A New Kind of Kensington

The kind of district consolidation under consideration in Kensington is recommended in two reports commissioned for the Contra Costa County Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO). The government model with all public safety services provided under one governmental entity is found in all of our adjacent cities, elsewhere in the state and is predominant across the country. A Community Services District (CSD) can provide both fire and police services. An example is Marinwood CSD, a similarly sized community in Marin, which directly provides fire service and outsources police service in a mirror image of the current Kensington arrangement.

Kensington district consolidation (unification) of our two boards is being analyzed by the municipal advisory firm Ridgeline Municipal Strategies, in advance of any district decision to apply to LAFCO for approval. Most recently they have completed review of the KPPCSD 10 year financial forecast which indicates that the district will have funding to provide the current level of services. The final report to determine whether a consolidated-unified district would be financially viable is underway and should be completed this Fall by Ridgeline.

KPOA supports the continued effort by the KPPCSD and KFPD to determine whether consolidation can work financially in Kensington. The information will be provided by Ridgeline and due diligence will be conducted by the districts and by the County. Our reasons for supporting district consolidation include elimination of uncoordinated budgeting and duplication of administrative staff, and that it enables a unified board to address and balance highest priorities for all services. Some of the districts’ difficulties experienced in management and staff retention would be addressed by having fulltime positions. Most importantly, coordination by one governing body of police and fire would finally be accomplished, making Kensington residents safer especially in a disaster in our urban-rural interface environment.

One unified community safety and services district will improve funding, coordination and balanced planning between Kensington’s public safety departments.

Rob Firmin, KPOA President, and the Board of Directors