NEWMAN — A long‑simmering dispute between the City of Newman and the West Stanislaus County Fire Protection District is coming to a head this week, just as frustration over the city’s treatment of several longtime volunteer firefighters spills into the public.
The Newman City Council is scheduled to meet Oct. 6 to consider a prelitigation settlement that would formally dissolve the 1988 joint powers agreement governing Fire Station 55 and end decades of shared ownership between the two agencies. According to the city staff report, the proposed agreement would unwind the partnership through a series of payments, transfers and releases of liability, giving Newman sole ownership of the station at Kern and N streets.
The move follows a year of escalating conflict over cost‑sharing, reimbursements and access to jointly owned equipment and data. The city contends the district failed to pay its share of personnel and operational costs, leaving more than $95,000 in unreimbursed expenses. The district disputes those claims and argues the city restricted its access to Station 55 and jointly acquired equipment, while also alleging the city owes more than $94,000 in state emergency‑services reimbursements…