Special Notice / Hearing: None__
Vote Required: Majority
To: Honorable Board of Supervisors
From: Michael P. Callagy, County Manager
Subject: Successor Agreement between San Mateo County and Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District regarding Fire Services
RECOMMENDATION:
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Adopt a resolution authorizing a Successor Agreement with Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District regarding fire services in the Coastside Protection Area.
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BACKGROUND:
As part of the San Mateo County Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCo) approval of the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District’s (District) Coastside Protection Program in 2004, the District and the County entered into an agreement addressing fire services in the District’s Coastside Protection Area. The agreement provided for fire service fees to be paid by the District to the County annually in lieu of property taxes, to ensure that the County incurred no loss of revenue as a result of the District’s expansion. The original agreement had a fifteen-year term, which expired on March 16, 2019.
DISCUSSION:
County and District staff have met and negotiated a Successor Agreement with a new fifteen-year term. The Successor Agreement addresses the provision of fire and emergency services in the Coastside Protection Area, as well as fuel modification and management and efforts to provide mutual aid and identification of water resources to support fire suppression.
The Successor Agreement maintains the existing approach to calculation and payment of the fire service fee. The District pays the fire service fee to the County twice annually, in January and July. The fees increase 2 percent annually and are recalculated as the District acquires additional property in the Coastside Protection Area that is served by County Fire.
In addition to the fire service fee, the Successor Agreement provides that the District will reimburse the County in the amount of $60,000 for the County’s future purchase of an Emergency Rescue Vehicle (ERV). The ERV is intended to help County Fire respond more quickly and effectively to calls for medical services on public trails on District lands.
FISCAL IMPACT:
During the fifteen-year term of the prior agreement, the District submitted fire service fees to the County in the amount of $75,799.04. The amount by which the fire service fee may increase during the term of the Successor Agreement will depend on whether the District adds lands within the covered area. The Successor Agreement also offsets the cost of acquiring an ERV needed for County Fire to most efficiently to emergency medical calls on District lands.