In what appears to be a step forward toward consolidation, the 2 fire districts on the West Shore of Lake Tahoe have agreed to provide services together as one instead of separately with mutual aid agreements. This long -time coming arrangement came as the result of the retirement of long time Meeks Bay Chief, John Pang. While the Meeks Bay District board seeks a replacement, Chief Tim Alameda will spend 2-3 days a week at Meeks Bay as admin chief and Fire Marshall(permits and code enforcement.)
Meeks Bay district board president, Ed Miller, will look seriously at consolidation, which makes eminent good sense, given the realities of public finances on the West Shore, and the very seasonal needs of Meeks Bay fire protection and EMS.
Perhaps the board members of Meeks Bay will finally realize that their positions and efforts don't warrant the huge sums they suck out of the district budget every year for their health benefits. Wouldn't we all like a full and complete package at the cost of 2-3 hours PER MONTH? Of course we would. Meeks Bay board members have definitely taken advantage of the voters over the years, gaining these benefits w/o much push back from property owners who are largely seasonal and generally absent.
The Mayor's office will closely watch developments with both districts. It is especially timely that we watch this as property owners in the district have been hit by a State of California Fire Prevention fee despite being adjacent to the largest fire hydrant reserve in the state(Lake Tahoe).
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