By CHERI BRUBAKER/YachatsNews.com
SEAL ROCK — It was clear there was a change in the focus and direction for the Seal Rock Rural Fire Protection board as soon as newly elected board members Al Anton, Mike Burt, and Paul Rimola were sworn in and seated at its regular July meeting last week.
Anton ran unopposed for the board in May, while Burt and Rimola defeated incumbents to gain seats on the five-member board.
In short order, Al Anton was elected Thursday to replace Tina Fritz as president after board member Dustin Joll’s nomination of Fritz failed to get a second. Mike Burt was elected secretary.
All three new board members have made recruiting more volunteers and what to do about a tax levy that expires next June as part of their election campaigns.
A proposed tax levy of 80 cents per $1,000 assessed property value – double the current levy – was defeated 439 to 608 in May.
Both Anton and Rimola have taken issue with Chief Tom Sakaris in the past, and Burt was one of three volunteers abruptly resigning at the board’s March meeting last year.
Last September Rimola wrote to the board saying “There seems to be a problem with leadership and follow-through at SRRFD,” calling out both Sakaris and the board members at the time. Rimola suggested then that Sakaris develop a comprehensive plan regarding short and long-term resources. At the same time, Anton wrote, “The Seal Rock taxpayers pay for a full-time chief to manage the fire district, not perform basic firefighter duties.” He suggested the board put a stop to “low priority responses outside of our district.”
The new board members said they are looking to correct what they see as failures of the previous board, which included limiting the time allowed for public input and expelling a voter from a meeting. A special work session will be held to discuss these and other district issues at 1 p.m. Wednesday and an event to recruit more volunteers is planned in August.
While there was general agreement last week among board members that putting a levy on the ballot this November or next May ballot was necessary, its amount is still in question.
Anton later indicated to YachatsNews the board needs to “assess and see” what staffing needs to be to determine whether the levy will be 40 cents, 60 cents or the 80 cents that was voted down in May.
Anton also indicated the need for the board to revisit the district’s interagency agreement with Central Oregon Coast Fire & Rescue in Waldport, which allows the two districts to share personnel and equipment to respond to calls. He noted a mutual aid agreement “in place forever,” which worked fine “for years and years.”
