IE Business Daily Business news for the Inland Empire.
Members of the Hemet Fire Department are taking their fight to keep the department alive to the voters.
Firefighters are collecting signatures that would put a referendum on the city ballot that, if approved, would reverse the Hemet City Council’s decision to do away with the department, according to a report in The Press-Enterprise.
If the proposal gets the required number of signatures – 10 percent of the city’s registered voters, or roughly 3,300 signatures – the council would be forced to reconsider its decision.
If the council doesn’t change its mind, then the measure would be placed on the local ballot. The measure could appear on the ballot as early as next June, but the council could call a special election before then, according to the report.
Earlier the month, the council voted 3-2 to abolish the department and contract with Riverside County for fire and paramedic service. That change, which the council adopted as a cost-cutting measure, is scheduled to take effect next July 1.
