Countywide : Cuts Suggested for Fire Department

The Ventura County grand jury on Friday asked the Board of Supervisors to consider cutting the overtime of firefighters and eliminating middle managers before taxing residents for county fire services.

In a one-page letter by foreman Woodrow Shumate, the grand jury said the county has a responsibility to county property owners to streamline operations before implementing a tax.

The request came in the wake of the supervisors’ decision this week to proceed with plans to tax most property owners $110 annually for fire services.

Without the tax, county Fire Department officials say they will be forced to lay off up to 200 employees, close nine fire stations and decimate paramedic and firefighting efforts to offset an expected state funding cut of $20 million--nearly 40% of the department’s budget.

In response to the grand jury’s letter, Supervisor Maggie Kildee said streamlining the Fire Department would save money. But she said the savings would fall short of making up for the massive loss of state money.

“We could find a few thousand dollars here and there,” she said. “But it is $20 million we have to find. We should ask the fire chief to keep on cutting, which he has already done.

“We can ask him to keep it lean and mean. But lean and mean isn’t cutting it in half.”

The grand jury is a 19-member citizens panel, appointed by Superior Court judges, that serves a dual role. In addition to indicting criminal suspects, the jury acts as a watchdog on local government.