The 29 Palms Fire Department, under the leadership of Chief Thompson, has kept its promises to the residents of 29 Palms and the Desert Heights community. Not only do they serve the citizens with courage, compassion, and integrity as stated in their oath, they also have kept another promise. In 2005, in exchange for your gracious vote to approve Measure J, the Fire Department promised not to come back before the people to ask for money for 8 years. Measure J was (is) a flat rate on single/multi-residences, improved, and unimproved property. For example, it changed the rate on a single residence on 5 acres or less from the 1997 rate of $54 to $80. Measure J went into effect fall of 2005 and for the past 6 years, the Fire Department has staffed two fire stations 24 hours a day, serving approximately 20,000 people and covering 87 square miles. The measure did not contain an inflation adjuster, so your rates have not changed even though the cost of operating the fire department and the cost of living continues to rise as the economy declines.
The fire department is governed by the 29 Palms Water District Board of Directors because the water district was the only local government in existence when the fire department was formed. While the 29 Palms Water District is doing a magnificent job of overseeing the fire department, this situation limits the fire department’s ability to obtain sufficient funds to meet staffing and equipment needs. By law, the water district’s revenue cannot fund fire department operations. The fire department is funded by the 29 Palms Special Fire Tax (still at 2005 rates) and grants that are sometimes available from federal and state programs.
Few attempts have been made to change jurisdiction from the water district to the city of 29 Palms since its incorporation in 1987. There are a couple of problems that interfere with the changeover. Because the water district’s area of service is larger than the city limits, if the city did accept the governance of the fire department, this would cause inadequate services to citizens in the unincorporated areas. This challenge could be corrected by the city annexing more of the unincorporated areas. However, a large annexation would have to go through voter approval and this may not be feasible or desirable.
It could be beneficial for the fire department to be under the jurisdiction of the city. The city has continued to run in the black, even with a high unemployment rate. Prop 13 limits the amount that governments can levy on property owners to 1% of the assessed value, but does allow for a 2% inflation adjustment. The city of 29 also enjoys the additional revenue from its 5,000 acre Redevelopment Agency and can issue bonds and assess development impact fees. Neither the water district nor the fire department has this authority.
Of the 1% property tax revenue, 29 Palms city government receives .26% and shares the remaining .74% with Morongo Unified School District, Ed Revenue Augmentation Fund, General County, CMC, Hi Desert Hospital Dist., 29 Palms Cemetery Dist., County Free Library, Flood Control Zone 6, County Superintendent, Flood Control Admin, Mojave Desert Resource Cons. Dist. In comparison, Yucca Valley receives .16% and the Yucca Valley Fire receives .21%, likewise, Apple Valley receives .094% and the AV Fire Department receives .09%
Since 2005, 29 Palms and the unincorporated areas have continued to grow. The city benefits from this growth via TOT revenue and increased revenue in sales tax. Furthermore, 29 Palms has added new hotels that have increased the need for additional services and equipment. For example, prior to March 2011, the fire department did not have a truck capable of reaching the roofs of local hotels. The purchase of this truck cost the fire department $250,000, further straining an already strained budget.
As a step in the right direction, the City Council and the Water District initiated a Fire Impact Fee Study. The study assessed current services offered by the fire department. It presently serves 20,000 residents located in the city and nearby unincorporated areas. In addition to residences, the department also serves 2,300 workers in local serving, retail, and service businesses.
The study projects that in keeping with the current rate of annual requests for residential permits (approx. 1.25%) the city can expect to add an additional 12,000 residents in the next 25 years. These numbers include city and unincorporated areas. With this growth, the need for fire services will also increase, requiring more money than the current 2005 rates produce.
The suggested Impact Fee is a one-time fee on new building of $528 per Unit residential and $374 non-residential commercial. This fee is consistent with fees collected in San Bernardino County. The fire facilities impact fee will be collected prior to the issuance of a Building Permit. At this time, the City Council has approved the fee, but has tabled it for a discussion after the new General Plan development fees have been discussed. As a result, the fire department is in a holding pattern. It is currently believed that most of the fees will go to pay off the ladder truck. The fire department may not benefit from impact fees for years while they are paying the city back for the truck that was a necessary purchase.
