Jacksonville city leaders, unsure whether the town can afford to keep its own fire department, may turn to nearby agencies for services.

In a July City Council study session, Jackson County Fire District 3 gave a presentation on how it might provide Jacksonville with services. City Manager Jeff Alvis is awaiting reports from Medford and Ashland fire departments, which may give similar presentations next month.

“You don’t want to not explore your options,” Alvis said in an interview with the Rogue Valley Times. “It’s just a vision of what can we do, what do we want to do, and what do we need to do down the road.”

After the departments have presented their proposals, a town hall meeting will be held to get citizen input.

“We know everyone wants a fire department. We built a new building, we got a new truck, right now we have good a good staff,” Alvis said. “Can we keep being able to afford it?”

Two options were presented by District 3 Chief Mike Hussey during the July meeting.

One would have the district take over all fire services in the town, along with equipment and personnel at the current Jacksonville station. It would also serve district areas near Jacksonville.

A second option would offer contracted services, with the city maintaining its own department.

Under the first option, with about 25% of projected services in the district’s current footprint outside Jacksonville, Hussey said the costs would be split. Jacksonville would pay the other 75% of costs.

As an example: District 3 projections showed a cost of $1.86 million to provide services for one fiscal year from the Jacksonville station; in the current fiscal year, the city would pay $1.41 million of that amount.

Jacksonville’s fire department fund shows $1.9 million in revenues in the city’s current fiscal year budget. Of that, about $900,000 is projected to come from the $44 monthly fire safety surcharge attached to water bills. The other money comes from taxes, net working capital and other sources. The cost to operate the department is projected at $1.69 million this year.

Cost increases would be indexed year to year. Labor costs have been rising about 7% per year over the last five years, although wage increases have been going up about 3%, Hussey said. Other labor-related factors such as health insurance benefits and payments to the state Public Employees Retirement System have also increased costs.

The annexation of Jacksonville into District 3 was not discussed at the study session. District 3 and Jacksonville previously looked into bringing the city into the district in 2018. The district decided not to go forward as studies showed an insufficient tax base within the city to support costs.

With a $200,000 difference between what District 3 might charge and what the city will spend, Councilor Talon Reed asked in the study session if it might be possible to reduce the surcharge amount. But Councilor Andrew Hellenthal cautioned that figures for years two and three on a contract should be looked at first.

Under the second option, the district would provide specific services to the Jacksonville department. That could include fire chief services at $54,000 annually, fire prevention-risk reduction services at $2,500 per month and chief emergency response services at $2,500 per month. Training and development costs would be based on the number of personnel involved.

While Jackson County Fire District 4, which serves Shady Cove, was looking for a chief recently, it contracted with District 3 to provide the administrative functions and duties of a fire chief. District 4 continues to contract for training and development. District 3 may also provide services for Jackson County Fire District 5, which is reorganizing following staff changes and the discovery of a budget shortfall.

District 3 operates its own training center with two staffers. The training can go on the road so it can be brought to stations, Hussey said. District 3 also provides fire protection-risk reduction services though home assessments, and has an on-call fire investigator available.

Many citizens know the current firefighters by name, Councilor Andrea Thompson said at the meeting. She asked how personnel would be assigned to the Jacksonville station if an agreement is reached. Hussey noted the district allows firefighters to choose where they are located. The district staffs four stations and has another four staffed by volunteers.

Current Jacksonville Fire Chief Wayne Painter has been able to secure a number of grants targeted for smaller jurisdictions, Thompson said. She wondered how much grant money might go to the city under an agreement.

Mayor Donna Bowen told the Times, “We don’t know if it’s the best available alternative for the people of Jacksonville. It’s probably some months before we make a decision.

“It’s sort of the way of the future for a lot of rural areas, with small cities procuring services to provide the best coverage for the people who live here,” Bowen continued. “Because we are such a small city with a limited budget, we feel that we always need to plan ahead.”