Patagonia, Sonoita-Elgin Fire Chiefs to Make Dueling Presentations at Patagonia Council Meeting
Chiefs for Patagonia Volunteer Fire & Rescue (PVFR) and Sonoita-Elgin Fire District (SEFD), who are in competition to provide fire and emergency services for the Town of Patagonia after PVFR’s one-year contract expires on June 30, will each make presentations and take questions from Town Council members and the public at a ‘Special Council Workshop’ on Wednesday, April 30 at 5pm.
The meeting will be held in Council chambers at Patagonia Town Hall, with Zoom access via MEETING I.D. 957-511-4862 and PASSCODE 338501.
As space inside the Council chambers is limited to 47 people and there are no accommodations being made for overflow, attendance via Zoom is being encouraged by the Town.
According to the meeting’s agenda, PVFR Acting Fire Chief Zay Hartigan will make the first presentation, followed by questions and comments from the Council and then from the public. SEFD Chief Marc Meredith will then make his presentation, which will be followed by questions and comments from the Council and then from the public.
At the Patagonia Town Council’s April 9 meeting, Patagonia Mayor Andy Wood stressed that the Town will be seeking “reasonable, proactive ideas” at the April 30 workshop. She said she didn’t want the workshop “to be a shouting match.”
The 100-year-old, 39-member PVFR currently provides fire and emergency services to the Town under a one-year, $65,000 contract that ends on June 30.
The Town sent a Request for Proposal (RFP) for fire and emergency services for fiscal year 2025-6 to three local fire departments in February without any public discussion or vote by the Town Council. (Patagonia Town Manager Ron Robinson told the PRT that no public notice or deliberation was necessary as issuing the RFP was an “administrative act” by the Town.)
PVFR and SEFD submitted proposals for the Patagonia contract ahead of the March 30 deadline, while Rio Rico Fire District did not respond. (Click here for the PVFR proposal. Click here for the SEFD proposal.)
For further background, see “Town May Cut Ties With PVFR” (April 3, 2025).