Technically the fire department is part of the Twenty-nine Palms Water District. However, it serves the city and adjoining unincorporated areas as a fully functioning fire district. According to the Official Twentynine Palms Fire Department site, the Fire District has two fully staffed stations. The stations are staffed 24 hours with a 3-man engine company consisting of a career (paid) company officer and two volunteer reserve firefighters. The career full-time staff consists of the Fire Chief and six company officers (two Captains and four Engineers). They are assisted by 1 part time Administrative Assistant and 30 volunteer reserve firefighters. These firefighters are trained in fighting structure and wild land fires and as emergency medical technicians. These company officers have additional training in hazardous materials, technical rescue (vehicle extrication, swift water, high-angle, trench and confined space), and terrorism response.
The Volunteer and Explorer programs provide excellent training in fire and safety skills. Volunteers are young men and women that have finished a fire training academy and must have additional on-the-job training to advance in their careers. The volunteers travel over a hundred miles to work in the 29 Palms Fire Department. The Explorer program is offered to high school students. This program encourages students to pursue careers in the fire and emergency services. Students also learn how to be responsible citizens in their communities. The Fire Department provides many essential services to the city and surrounding communities at very little cost to the city.
How has the Fire Department continued to provide such excellent levels of service without asking the tax payers for an increase? They have been very conservative with expenditures and making do. However, sustaining present services with the 2005 rate is becoming an almost impossible feat.
The Fire Department is fully committed to keeping their 8 year promise, but will need to take a second look at the 2012-13 budget. The Board of Directors will be going over the budget to look for any “fat” that can be cut. They want to be sure of their needs before asking tax payers for an increase. It will be their last resort. How many other agencies can we say have been such good stewards of the tax payers’ money?
The 29 Palms Fire Department has always had our backs. Now it is our turn to have their backs.
29 Palms Fire Department Always On Watch,
Cora do you think it will be possible to leap the hurtle of voter unwillingness to continue to raise taxes?
I would think paying a few dollars more is easier than watching a house burn down, waiting to be helped at an accident, or lose a loved one who needs medical attention. or have your house insurance go up a couple of hundered dollars because we do not have adequate fire protection.
We the unwilling, lead by the tax happy crooks …………ahhhhhhhh no
Revenue has to be generated for services. If the fire department were under the city, there would most likely not be a need for additional fire tax, but they are not. What is your solution?
I don’t know if you live in the city or not. but our taxes through tax allocation already go to facades for businesses, new buildings for businesses, new visitor center/city chamber, a theater. Someone will have to protect those “investments” incase of fire. I don’t get a say on how that money is spent. At least in this case, I will be asked and it does benefit everyone not the chosen few.
Not to be a pain, but the cost of everything I do, eat, drive, breath is costing me more and my income has not kept up with it. What am I to do?
Every time things get bad who gets to pay more? John Q Public, where does J.Q.P get the extra income?
It is a never ending cycle, and when jobs are there,states and counties have good incoming taxs, do the lower tax’s, very, very rare. I do not have an answer but I am tired of more taxs to fix everything. Why did the city allow a high rise hotel, when they knew full well they did not have a fire truck that could fight such a fire, hummm short sighted? Or were they betting the public would fork out more money?, you know, because it’s a crisis and all that, I’m just saying.
Richard perhaps some history will help in this matter.
The city did not allow a high rise hotel – it was approved and it was all within the city rules and regulations when it was approved on paper.
Things got tricky in the construction of the thing and there a was 5 foot over height event.
But that 5 feet was not the real issue. The real issue was not this hotel or the others in the city. The real issue was and is, that in fact, the Council at the time, myself and Jim Harris as well as Joel Klink, in particular, were trying to look to the future – have a vision so to speak, and to also forge a bond of cooperation between the Water District and the City.
