Guest columnist: Placer can proactively facilitate solutions to county-wide priorities

The Placer County Grand Jury recently released a report concerning the status of the several independent fire districts that serve unincorporated communities and the Town of Loomis. The Grand Jury recommended the districts consolidate to improve operational and financial efficiencies and enhance fire services and emergency response. The Placer County Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO), a multi-jurisdictional body that is required by the state of California and oversees the many boundary lines and spheres of influence that impact cities and special districts, issued a response that said, in essence, consolidation is definitely something to consider but would take time and significant analysis. The status of fire districts in Placer County is most certainly a priority for LAFCO, having authorized more than $170,000 to fund several studies, nearly 25 percent of LAFCO's annual operating budget. Cooperation among fire districts and emergency response is essential to ensuring public safety, which is, or at least should be, the top priority of every jurisdiction and level of government. Mutual Aid, as it is often called, is one thing California does best – a consistent, cooperative system that allows individual agencies to draw support from neighboring agencies in the event of a significant event – whether it be a wildfire, mass casualty or natural disaster. Placer County's law enforcement fire/emergency services already do a terrific job communicating, coordinating and responding to critical events … but we can do better. One such example is interoperability, the ability for public service agencies and individuals to communicate seamlessly across jurisdictional boundaries and communications channels and is an essential component of an effective mutual aid structure. In fact, the lack of effective interoperability was found to be a significant hindrance to organizing public safety personnel and equipment in the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks. Public safety officials nationwide declared it a priority to purchase and implement communications systems that allowed police, fire and emergency response to coordinate and communicate effectively and seamlessly. Unfortunately, 22 years later, individual public safety agencies in Placer County are working independently to acquire communications equipment and platforms in a piecemeal fashion, cobbling together federal and state grants to gradually acquire necessary equipment. Once again, LAFCO is stepping in to offer some analysis and potential solution to a multi-jurisdictional challenge. At its last meeting, the LAFCO board of directors, chaired by Supervisor Cindy Gustafson, received a proposal from a company called Central Square, that provides technology to enable CAD (computer-aided dispatch) to CAD communications between emergency dispatch centers, allowing dispatchers the ability to see in real time the availability of emergency response resources and be able to deploy the nearest unit regardless of jurisdictional boundaries, which is especially critical when local resources are depleted and during major incidents, which frequently occur in the county. The technology platform, which connects existing dispatch systems and requires no additional investment from individual agencies, comes with a price tag of up to $250,000 to implement and approximately $125,000 per year to operate. Rocklin Fire Chief Reggie Williams and Roseville Fire Chief Rick Bartee testified in support of the Central Square proposal, saying the investment would reduce response times, improve operational efficiency and effectiveness, and would enhance the county's current mutual aid system and relationships, likely leading to additional improvements in the future. The LAFCO board received the presentation positively but inevitably the question came around to, "Who pays?" This is where I believe Placer County has a unique and essential role to play. Placer County has the largest budget of any local jurisdiction or special district in our county … and the county's revenues continue to grow each year due to additional revenue from property taxes, resulting from appreciated home values and additional housing construction in the cities and unincorporated county. I recommend the Board of Supervisors allocate a portion of this annual revenue growth into a restricted fund to use on one-time expenses for priorities that are identified by the board, partner agencies and the public. And public safety should top this list. From 2017 to 2022, Placer County's property tax revenue grew from $171 million to $228 million, an increase of $57 million, or 33 percent. Had the county chosen to set aside 10 percent of the property tax increase over this period, the Placer County Priority Fund I am suggesting would have a balance of more than $5.7 million. In the example of the CAD to CAD communications technology platform … rather than yet again applying for a competitive federal grant that may or may not be received and may or may not provide the required amount, Placer County could cut a check for $250,000 and be reimbursed over a period of, say, 10 years by the participating agencies, which likely don't have much margin for one-time capital expenditures. In my conversations on the campaign trail, I have heard a few individuals say, "The county isn't in the fire business" and therefore should not expend funds that should be spent by individual districts and municipal departments. That may be technically true, but Placer County IS in the public safety business, which means the county and the Board of Supervisors should be at the forefront of facilitating, implementing and funding cooperative, collaborative solutions to significant public policy priorities jointly identified by the Board of Supervisors, our municipalities, special districts and by our constituents themselves. Dave Butler is a former Rocklin City Councilmember and candidate for Placer County Supervisor for District 3, which includes the communities of Rocklin, Loomis, Penryn and Newcastle.