Woodland area voters will have the chance on Aug. 4 to formalize their annexation into Clark County Fire and Rescue’s district. Although the formal contract with CCF&R didn’t begin until 2013, the city has been working toward this action throughout the time I served on city council from 2006-2017.
At the time I began in 2006, the city was trying to hold services together with a mostly volunteer fire department of very dedicated, but very overstretched, city residents and three or four paid staff members, supplemented by interns who came to finish their training.
Through several transitions and many discussions, the council and fire staff moved toward a more efficient and modern system of operations that gave citizens better 24/7 coverage (because emergencies aren’t scheduled between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.) and assisted with normalizing costs through being associated with a larger organization with bulk buying power.
It’s time for the city to move forward and vote to annex into CCF&R. This will not change any of the current services, it will only formalize a move to have the day-to-day operations and budget handled by CCF&R commissioners, who are better versed in fire protection equipment and needs than the city council.
Please vote to approve this annexation to formalize current arrangements with CCF&R and assure stable costs and levels of service for your community. Future residents will thank you for your vision.