We were somewhat sucessful. Joint meetings were held, a joint Fire Department Task Force was instituted, and even some Councilmembers saw fit to speak in favor of Proposition “J”.
Trust me on one point there is not a single Councilmember that likes to or even wants to raise taxes – and it has never, ever, been done by any powers of the City.
But when it comes to Public Safety, Police and Fire, there is only one way to pay for those services and that is through revenue sources. The city pays for the Police through property taxes via the General Fund. The Water District Pays for our Fire Department through the convulted means that Cora outlines so well. The easiest way to remember this is that “Water money for water”, “Fire money for Fire”, and never the two shall be mingled.
Our Fire Department is running out of money. When it does run out of money the City will need to seek another Fire Agency or do without a Fire Department all together. We can “contract” to the County for Fire services but it will be very, very, expensive. Or I guess we can just not do with a Fire Service at all and hope that we can put out our own fires with lawn hoses, and forget about those people trapped in cars after accidents and stuff like that.
The city does not have any programs that are excessive in nature in regards to spending. In fact the city regularly socks away $500,000.00 plus or minus, into the reserves after each fiscal year. This surplus is not from any excess taxation but rather from sound fiscal procedures.
The question must be asked again as it was when the concept of acquiring this ladder truck was approved – why can’t the city just purchase the apparatus outright and forget about this loan business to the Fire Department? Can’t this city act in cooperation with a Public Safety Department or must our Fire Department be treated as outsiders forever?
Well, there is some history and some thoughts none of which will help you buy that cup of coffee at Circle-K in the morning. I have also noticed that everything is costing me more too including my Police protection and my Fire protection – maybe I’ll pass on that cup of coffee.
Good Luck Guys and Gals
We can “contract” to the County for Fire services but it will be very, very, expensive. says Spear.
Ah simple solution…. figure out what it would cost the city to contract with the county and… well err… pay the 29 Palms Fire Department parity…. just a thought.
That is a good thought Dan.
When we were looking at the options in regards to the Fire Department falling under the city the cost for County Fire at about 1/2 of the services our own Fire Department provides was in the $1,000,000.00 dollar range.
It was simply cost prohibitive.
I think all of us are on the same thought pattern on this issue.
Our Council needs to start being visionary as compared to its present reactionary collective wisdom.
Again, good thought Dan.
Thanks for the history lesson, I’m aware of some that and I believe you had good intensions, however it was short sighted in my view.
I agree public safety is right at the top, so maybe the city manager would like to take a cut in pay to help out?
If public safety is the big concern then why was it not factored in when the hotels were built, in my view, as usual the talking heads felt they would get the needed funds from J.Q.Public, after all it is them your concerned about, not the corporations that own the hotels, right?
The basic deal here is unemployment is high and will stay high in this area for a long time =less tax revenues. The cost of just staying above water for those who have jobs gets harder every day. We are stretched beyond our ability to absorb the cities woes and lack of planning. I make a good living with the phone company and now live in my car during the week, rather that pay for fuel I can not afford. No offense to the fire fighters, but I’ll bet few of them are living in their car or have been reduced to eating TV dinners as a regular meal. There are enough people here that can’t make rent and do not eat well, and you want them to pay more?
Save you grand plan for a later time, if and when things recover, then you will have the tax revenues to do something. For now the city, just like the people you are supposed to serve all have no choice but to go backwards in their standard of living, what ever that might be.
To use the movie line, we are mad as hell and will not take it anymore, enough is enough.
You make interesting points and bring up several “value” concerns.
We are not talking about pay raises for fire fighters. We are talking about having a Fire Department.
The city does not plan for the Water District and its attempts to fund the Fire Department through the mechanisms explained above.
We tried to plan for the future without costing the taxpayer a dime but forces turned the purchase of a ladder truck into a loan for a ladder truck. Yet the purchase of that ladder truck has cost you and I nothing in new taxes or even assesments.
