Fire Department Consolidation with Ketchum

Update (4-18-08): After a lengthy discussion of the facts and a good debate, the Sun Valley City Council voted unanimously (3-0 as Councilman Chase was absent) at its April 17, 2008 meeting to reject the consultant’s recommendation for total consolidation with the Ketchum Fire Department. The Council found that it was not in the best interest of the City at this time. I presented an analysis of the total effect the proposed consolidation would have on the taxpayers of the City of Sun Valley, something the consultants left out of their report. You can click here to see my financial analysis. We also heard testimony from citizens regarding the considerable intrinsic value our fire department brings to the City. The one proponent of the consolidation failed to provide evidence that it would improve the level of service or save the taxpayers of Sun Valley any money in the long term. The Council also accepted certain recommendations of the consultants dealing with improvements which can be made to the Sun Valley Fire Department, many of which are already underway.

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Every ten years or so the issue of consolidation of the Sun Valley and Ketchum fire departments comes up and is studied. In 2006 the Mayors and City Administrators of both cities hired a consultant and studied the possibility of consolidating the fire departments. That study was completed in August of 2007. With significant changes at Sun Valley City Hall following last November’s city election, we have now had the opportunity to do an in depth evaluation of the consolidation study. I got my first chance to see the consolidation report right after the November, 2007 election.

At the April 17, 2008 City Council meeting we will discuss the fire consolidation report and the direction the Council and Mayor wish to go on the issue. The City Staff Report on the consolidation is available at this link.

When I ran for my seat on the Council in 2005, I was very clear about how I would evaluate various consolidation issues. I wrote about it in a blog on October 29, 2005. You can read it in the blue at the bottom of this blog, or at this link.

The decision for me on fire consolidation will boil down to what is best for the taxpayers and residents of the City of Sun Valley:

• Will consolidation improve the level of service we receive in the city, or
• Will consolidation save the taxpayers of Sun Valley money?

I have set that threshold high because, from my personal experience living in the city for 20 years, and from conducting a thorough financial analysis of the consolidation report, if a decision is made to consolidate, it is clear we cannot go back to what we have now.

The cost to operate the Sun Valley Fire Department is only about 22% of what it costs to run the Ketchum Fire Department. The two departments have a good working relationship and operate under “auto-aid” and “mutual-aid” agreements. When either city has a fire call, the auto-aid agreement automatically sends manpower and equipment such as our jointly owned aerial tower to the other city. Under the mutual-aid agreement, either department can ask for specific additional resources if they are needed from any department in the valley. In addition, our staff has been assisting lately at the Ketchum fire station when they have had manpower shortages.

It is critical to always take a financially conservative approach to these types of decisions because they will have long-term consequences to the taxpayers of our City. It becomes even more important in this situation because the issue goes to the core of what we must deal with in the City – health, safety and welfare. Sun Valley currently has a highly cost efficient fire department that provides a high level of service to our citizens. That is something we can be proud of. Please plan to attend the Council meeting on April 17th at 4 p.m. and participate in the discussion on the possible consolidation.

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Here is my blog entry from October 29, 2005:

Nils Ribi on Consolidation of Services With Ketchum

Concerning the proximity and potential cost savings, I was asked if I would consider consolidation of any Sun Valley and Ketchum city services. Each City has unique requirements, situations and an identity. In most cases, previous studies have indicated that outright consolidation would not be cost-effective. Several joint cooperative relationships exist including EMT and ambulance service, police, fire, consolidated dispatch and KART. As our circumstances change with the growth expected in Sun Valley, we should continually evaluate consolidation and joint relationship possibilities for the benefit of each community. We should also be keenly aware of opportunities for consolidation as they arise, such as regional transportation.

I fully support the consolidation effort currently being pursued to bring KART and the Peak Bus under one regional transportation authority throughout the valley. It will also make sense to try to bring the resort’s transportation system under this authority. The regional authority will have the ability to tap into Federal funds to purchase rolling stock at very affordable rates. This will also help us work toward a fully integrated transportation system that could link to a potential new airport.