December 6, 2007
PVFD Elects Not to Expand Boundaries

Photo by Dave Maxwell Pahranagat Valley Fire District members at recent meeting

By Dave Maxwell

Discussion at the regular monthly meeting of the Pahranagat Valley Fire District focused on the idea of expanding the district boundaries to include all private property north of Hiko to Seaman Wash Road (including Coal Valley and Garden Valley), including all private property in and surrounding Rachel and all private land south of Pahranagat Valley on the east and west sides of U.S. Highway 93 to the Lincoln/Clark county line. Legal counsel Dylan Frehner was on hand to provide advice during the discussion.

The Lincoln County Commissioners have discussed forming a countywide fire district and took up the question at their meeting December 3. However, Commissioners did want PVFD to decide for themselves what they wanted to do with their existing boundaries.

The board briefly discussed the idea of annexing land within the area PVFD might want to expand. But Frehner said it would have to be done by petition, signed by at least 20 percent of the landholders affected, and put on the November 2008 general election ballot for approval.

Frehner counseled that he thought it would be to PVFD’s benefit to let the County form a countywide district, “It actually gives you a little more protection because you can make a mutual-aid agreement with the county and tell them what you want to do in order to provide service for that area and what your liability issues are.” The County would form the district and PVFD would share the liability.

County Commissioner Wade Poulsen said at the meeting that the County will either form their own district and contract out to local fire districts, such as PVFD, or everybody expand their boundaries to cover the whole county. One of those two options.

He said a problem the County will run into are areas where there are gaps, no private land owners and no people, where the most that will happen will be vehicle fires. The County will be forced to make agreements with local districts to cover those events and as Poulsen said, “Where do you find the money to come up with those obligations?”

Board Chairman Tim Perkins felt that a contract could be worked out with the County that would be beneficial to both parties.