As for the City Managers salary I would suggest you take that matter up with your Council at a meeting in full view of the public. Nonetheless his salary does not effect the “loan” to the Fire Department.
I can assure you that there was nothing offered to any Counclimember by any hotel developer.
I also agree on all should cut back. But how far do you cut back on Police and Fire when by even the most gracious of scales we are currently at a service level that provides a minimum?
All tough questions and the points you raise are well taken.
let me change a few words and see how this reads
I also agree on all should cut back. But how far do you cut back on food and utilities when by even the most gracious of scales we are currently at a living standard that provides a minimum?
The average family comes up short, they lose something or go with out, they do not have the tax payers to ask for more money.
In the reverse cities and all say dang we need more money, lets tax something, lets take just a little more from those families,,,they can take it.
Hi Richard,
What you are saying holds true at the State and federal level – I conceed that point to you.
What we are talking about here is saving our Fire Department and in the process not raise your taxes or fees or anything else.
Now how do you do that – you do it by combining the resources of the city and the Fire Department and break new ground in the arena of Public Safety cooperation.
Why is the city requiring the Fire Department to pay the city back for the purchase of a ladder truck that the citizens of the city need to have? I have no clue.
In any event Richard lets just deal with the issue of 29 Palms.
I do not see where the city has negatively impacetd your ability to survive by imposing taxes. As I mentioned to Mark what we are paying in taxes right now is what you and I and he would pay anyway even if we were not incorported.
Can a city that routinely puts into reserves $500,000.00 plus or minus dollars a fiscal year afford to assist in their own Fire Protection?
Outstanding Steve. Nothing stays the same or costs what it did. And I agree that the city should just write off the cost of the truck as a “good” bad debt. Larry
What does yucca pay ? How do they afford county fire services. I have a hard time with the idea that the water district provides better value than a large org.
Let me contact some souces on what Yucca pays for County Fire and I’ll get back to you on that one.
Okay,
Called a source.
Yucca Valley pays the County .21% of their overall property tax levy to the County for Fire Protection. I have no idea what Yucca collects in property taxes each year but I think we are looking at a bigger number than $1,000,000.00. I would hope that the Yucca Town Manager will correct me if I’m wrong.
A better example as explained to me is Adelanto. They contract with the County for Fire protection. That contract calls for two, three man engine stations. That is exactly what we have here in 29.
Adelanto pays 3,200,000.00 for that contract. Yes that is 3.2 million.
Mark, County services are not cheap by any stretch of the imagination.
In some cases when it comes to Public Safety what you already have can be cheaper than what you may want to contract for. This of course does not hold true for establishing what you don’t have. In that case it is usually cheaper to contract out to a County Public Safety provider.
I guess we are the smart ones, I was told by a x board member 29 is the only 1 in the state to do it this way. As far as planning for the future we already screwed that up, high cost lowering wages on and on. Let’s salvage what we can before we go so far in the hole the next generation has no hope of keeping the US of A number l.
A hero acts from the heart not the pocket book.
Hi Mark,
Well I think 29 is one of two that still has a Fire Department under the supervision of the local Water District.
Yet, that decision was made a very long time ago to leave it there when the city incorporated. Since then boundaries have changed, etc.
You speak of this next generation thing as if 29 has done something to burden our grandchildren. This thought of yours might be true at the County, State, and federal level, but it is not true of our city that has a history of “saving” money. Not once has this city operated in the “red” or even proposed a budget that operated in the “red”.
29 provides a pretty good deal for having no taxes other than what you would have to pay anyway on your property, gasoline, and taxable purchases if we were not incorporated.
Can we have less rules and regulations – I’m sure we can and this city is working on that very issue.
Again, Mark – what do you or others propose to do to solve the upcoming fiscal crisis that our Fire Deaprtment will face in the next year or so?
teve wrote, “…what do you or others propose to do to solve the upcoming fiscal crisis that our Fire Department will face in the next year or so?
