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It took the Hollister Fire Department five days to contain the fire that broke out at a local recycling company north of the city last week. For 11 years, the city of Hollister has provided protection from fires like this in unincorporated areas of San Benito County, which contain some of the most fire-prone lands in the state. But the continuation of those services is no longer certain.
In June 2024, the city terminated its contract for fire protection services with the county and gave officials 270 days—until March 15, 2025—to find a solution. The city and the county have been negotiating for weeks without success.
“We are very seriously exploring other options because we’re being given no other choice,” said San Benito County Supervisor Kollin Kosmicki.
The city wants to hike the fee it charges the county from $2.2 million to $6 million—increase of 160%—which the county says they can’t afford.
Don Ashton, a consultant hired by the county, says this issue is arising throughout the state. “The cost for fire service throughout California is increasing everywhere, and it’s putting a significant strain on all cities and rural parts of California,” Ashton said. “So these costs and how to find money to pay for the services is not unique to San Benito County.”
At the Oct. 22 Board of Supervisors meeting, Ashton listed seven options the county is considering.
- Renegotiating the contract with the city of Hollister.
- Creating a hybrid model with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CalFire) and local staffing.
- Forming a regional fire protection district with neighboring counties.
- Creating a new San Benito County Fire Department.
- Contracting with private fire service providers.
- Leveraging a volunteer or a combination volunteer/professional fire department.
- Creating a joint power authority (JPA) with the city of Hollister and other agencies.
San Benito County has nine fire stations—four operated by the Hollister Fire Department, four by CalFire, and one by the Aromas Tri-County Protection District, which has an agreement with CalFire. The county is being asked to pay $6 million for those four stations and their staff.
Ashton said it would be “ideal” if the city and the county could reach a deal, though he recognized $6 million “is a lot of money for a small jurisdiction to pay for fire service.”
Ashton said El Dorado County has 12 or 13 special fire districts, the most expensive of which is in the $2.5 to $3 million range.
“If you could afford it and started paying $6 million, I would tell you, you’re paying more per capita than any other rural fire district I would be aware of.”
The high price of the fire protection services has caused a heated discussion between city and county officials. Some county officials have deemed the city’s termination as “extortion.”
“The way that the city is currently treating this is more closely related to extortion than a partnership,” said County Supervisor Dom Zanger.
Henie Ring, the county’s deputy county administrative officer, has said they have asked the city to rescind the 270-day notice as part of negotiations, but “they were not amiable to that.”
The city, on the other hand, has said the county is not telling the complete truth. Hollister City Manager David Mirrioni said that county officials are not saying they have drawn a path “to remove the 270-day notice.” He also said the county has canceled negotiation meetings and that a group of frequently asked questions published around this issue omits the option of creating a joint powers authority, which the city is considering and the Board of Supervisors approved in August. He claimed omitting all this was “disingenuous.”
BenitoLink reached out to county and city officials for this story and none responded to our calls.
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