SANTA BARBARA COUNTY - The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors recently received an independent audit on the county's fire department. The in-depth study, which was conducted by Citygate Associates LLC, found the services provided by the department are excellent. However, the picture wasn't a rosy when it come to finances.
"Just in order to maintain the kinds of service we have right now, today, it's going to cost $1.8 this year, over and above what's being paid into now," says Joni Gray, Santa Barbara County 4th District Supervisor.
Unfortunately, the financial picture actually gets even worse for future years. "In about four years or five years, that revenue gap is going to jump to about $15 million, " says Steve Lavagnino (Santa Barbara County 5th District Supervisor.
The Board of Supervisors will meet on Tuesday, February 14th and will begin discussions on how to bridge the shortfall. If a solution cannot be found, it would mean bad news for county residents. "There definitely could be cutbacks. If you need $1.8 and you don't have it and you absolutely do not have it, the only thing you can do is cutback," says Gray.
Lavagnino adds,"we have to find a real solution to this and I think its in reallocating some of our general fund over to the fire department."
Besides increasing the percentage already drawn from property taxes, money could be raised by other means, such as an oil production tax or separate fire district tax.
No matter how the money is raised or how the deficit is closed, both North County supervisors want to make sure it gets done.
"If it's you or one of your loved ones, you want some one highly trained, that's what you've got now, do you want to change that? Read the report," says Gray.
Gray encourages all county residents to read the independent audit. It can be accessed through this website by clicking on "Story Links."
