May Meeting
• There were 54 responder incidents in April.
• The Sonoita-Elgin Fire District board unanimously voted to adopt a tentative fiscal year 2026-2027 budget and tax rate, which will be posted for a minimum of 20 days at the Sonoita/Elgin fire station, post office and SEFD website. At the June 22 SEFD board meeting, there will be a breakout session for the public to discuss or comment on the proposal, after which the board may vote to modify and/or adopt the budget as is. The proposed budget includes an approximately 4.3% increase from last year and the proposed tax rate remains the same as last year at 3.25%. Local SEFD taxpayers support less than 68% of the total budget and the remainder is funded through other sources.
• The Arizona Department of Transportation asked SEFD to comment on the future of the Elgin Bridge and presented three options: (1) rehabilitate the existing bridge, (2) demolish it and build a new one and (3) rehabilitate the historic bridge while also constructing a new bridge. SEFD chose option 3 to preserve the bridge’s historic value and add a new structure capable of supporting a safe route for fire trucks whose weight exceeds the current posted load limit.
• Patagonia Volunteer Fire and Rescue and SEFD recently entered into an Automatic Aid Agreement, which confirms they will jointly respond to all fire emergency calls within the PVFR and SEFD service areas.
• In a presentation by SEFD Chief Marc Meredith, the board learned that cancer now far exceeds cardiac arrest and heart disease as the leading cause of occupational fatalities for firefighters. For additional details, the SEFD Board minutes are posted at sefd911.org/board-meetings.
Kat Crockett is a member of the Sonoita-Elgin Fire District Board of Directors.