Speak out at supervisors meeting

In 2017, the Board of Supervisors came after fire stations. But citizens spoke and a couple supervisors listened. Now the supes are at it again. Tell them “NO!” at their May 23 meeting.

In 2017, Casey Hatcher (now Deputy Administrative Officer) argued that rising staff costs at Cal Fire necessitated station cuts. This time, administrative staff and supervisors manufactured their own rising- staffcosts reason to cut fire stations.

Grinding their Cal Fire axe since 2017, Hatcher,

Doug Teeter and Bill Connelly wielded it again in December when Supervisor Peter Durfee was not yet seated. Supervisors Tod Kimmelshue, Tami Ritter, Teeter and Connelly all voted to terminate the cooperative agreement they had with Cal Fire to keep stations operating year-round in Stirling City, Jarbo Gap/Concow/Yankee Hill, and Berry Creek. Justification: we need to raise county staff salaries! But their actions really said this:

1) Citizens in Berry Creek, Stirling City, and Jarbo Gap/ Concow/Yankee Hill are less deserving of protection than the citizens with Amador stations in Robinson Mill, Forest Ranch, and Paradise, and

2) Citizens of Butte County must pay for generous county wage increases by giving up year-round fire protection.

No supervisors! As public servants, don't deprive some of your citizens of basic public safety in order to give employees raises in other programs. Keep our stations open yearround and find constructive ways to fund the raises you voted for.

Show up and speak out May 23. Support Cal Fire, the Amador stations, and all of us who rely on them.

— Neil Meyer, Berry Creek