Editorial: Ross firehouse debate advisory panel is a good idea

Ross finds itself at a crossroads. It is a political intersection where the Town Council has been before and thought it had chosen the right direction.

But a number of town residents want the town to take another look and choose another route, one that is likely very expensive, but one – they say – could be critical to saving lives and property.

Creating a special advisory panel to evaluate the choices may be the best way to avoid a divisive small-town debate.

A group of local residents want the town to reopen its firehouse, backtracking on a decision the council reached in 2021.

Despite that decision, there remains a significant difference of opinion, strong enough to fuel a threatened referendum to restore and reopen the old and antiquated firehouse at the corner of Lagunitas Road and Sir Francis Drake Boulevard.

Councilmember William Kircher is probably right, it’s probably going to require voter approval of a local tax to repair and improve the firehouse and pay for having it staffed 24/7.

The council decided to close the firehouse after concluding that those costs were too high for the small town and that its merger with the Ross Valley Fire Protection District’s San Anselmo station and mutual aid relationship with the nearby Kentfield fire department offer reasonable response times for fire calls.

The town’s plan is to replace the firehouse with a building that will house a paramedic team and an ambulance as most of the town’s emergency calls are for medical response.

The town’s goal is to have that facility ready by 2029.

But critics of that decision are not convinced Ross does not need a firefighting squad stationed in town.

A large number of them turned out for the council’s recent workshop on what has become a hot-button issue.

Both sides have facts and figures on hand to support their stands, but they vary widely.

Establishing a broad-based special advisory committee to take a hard look at them may be a wise step toward a possible community consensus.

Ross is a wealthy community, home to some of the most expensive real estate in the county. But would its residents vote to tax themselves to repair and reopen the old firehouse?

That may depend on the short- and long-term costs.

One town-hired consultant has estimated those costs could require increasing the town’s $1,200-per-year parcel tax to $5,400 or even $7,400, the latter reflecting the estimated cost of Ross going back to having its own fire department.

Without a consensus on those, the answer to that question may be a roll of the dice.

Going to the voters with a referendum to rescind the council’s 2021 decision without a clear picture of those costs is simplistic and unfair to voters, making them have to decide whose facts and figures are correct.

Forming a special committee whose composition both sides can agree with and trust would offer some clear and reasonable parameters to the debate.

The Friends of the Ross Firehouse group, which has advanced plans for a referendum, has challenged those estimates and argue that Ross residents would be safer with a local firehouse staffed with firefighters and paramedics.

The level of safety and how much town property owners are willing to pay for it are lynchpin issues.

At the council’s recent workshop, there were a lot of facts and figures floated. A committee could tie them down.

Yes, it means second-guessing the council’s 2021 decision. But challengers of that decision have already reopened the debate. If forming a balanced committee to take a hard look at the figures and issues raised during this debate could provide a clearer focus for decision-makers and, possibly, voters, it could make sense as a step toward reaching a consensus.