Endorsement: Yes to reduce size of fire district board

The Elk Grove Rural Fire Protection District Board is to be commended for seeking to cut its own size. A question on the April 9 ballot asks voters who live in the area served by the district to approve reducing the board to five members from seven. If approved, the size of the board would be cut in the 2015 election, as terms of incumbents expire. Board members serve six-year terms. The move will save $3,000 per year in pay for each seat eliminated, one factor in the request. And board chair Joyce Robinson said that because the district is so small, serving only about a one-square-mile area of unincorporated Elk Grove Township where the bulk of the residents live in mobile homes, there really is no need for so many members. Monthly meetings are short and attendance is sparse, she said. The Daily Herald is happy to endorse this proposal.