EL MONTE – One of the city’s four fire stations remains on the chopping block as officials grapple with budget woes that have already forced them to lay off 17 police officers and cut employee salaries.
Officials had considered asking residents to pay higher property taxes to pay for the fire station, but that idea seems to have been scrapped.
Now the city is scrambling to find ways to pay its $10 million annual bill for fire and paramedic services contracted through the county. If it can’t, a fire station will be closed, the county fire department said.
Annual city revenue has dropped more than $6 million, largely because of plunging auto sales, city manager Jim Mussenden said.
While a new Staples and the reopening of Sam’s Club next Thursday should provide some sales tax relief, city officials are still anticipating a difficult situation as they plan the budget for the next fiscal year, which begins July 1.
Already the city has cut department budgets, services and employee salaries by 10percent and laid off dozens of employees.
In addition, the Los Angeles County Fire Department has already cut its cost to the city by $800,000. Further cuts are not possible, according to County fire Chief P. Michael Freeman.
“We have looked at the contract and all of the elements of the contract, and currently it is as cost effective as it can be,” he said. “Nothing else can be done, short of closing the station.”
Fire Station 167, located at Bryant and Peck roads, is the station fire officials have slated for closure. If closed, emergency response times around the station would jump from under five minutes to as much as 10 minutes.
Story by San Gabriel Valley Tribune
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