John Gaccione

Date: 10/13/2021

Subject: Is it time to Consolidate?

From: The Memo Desk

In the current issue of the Outlook two proponents of consolidation spin their vision of the many benefits Kensington would gain from consolidation. Sound familiar?

Folks advancing consolidation wish to create one district by combining the KPPCSD with the KFPD. Consolidation would decrease the duplication of staff, consultants and possibly lead to a more efficient delivery of police and fire services. Additionally, they believe it would result in a significant cost savings.

According to the article, the many problems associated with the process of remodeling the Public Safety Building have been a big reason consolidation has been gathering a rising tide of supporters. The inability of the KPPCSD and the KFPD to work together successfully emphasized the need to streamline local government in Kensington.

Combining districts would require the KPPCSD to force the dissolution of the KFPD and take over fire protection services. The question may have to be put up for a vote and has to receive the approval of LAFCO. It can be a long, expensive and involved process and could take years to complete. The process is dissolution, reorganization and then consolidation.

Since there are no past models of a police district taking over a fire district it would be difficult to predict a successful outcome, never mind significant cost savings. Would Kensington even have a deep enough pool of prospective directors knowledgeable in both policing and fire issues to fill a consolidated board?

The past political activities of two people given the most column space in the article suggests they are positioning “consolidation” to be the main issue for next fall’s district elections. One was a creator of the “Dorroh Ordinance” (a.k.a. the “Poison Pill Ordinance”). And the other person’s neighborly comments seem to stop at the district boundary lines.

Is it time to consolidate? Without an in-depth fiscal analysis and an evaluation of the organizational and administrative impact of reorganization, deciding if it’s time to consolidate is somewhat premature. A time out would be more appropriate.

Reorganization may be what Kensington needs or it may simply add another divisive issue to the complex problems facing both districts now. Oh, for the wisdom of Solomon!

“If you don’t read the newspaper, you are uninformed. If you do read the newspaper, you are misinformed.” (Mark Twain)

Note: Caution, contents may have come into contact with satire in the rising tide.

The past political activities of two people given the most column space in the article suggests they are positioning “consolidation” to be the main issue for next fall’s district elections. One was a creator of the “Dorroh Ordinance” (a.k.a. the “Poison Pill Ordinance”). And the other person’s neighborly comments seem to stop at the district boundary lines.

Is it time to consolidate? Without an in-depth fiscal analysis and an evaluation of the organizational and administrative impact of reorganization, deciding if it’s time to consolidate is somewhat premature. A time out would be more appropriate.

Reorganization may be what Kensington needs or it may simply add another divisive issue to the complex problems facing both districts now. Oh, for the wisdom of Solomon!

“If you don’t read the newspaper, you are uninformed. If you do read the newspaper, you are misinformed.” (Mark Twain)

Note: Caution, contents may have come into contact with satire in the rising tide.