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For the second time, San Benito County has canceled a town hall meeting to discuss the future of the county’s fire protection services. The meeting—which was supposed to take place in December but was then rescheduled for Jan. 9—has been indefinitely postponed.
Supervisor Kollin Kosmicki posted a video on the San Benito County Facebook page announcing the cancellation.
“With the new City Council and a new mayor coming on board in Hollister, we would like to give the city some time to settle in as we re-engage in conversations about the future of fire protection in San Benito County,” Kosmicki said.
Since June 2024, the city and the county have been in a push-and-pull regarding fire protection services. For 11 years, Hollister provided protection in unincorporated areas of San Benito County. Last year, city officials sent a letter to the county saying they were going to terminate the contract and gave the county 270 days to respond. That period ends on March 15.
Over the past several months, the county has been looking for alternative fire protection services for its rural areas, which are among some of the most fire-prone lands in California.
The county is considering seven options, which were going to be explained to the public at the town hall meeting.
- Renegotiating the contract with the city of Hollister
- Creating a hybrid model with Cal Fire 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 combined volunteer/professional fire department
- Creating a joint power authority with the city of Hollister and other agencies
San Benito County Public Information Officer Rosemerry Dere told BenitoLink the meeting had been “canceled for the time being,” and that county staff is “working on renegotiating with the city.” Kosmicki said the county is “excited to work with the new leadership in Hollister, as we find a solution that’s best for our entire community.”
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