This needs to be said: A new Performing Arts Theater and parking lots vs. Fire Department services? This puts the City is a bad light. This Friday, a slide-show presentation is scheduled by self-serving lobbyist to highlight the grandeur of the new City’s performing palace .
This is already green-lighted by the City. I think city leaders are Out of Touch. How do they expect voters to take them seriously?
On the one hand, they go in debt for 30 years to pay for parking lots, a performing arts theater (already have one) and tear down building with a history, while on the other hand the Fire Department needs help to provide necessary services but there is no money.
Why can’t the city do both?
Priorities Larry, Priorities.
let us weigh this out…. Fire department…… Publicly funded theater….. Fire department….. Publicly funded theater…. Hmmm this is a real brain twister.
I know I would rather have adequate public services. I can always subscribe to Public TV.
Well of course the Council has to put safety first but that doesn’t mean that nothing else gets done. TV is so yesterday.
Larry,
I want to respond to this question, but must wait til later today.
ying yang,,,,hummm ying yang man, I just don’t know….I have said my bit, I’m done,,,,I shall stand back and await the pick pocketing.
What? why yes dear I think I’ll have the turkey TV dinner tonight, oh by the way, we can’t afford your med’s this month, wait, wait, cook it before you throw it at me…
I havemuch to say but using the I phone is a pain so I will just ask do you think their is value in a city manager that cost the city close to $250,000, or all the fancy equip owned . Let’s clean house and turn public services over to the private sector. A little compition goes a long way. John stosil had a good piece last sat on fizz maybe it is still on their site
That was fox ,and Branson has it right ca rda s are the root cause of the short fall
Turn public services over to the private sector. Sounds like you want the Keystone Cops.
Why does turning it over to private sector relate to Keystone Cops?
Why is government the only solution?
You know the Keystone Cops, were portraying policemen right? aka public servants(government employees).
I’m unaware of any private sector company that hires out as a Fire Department.
Help us out here and direct us to one that puts out Fires and uses the jaws of life and does things that fireman do – please.
I agree with Steve. Public Safety, whether Police or Fire Department or the Marine Corps, should not be “out sourced” to private enterprise.
I too am unaware of a private sector company (not that I have researched into it).
But that was not the point, why is it so far fetched that a private company could do such a thing?
Why is it that only government can?
This is America, the land of opportunity.
I saw the other day some sewer construction occurring, where the workers were working in large trenches and on site was a private rescue company, that specializes
in trench rescues. I know its not fire services.
I am only saying government is not always the answer.
Operations & Maintenance, Air Force Plant 42, Palmdale, CA
Do not go where the path may lead; go instead where there is no path and leave a trail. — Ralph Waldo EmersonPyramid Services supports the Air Force Materiel Command’s Plant 42, a unique installation located near Palmdale, CA. Air Force Plant 42 is home to ten individual contractor-operated aerospace technology and manufacturing sites. The mission of Pyramid Services is to operate and maintain the common areas and facilities, consisting of five major functions: maintenance, security, fire protection, telecommunications and engineering.
At a glance
Fixed-price award fee contract with five-year term
Government-owned, contractor-operated (GOCO)
Located adjacent to Palmdale, CA
Relevant links
Antelope Valley Press: Palmdale newspaper
City of Palmdale
http://www.pyramidservicesinc.com/plant42.html
I guess you would be shocked at the task Wakenhut preforms , However I was referring to turning public works & parks dept over to the private sector, finance could follow.
It’s as steve indicated we have plenty of reserve Funds but no one knows where they are It would be a good move for a outside audit, as regan said trust but verify
I bet a good salesman could sell 29 on the need for a Tatical vec.
I would have no problem looking for value by shopping the fire dept, I believe they are rated by a outside source compition is the only way to find true value
Forgot to include the nacis code for private contractors that preform or staff fire dept # 561990
I know this is a side issue here but there are some fascinating articles on fire Brigades.
“Today, fire and rescue remains a mix of full-time paid, paid-on-call, and volunteer responders. Many but not all urban areas are served by large, paid, firefighting teams.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_firefighting