Faced with the choice of closing fire stations or raising taxes, Butte County Supervisors avoided making any decisions Tuesday, but did punt the toughest decision to the Chico City Council, hoping to deflect blame.
Warning of a looming budget shortfall exceeding $3 million, County Administrator Paul Hahn said all services will come under review.
“We’re not going to have a magic answer here,” Hahn said. “We’re going to have to make some significant reductions in the county’s general fund budget. And that, primarily is composed of public safety.”
After studying complex funding and response time formulas for municipal, county-funded, Cal-Fire and volunteer units, officials were presented with several options, none attractive.
Several hours of testimony from firefighters and rural, foothill residents, warned that the cuts would be a grave error. Butte County resident Pamela Allee said, “People are going to die if these stations are closed, even in the winter.”
Allee and others warned that longer response times would also lead to home insurers canceling or refusing to renew fire coverage. That in turn could crimp the availability of mortgages for some properties. County officials estimated that those effected would see fire insurance rates jump 25 to 30 percent.
Asked to approve starting the process to raise more revenue, the board took no action, reasoning that county residents would balk at higher taxes.
In the end the board also shelved for now at least, plans to shutter several rural fire stations. Not wanting to shut a firehouse, the board voted to give fire station 42, near the Chico airport, to that city. Chico, with its own financial issues and recent fire department cutbacks, has indicated it can’t and won’t shoulder the added responsibility.