistant chiefs are expected to be demoted in rank and receive salary cuts.