From:
To: Mary Gourley
Subject: No Fire Department Consolidation--Public Comment Date: Tuesday, January 31, 2023 2:52:00 PM
Dear Mary,
I know this comment is being sent the same day as the scheduled public meeting, but I hope it can be included among the comments received for consideration.
It seems to me unreasonable to make a decision on consolidating our fire department with the Gold Ridge Fire District without giving careful consideration to the alternative proposal put forth by Fire Chief Bill Braga (Short and Long Term Plan for the Future of the Sebastopol Fire Department). I see many cogent arguments for retaining local control over our fire department. Many commentors will articulate those arguments so I will not attempt to summarize them here. I will only note that the Matrix Consulting Group report was finalized less than a month ago and has been publicly available for considerably less time than that. Given that there is a thoughtful alternative proposal on the table from our own fire department, careful consideration should be given to the merits of both.
That can’t be done quickly. Any action on consolidation should be held in abeyance until the pros and cons of the two alternative reports can be given thorough consideration.
For the record, I am a resident of Sebastopol (Henon Drive) and very much a stakeholder in this issue.
Sincerely,
Carl Pilcher