Westminster Fire Authority Vote Criticized as Premature

The Westminster City Council’s vote to reject a study on revamping the county Fire Authority’s funding was premature and places politics over public safety, officials from several other cities said Tuesday.

“I think it’s amazing . . . that Westminster’s actually voting on what they think the Fire Authority’s solution is when the Fire Authority hasn’t even decided what the solution is,” said Irvine City Councilman Mike Ward, who chairs the authority’s board. “I think it’s a little premature of Westminster.”

Ward added that Westminster saved more than $1 million when it joined the Fire Authority three years ago, so it should be satisfied even if its annual payments rise under a new system.

The Fire Authority’s equity study, released Tuesday, was designed to address complaints by some cities that they were paying hundreds of thousands of dollars more into the authority than they were receiving in services.

The study’s author suggests adjusting the payments of a dozen cities by 2%, the maximum amount allowable under the organization’s bylaws. That would mean reductions for five cities and increases for seven. That recommendation, however, is one of many options available to the authority’s members, who are expected to debate the issue over the next several months.

Irvine, which initiated the study because it is paying $3.8 million more than it receives in service, would have the greatest decrease in payments to the authority, a drop of $386,000 a year. Westminster would face the greatest payment increase, about $105,000 annually.

On Monday, the Westminster City Council told its authority representative to reject the study, voting on it before most cities even received copies of the 43-page document. But officials in several other cities said Tuesday the issue needs to be examined further.

Seal Beach City Councilman Shawn Boyd said he was “disappointed” with any city that is “placing the interest of public dollars over the interest of public safety.”

When the county Fire Authority was formed in 1995, members knew equity was a problem but agreed not to address it for three years. Now, however, officials say some solution is needed, whether through the equity study or some alternative.

“It has been an issue that we need to deal with and get behind us,” said Mission Viejo Councilwoman Sherri M. Butterfield, a former Fire Authority chairwoman.

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What Price Firefighting Service?

Seven cities would temporarily pay more for service under a pending proposal. But five other cities could save. The suggested amounts and time periods:

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Cities Paying More Annual amount Years to equity Cypress $48,204 13.1 La Palma 16,027 15.0 Lake Forest 72,783 1.6 Los Alamitos 4,887 0.3 San Clemente 62,611 11.7 Tustin 69,881 12.4 Westminster 105,746 5.1

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Cities Saving Annual amount Years to equity Dana Point 80,194 5.2 Irvine 386,968 9.8 Laguna Niguel 115,289 2.4 Stanton 44,394 1.0 Villa Park 13,662 6.3

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Source: Orange County Fire Authority