Marina City Council votes ‘no’ on bond measure to help with long fire response times

MARINA, Calif. (KION-TV) UPDATE August 2, 2022, at 2:48 p.m.- MARINA, Calif. (KION-TV) - Marina City Leaders are slowing down on putting the General Obligation Bond on the upcoming election.

Marina City Leaders didn't want to rush the process. They want to get more input from the community.

The money from the go bond measure would go towards upgrading city facilities, like city hall and the community center.

Councilmember Cristina Medina Dirksen told KION that the council wanted to ensure that people thoroughly understand what the bond is about and what their money is going towards. Because Marina is growing, Councilmember Medina Dirksen also said places like city hall need an upgrade.

“We're talking about money. Nobody likes new taxes,” said Medina Dirksen. “Nobody does, especially with the financial climate we've been through and with covid and now with some uncertainty. Everybody has to feel comfortable with how their money is being spent.”

If the council moves forward with the bond, there could be a special election next year.

“The general obligation bond is a two-thirds threshold,” said Layne Long, Marina City’s Manager. “We want to be sure that the community is well aware of it and that we had the community's support of it to hit that two-thirds threshold."

The city council directed staff to contact a communication agency to help with community engagement and messaging.

Part of the bond measure also impacts both the fire and police departments. Not only does the measure look to improve city infrastructure but also public safety.

It's not just a new fire station the Marina Fire Department needs. It's also in need of its own ladder truck.“Every time we kick the can down the road, there's going to be a cost increase,” said Marina Fire Chief Doug McCoun.

“Eventually, we need these facilities. We need the equipment. The longer we wait there, the more it's going to cost.”When the Marina Fire Department needs a ladder truck, it relies on the cities of Monterey, Seaside, and Salinas. The current fire station can't store a ladder truck.

Jake Hilliker, who has lived in the city for six years, said the city is growing fast and needs to keep up.
“The more people that live here, the more needs there are for public safety and firefighters,” said Hilliker.

“I think bonds like that should be pushed through just as much as there is development going up.”
Chief McCoun also said a new fire station at California and Imjin would help improve the department's response times.

McCoun also said the city council slowing down on putting the bond on the ballot was a good move, but the department is working against the clock.

Marina Fire suggests bond measure to help with long response times

A bond measure could be on the November ballot for the city of Marina. The measure could shape the future of major facilities in the city, including the fire station. 

It specifically means adding a new fire station which would help improve the department's response times. But it may also lead to an overall makeover at City Hall.

“We started talking about it,” said Layne Long, the Marina City Manager. “The top priorities for the community were that we really need to address our infrastructure that has been neglected for 30, 40 years.”

As of now, Marina’s City Hall is two trailers stitched together. At a special city council meeting Tuesday night, city leaders received a presentation from FM 3 Research. The group surveyed about 300 people on the GO bond measure. Out of those people, most said they were in favor of it.

Long said upgrading city facilities have been in talks for years. 

“These facilities, they don't meet any ADA, don't meet any access standards,” said Long. “We really are to the point of we've got to put significant dollars into fixing it. It's really usable, or it's time to let's just move forward with our future.” 

But also top of the city's list? “One of the top priorities of our city is to provide high-quality level of service and to provide high-quality public safety needs,” said Long.

That means upgrades for the City's fire department. Emergency services consulting international said building a new station would help the department respond to fires. Their suggestion? Build a new fire station on California and Imjin. 

“What this fire station does not only helps fill that hole, but it also supports the rest of the city, too,” said Chief Doug McCoun of the Marina Fire Department. 

In 2017, response times were about nine and a half minutes, then dropped to more than 10 minutes in 2019. 

Chief McCoun said that the current fire stations at the airport and downtown leave gaps open, making it difficult for the department to meet response times.

There will be two council meetings to put the bond on the ballot. Council will make its final say regarding the measure in early August.