Othello council approves fire contract extension, commits to annexation vote

OTHELLO — After a year and a half of discussion and controversy, Othello City Council members approved a short-term extension to the city’s contract with Adams County Fire District 5 at its Monday meeting. Fire District 5 commissioners considered the contract at their meeting Tuesday night.

The contract was approved by the council on a 7-0 vote.

Council member Angel Garza said it’s time the two sides reached a deal.

“We have to make a decision and move forward and get something done,” Garza said.

Mayor Ken Johnson said in a separate interview that the extension will be in effect through the end of 2027. The city will pay about $1.2 million for fire services, which reflects an increase in the levy assessment approved by ACFD 5 voters in 2025. Othello and ACFD 5 had a contract for 2025, with the city paying $793,000.

The contract was set to expire at the end of April, and negotiations for a new one started in 2024. Ultimately, council members turned down a proposal from the fire district in August 2024, reached after mediation. The proposal included an increase in the contract price and provisions for the city to be annexed into the fire district rather than contracting separately with it.

Johnson said the agreement approved by the council Monday includes a vote on annexation.

“We are moving forward with the annexation process into (ACFD 5), with the hopes to have a measure on the ballot in April of 2027,” Johnson said.

In 2024, council members voted to start a city fire department, and that became a subject of controversy in the 2025 mayoral election. Johnson opposed the decision to start a separate city fire department.

Council member Marc Spohr objected to the price, saying he thought it was too high. After the discussion, however, he voted to approve it.

“When the fire district was out campaigning for a levy lift, it was insinuated that if the city did not opt out of the fire protection contract, the levy rate could be left (at the previous rate),” Spohr said.

The previous levy rate was 63 cents per $1,000 of assessed value.

“I believe this amount is doable. This should have been the starting point of negotiations,” Spohr said.

Although he voted for it, Spohr said after the discussion he thought the price was too high.

“It’s a lot,” he said.

The contract extension commits the city to a vote on annexation.

“The city intends to place a measure on the ballot in April 2027 asking the voters to approve annexation into the fire district, with an effective date of July 30, 2027,” according to the contract.

Johnson said he supports annexation.

“After you look at the big picture, it’s actually going to save the city money in the long run, and combining both the county and the city resources together on this will create much better fire department protection services for the citizens,” Johnson said.

City and ACFD 5 officials will start working on a pre-annexation proposal, Johnson said. Fire District 5 Chief Tom Salsbury said the details will be worked out during that process.

“The pre-annexation agreement is where a lot of things will take place,” Salsbury said. “We talk about trucks; we talk about what we’ll pay for. I’ve been doing my homework so I know what this stuff’s going to cost, and I will present that to council to let you know what we’re paying for and how much that will cost.”

    New Adams County Fire District 5 personnel train on a fire hydrant. Othello City Council members and ACFD 5 commissioners reached agreement on a contract extension through the end of 2027.