Mosquito Fire’s Shared-Services Talks: Progress or Another Pause?
Monday afternoon (9/14) is another meeting where Mosquito residents look for progress—and instead find mixed signals. A closed-session item on a Shared Chief Services Agreement appears alongside a proposal to replace members of the negotiating committee.
For a community already waiting for answers, it is hard not to wonder: Are negotiations moving forward, or are they stalled again?
Residents are not asking for every private detail. They want confidence that Mosquito Fire can respond when needed and that District leadership is working toward a stable, practical solution for the community.
The Mosquito Fire Protection District Board of Directors will hold a special meeting on Monday, September 14, at 3:00 p.m. at Mosquito Fire Station, 8801 Rock Creek Road in Placerville. Residents may attend in person or join remotely through Zoom using the login information in the posted agenda.
Download the full MFPD Board Meeting Packet Below:
Closed session raises questions
The September 14 special-meeting agenda largely revisits matters from the September 1 meeting, including finance, the District’s conflict-of-interest policy update, and the makeup of the shared-services negotiating committee.
A notable addition is a closed-session item listed as “Labor Contract Negotiations — Shared Chief Services Agreement.” That wording indicates the Board will discuss a possible shared-chief arrangement, but the agenda does not provide public details on the proposed terms or whether a draft agreement is under consideration.
A proposed committee swap
At the same meeting, the Board is scheduled to consider an action item to change its shared-services committee assignments. Director Maria Rodriguez’s issue paper recommends that she replace either Director Bill Buhnerkempe or Director Trent Williams on the two-by-two committees involving Garden Valley and LAFCO.
The two agenda items together create an important question for the public. If the negotiations were gaining real traction and the current team had a clear path to an agreement, why would the District need to replace one of the directors assigned to those negotiations now?
The agenda does not explain whether the proposed change is intended to restart discussions, improve relations with Garden Valley, change Mosquito’s negotiating strategy, or respond to another development that has not been publicly described. What residents can see is that a committee change remains necessary enough to be placed on the agenda while contract negotiations are scheduled for closed session.
Where shared services stand
According to the committee-change issue paper, Garden Valley Fire Protection District first offered shared services to Mosquito as a conceptual idea in April 2026. The paper also states that LAFCO has been attempting to help bridge differences among Divide-area districts since November 2025.
The same document says formal contract negotiations had not begun through drafted contracts as of August. It describes a lengthy process of conceptual discussions and questions, rather than completed contract language, and calls for accelerating the effort before Interim Chief Dave Bellerive’s stated term ends on December 11, 2026.
Garden Valley has paused the shared-services process. Since that pause, the community has not received a clear public explanation of where negotiations stand, whether the discussions can resume, or what terms remain unresolved.
Supervisor Lori Parlin has attributed the pause to Mosquito’s negotiating team, specifically Directors Bill Buhnerkempe and Trent Williams, both on the November 2026 election ballot as candidates for the Mosquito Fire Board. But the public still has not received a full explanation from all parties about what occurred, what progress—if any—has been made, or what must happen next for negotiations to move forward.
Attend or follow the meeting
The September 14 meeting may offer the public a clearer indication of whether shared chief services or other shared-services options remain viable. While discussion of the agreement is scheduled for closed session, the Board’s report-out afterward may identify any action or direction that can legally be disclosed.
When: Monday, September 14, 2026, at 3:00 p.m.
In person: Mosquito Fire Station, 8801 Rock Creek Road, Placerville
Online: Join via Zoom
Meeting ID: 826 3199 9457
Passcode: 223344
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For residents concerned about dependable emergency response and Mosquito Fire’s long-term future, the question is simple: after months of discussion, will this meeting finally bring clarity and forward movement—or more uncertainty?
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