A group of Ross residents has proposed a ballot initiative aimed at preserving the town’s fire station.

Friends of Ross Firehouse filed the necessary paperwork with the town on June 30, Town Manager Christa Johnson said. The initiative aims to rehabilitate the station and staff at least two firefighters.

The proponents have 180 days to gather signatures, Town Attorney Benjamin Stock.

“This, we believe, is a vision that Ross residents will support for a bond measure requiring a two-thirds vote,” Friends of Ross Firehouse president Bob Herbst said.

He estimated the group needed 175 signatures to succeed. He said the initiative already has “well over” 100 registered supporters.

If the necessary signatures are verified, the issue must be put to voters at the town’s next regularly scheduled election, and occur no less than 88 days after the date the council adopts a resolution submitting the ordinance to the voters.

The town could call special election. Herbst said they are aiming for a special election in June 2026 to present residents with a fully designed and priced-out plan.

In 2021, the Town Council voted unanimously to close Ross Valley Fire Department’s Station 18 due to age. The station was shuttered on July 1.

The fire department is planning to staff three firefighters per engine at its San Anselmo and Fairfax stations. Ambulance services will remain in town.

Estimates to build a new station — renovating it to meet current flood zone and Essential Services Act requirements could cost more than rebuilding — came close to $28.4 million, according to the town. Instead, town leaders opted for a civic center plan that omits a fire station for around $14 million.“By contrast, our plan rehabs and rebuilds within the existing building foundations, which are well built and structurally sound, and maintains the historic firehouse architecture that everyone in Ross and Marin County knows and loves,” Herbst said.

Stephanie DiMarco, vice president of the citizens’ group, said the goal is to safeguard health and welfare. The group is working with BRW Architects, which has offices in San Francisco, on plans that would rehabilitate the existing firehouse for the same, if not lower, cost, they said.

“It’s important enough that it should be taken to the voters and not be up to three people,” DiMarco said. “Let’s really bring it to the voters and see what the residents have to say.”

The Town Council revisited the topic at a meeting in March, where council members — in a 3-2 split — ultimately decided against spending more resources on researching alternatives to closing Station 18. Councilmember Mathew Salter and Mayor Pro Tempore Elizabeth Robbins wanted to explore options.

A sticking point is emergency response times. The current engine response time is seven minutes, 55 seconds for over 90% of emergencies in Ross. Relocating the engine could increase that by two minutes when the medic unit is out on another call.

“We have an older population,” DiMarco said. “In the case of a stroke or heart attack, those minutes matter.”

On Thursday, the council voted 3-2 to direct staff to move forward with selling Engine 18. The engine is 20 years old — three years past the useful life of the department’s engines — and is the oldest in the fleet, Johnson said.

Proceeds from the sale, around $20,000 to $25,000, would go to Ross. Garaging the engine would cost around $25,000 to $50,000 annually, plus another $125,000 to put new equipment in, Johnson said.

“In all honesty, if this engine was a good operating fire engine, we might consider keeping it, but it’s not and we have some pretty big concerns about its reliability,” Ross Valley fire Chief Dan Mahoney said.

Johnson and Mahoney recommended against garaging and maintaining the engine because expected repairs would be costly due to age. Fire engines need to be operated regularly by certified operators or the components such as the diesel engine and water pump could be affected.

“If you want it to be used someday, you have to put money into it,” Johnson said. “It’s not like your car being in your garage.”

John Bagala, president of Marin Professional Firefighters union, said the ongoing costs could be exponentially more with a two-person engine company, which he said is dangerous and would make hiring and retaining firefighters difficult. On top of hiring costs, personalized gear would have to be purchased every time someone new came in.

“Two-person engine companies are patently unsafe for the public and for the firefighters, they are well below the national standard, and it makes zero sense in 2025 to even build a plan where you are intentionally going to build an unsafe situation,” Bagala said. “You don’t have a commitment to fire safety, you just want the appearance of one.”

When asked if he believed Ross needs a three-person engine company, Bagala said no. He said no one would agree to close Station 18 if they felt it was unsafe. He added the nearby fire stations were in “extreme proximity” that could be in town “within moments” and said the town has low call volume.

The proponents felt selling the engine was premature. DiMarco said the group has raised $90,000 and could help cover maintenance costs to keep the engine. Salter and Robbins wanted to keep the engine until the ballot initiative plays out.

Salter pointed out the recent votes on the issue have been split, and said the matter is too important to let stand on a 3-2 vote.

“It’s not like it’s so clear to the council, and if that’s the case I really believe let the people weigh in,” he said.

Other council members felt the engine was a costly, depreciating asset and would not be useful even if the ballot measure succeeds.

“A small group of residents objects, disregarding the facts,” Mayor Julie McMillan said.

McMillan said Friends of Ross Firehouse was uninformed, and that the ballot initiative was putting “lipstick on the pig,” with its vision to renovate an outdated facility in a flood zone. She noted that the group also does not address the ongoing operating costs associated with running a fire station.

The day after the meeting, the town received a conflict of interest complaint from resident Michael Rosenbaum saying that Salter serves on the citizen group’s board. Salter said when the group was being formed he served as treasurer, but resigned when the ballot initiative was filed.

“I am shocked to find that a verifiable conflict of interest exists,” Rosenbaum said in an email to the council. “I urge the Town Manager and Town Attorney to review, perhaps ‘audit’ the finances of this entity to ensure that Council Salter is not being paid above or below the table.”

Johnson said the town attorney is reviewing the complaint.

Sean Welch, an attorney representing the citizens’ group, said council members and public officials are not prohibited from working with constituents on matters of general public interest when they have no financial interest.

“That’s not only not a conflict, but it is what we expect elected officials to be doing, and even when it comes to direct involvement in ballot measure campaigns, public officials are not restricted from engaging in advocacy on their personal time, not using any public funds or resources,” Welch said in a statement.

Salter said is he is only a supporter and said he has never received any compensation, gifts, or economic benefit from the group.