The city of Turlock is beefing up its fire department with the planned addition of three firefighters to help man its new ladder truck.
The City Council unanimously approved a revision to the Measure A spending plan that will shift 3 percent from roads to public safety/parks.
This allocation change – estimated at $457,394 for the 2026-27 fiscal year – won’t impact the city’s roads program, according to finance director Isaac Moreno. The new policy will take effect on July 1 to ensure there is no impact to the current fiscal year’s budget.
Three entry-level firefighter positions are estimated at $339,836, and the near-$118,000 balance will ensure overtime and unfunded accrued liability are covered.
Two months ago, the council authorized the purchase of a new ladder truck – a Pierce 107-foot Velocity Tractor Drawn Aerial with pump and tank – from Sacramento-based Golden State Fire Apparatus.
Moreno pointed out that beginning the hiring process during the current fiscal year will allow for better implementation of the proposed hires.
“We’re proposing to do this currently because of the time it actually takes to get staff into place,” said Moreno. “Three individuals are quite a bit, but they have to go through background checks, the interview process, they have to go through the academy. Public safety as whole takes time just because of the overall process, so we’re recommending at this point to amend the budget for this fiscal year, but we know there’s not going to be a fiscal impact until next year when they actually come on.”
The staffing strategy was developed by Deputy Fire Chief Jelinek with an eye toward building full operational readiness for the new rig.
The proposed ladder truck establishes a four-person company staffed with one Captain,
one engineer, and two firefighters. This configuration, according to correspondence between Jelinek, Moreno and City Manager Gary Hampton, aligns with national practices and provides necessary staffing necessary to perform simultaneous fireground functions, including forcible entry, ventilation, aerial ladder deployment, and search and rescue operations.
Jelinek went on to say that TFD will request three additional positions (one
per shift) annually over the next three to four years. This incremental approach dilutes the fiscal impact.
After years of shooting down a citywide sales tax, Turlock voters approved Measure A in 2020, increasing the city sales tax by three-quarters of a cent from 7.875 to 8.625. It was estimated the measure would generate $11 million annually for the city. The 2022 showed that Measure A added a robust $13.2 million to city coffers, and an even heftier $15.1 the following year. The 2024 report was even better, showing a pull of $15.2 million, but revenue dipped precipitously the following year when Measure A brought in $.3 million.
“I’ll just reiterate that there is no impact to the overall roads program, and that’s the biggest thing I can stress,” Moreno told councilmembers. “The ladder truck … is already funded; it’s already been paid for. Again, this is about staffing and how the impact of this is going to help the fire department overall.”
The City of Turlock is currently accepting applications for two vacancies on the Measure A Tax Citizens’ Oversight Committee. The Council will consider appointments during the June 9 regular City Council meeting. Applicants must be a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) or have significant background and experience in accounting or a finance-related field, as outlined in Turlock Ordinance No. 1281-CS. The application deadline is 12 p.m. Friday. Applications can be submitted to the Office of the City Clerk at City Hall or via email to: ccabada@turlock.ca.us.
