Yachats Fire District acting chief Jeff Mathia walks the district’s budget committee through his proposed spending plan for 2026-27 on Monday. The committee spent two hours going over the details and then approved it 9-0. (Quinton Smith/Lincoln Chronicle)

By QUINTON SMITH/Lincoln Chronicle

YACHATS – The Yachats Rural Fire Protection District’s budget committee Monday unanimously approved a 2026-27 spending plan of $2.54 million that puts substantial funds into reserves for future equipment and to add more firefighters/paramedics if ever needed.

The budget, which was approved 9-0 and now goes to the fire board at its June meeting, also has an ending fund balance of $754,000 – in essence a savings account to get the district started on the 2027-28 budget year.

It was the first budget prepared by acting chief Jeff Mathia, who was promoted from firefighter/paramedic in March and had a month to put it together. Board members praised his work, especially to lower the estimated budget for personnel by nearly 10 percent, adding to reserves, and attacking numerous equipment issues, public outreach and communication after decades under former administrator Frankie Petrick.

Stan Wagaman, a former fire chief, said for the first time in his two years on the board he was able to get detailed responses to budget questions and spending plans.

“… I’m much more comfortable approving this budget,” he said.

Nothing was said during the two-hour budget committee meeting of the operating tax levy that voters will decide in the May 19 primary election. The $1.59 levy – one of two the district has in addition to a permanent tax base — would collect $1.61 million in 2028-29. If the renewal attempt it fails, Yachats Fire has at least two more election chances before money runs out and throws the district back into the financial disarray it experienced before the levy was originally passed in 2022.

Highlights of the 2026-27 budget include:

Wages and benefits, insurance for eight district employees and small expenses for volunteers total $1.47 million, 9.7 percent less than budgeted – but not spent – in 2025-26. Mathia told the committee that previous budgets over-estimated personnel costs and that money could now be budgeted elsewhere;
Fourteen line items under the equipment and operations budget totaled nearly $260,000 – a 47 percent increase over 2025-26 mostly due to anticipated grants and increases in everything from recruitment/retention and marketing, a new radio to use if called out to Oregon wildfires this summer, much more for equipment maintenance, training and education, and 2-3 new turnouts for firefighters;
Adding $250,000 into the reserve fund to buy new or updated equipment, following the $205,000 added this budget year after the board grew alarmed that reserves had dropped to below $30,000. “We have some expensive equipment and we’re going to have to begin replacing some,” said Mathia, adding that he’s developing a 10-year replacement plan; and
Adding $150,000 to a reserve fund for personnel, bringing it to $300,000, to pay for any future staff additions. Mathia said the district has a 10-year window to use those funds or move them into another part of the budget.

Mathia said the biggest uncertainty was the district’s intention to absorb South Lincoln Ambulance, which he intends to initiate by the end of the current fiscal year June 30 and complete during the 2026-27 fiscal year.

The relationship between the ambulance nonprofit, which the district staffs but receives little compensation for and can take personnel out of the district for hours during transports, has been under review for at least two years but has only been more forcefully addressed recently because of changes on the board. The nonprofit is controlled by Petrick and Shelby Knife, the district’s former assistant administrator, who Mathia said are working on the transition.

“This year’s budget begins to reflect that transition,” Mathia said in his budget message. “The goal is to keep these resources in our community and improve reliability, strengthen accountability and support a sustainable emergency medical services system.”