The cities of Turlock and Modesto will remain linked for fire services after the Turlock City Council voted 3-2 Tuesday night in favor of renewing the agreement that is set to expire on June 30.

Mayor Amy Bublak, Vice Mayor Rebecka Monez (District 2), and Councilmember Erika Phillips (District 4) voted in favor of staying with Modesto, while Councilmembers Kevin Bixel (District 1) and Cassandra Abram (District 3) voted for Turlock autonomy.

More than a dozen members of Turlock Firefighters Local 2434 were on hand at the meeting, including Battalion Chief Chad Hackett, who serves as the union president.

“I think that you can look at past histories on any controversial issues and it’s 3-2, pretty historically,” said Hackett, who said he believed the vote was a fait accompli. “And you can figure out who those three are and those two aren’t.”

Now, Turlock firefighters are stuck with a new five-year deal with Modesto that Hackett said his members overwhelmingly oppose.

“We’ve iterated the entire time, through Modesto fire chiefs and administration, that we’re willing to work with them," said Hackett, who cited low attrition rates and poor morale as effects of the Turlock-Modesto partnership. "We want to keep a collaborative working relationship with them. This was nothing personal; this was something that our membership had asked us for.”

Members of the public who commented were unanimous in their support of Turlock breaking away from Modesto. One of the speakers was mayoral candidate Jim Reape, who sided with the Turlock firefighters, which positions him on the opposite side of the issue from Bublak. The two will undoubtedly vie for the union’s endorsement when election season heats up.

Interim Deputy Fire Chief for Turlock Chris Jelinek, who admitted that the current working relationship is far from perfect, maintained that consolidation is the best option for Turlock.

“This is a complex and, at times, emotional issue,” said Jelinek. “There are valid perspectives on all sides of this issue. And we understand and respective those concerns. I recognize that we all stand together in service to our community. We have different perspectives on how to get there, but everyone here cares deeply about this department and the community that we serve. We’re all striving to the same outcome: we want to deliver the best possible customer service and fire protection to the city of Turlock.”

The council was presented with two options: break away from Modesto or renew the expiring agreement for five years. Ultimately, the council directed staff to negotiate a new administrative services agreement with Modesto, with an amendment to form a citizen’s advisory committee that includes a member of Local 2434.

During the roll call vote, Phillips inadvertently voted no when she meant to vote yes, setting off a procedural comedy of errors in an effort to correct the miscue.

Earlier in the meeting, the council approved spending nearly $2.4 million for a new “quint” – a Swiss Army knife of a fire truck that combines engine and ladder capabilities, and includes a pump, water tank, hose, ground ladder, and aerial ladder. And with a 100 percent prepayment option, the city will save 13.4 percent – more than $320,000 – on the cost of the truck that will replace a 25-year-old unit.

The council also officially approved the hiring of city attorney candidate Katie O. Lucchesi, who has been the city attorney in Lodi. Lucchesi will succeed George Petrulakis, who has served in the role since February 2021.