The Rodeo-Hercules Fire District is going broke.
The District's going broke. When the firehouse in Rodeo was recently forced to close, it left a population of over 8,000 people undefended in the event of a fire, medical emergency, or catastrophe at the refinery. I contacted U.S. Congressman Mike Thompson who, in turn, applied for a FEMA grant, which provided just enough to re-open the firehouse for only about two years. When that money's gone, the firehouse will be closed again, and many firefighters will be unemployed. Rather then making fair and reasonable budget cuts -- and using Reserves to reduce overtime expenses -- the Board voted to impose a new tax on property owners. This still won't be enough, however. According to the Fire Chief, "we're leaking over a million a year". Unless we find the leak, and stop it, the District won't survive.
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