Voters reject calls to trim Elk Grove Rural fire board from 7 to 5

Voters within the Elk Grove Rural Fire Protection District have decided to maintain the size of the district's board of trustees, despite calls from district officials that trimming the board from seven to five members would have cut costs.

With all precincts reporting, unofficial returns showed voters deciding by a 167-143 vote to keep the size of the board the way it has been since the early 1990s, when a referendum question was approved that increased the size of the board from three to seven.

While the current board allows for seven elected members, the recent retirement of one board member and the out-of-district relocation of another have left the board with only five, according to Fire Chief Michael Nelson.

Each board member receives $250 to attend each monthly meeting, so trimming the size of the board was seen as a way to cut costs, Nelson said.

In April 2013, voters within the one-square-mile portion of unincorporated Elk Grove Township rejected a similar measure to cut the size of the board by a 14-12 vote.